Orlando Pirates captain Innocent Maela has opened up on how head coach Jose Riveiro has brought the best out of his players.

Pirates are set to take on Stellies for the top eight title when the two sides meet at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday evening.

The Spanish tactician’s side are yet to suffer a defeat this campaign and are currently on a 10-match unbeaten run across all competitions.

Maela believes that the club’s success over the past few seasons is due to Riveiro and his technical team, who give the player the “platform to everyone to express themselves”.

“How did we know that we have a good coach? Honestly, from the first day,” said Maela.

“I’ve sat here so many times and I’ve given credit to the coach and the technical team on how they prepare for matches and how everyone is involved within the group.”

He added: “He gives the platform to everyone to express themselves. We have seen examples in the previous season and the season before.

“I think from the first day, we knew that we have a top coach and a good human being, a father figure to us.

“And from the first day, we only wanted to play our best and give our best to him and to his former assistant coach (Sergio Almenara) who started the process with us.

“It’s been a good journey with ups and downs, but we are enjoying working with the coach and the technical team,” he said.

“But we’ve always known from the first day that we had a good coach. We see how he prepares for training sessions for each game and how much he demands the best from us.”