“We have to bounce back,” said Eric Tinkler after Orlando Pirates relived the horror of reaching a continental cup final at the weekend and - for the second time in two years - return home with only silver medals to parade for their efforts.
Bouncing back from the disappointment of losing 2-1 on aggregate to Etoile du Sahel in Tunisia on Sunday sounds easier said than done.
Their Caf Confederations Cup campaign had been so mesmerising that, for the most part, it was bearable for their supporters to watch them slump into the bottom half of the Absa Premiership table, where they currently occupy 11th place, with two games in hand.
Etoile soaked up a storm in the second half of the weekend’s cup final to be crowned champions, the kind of storm the Buccaneers will have to bring along with them to resuscitate their domestic form. As it stands, going back to the drawing board, a cliche that’s done its rounds with several coaches, is only part of the solution.
“You can understand how nobody is in a great mood right now. It’s never easy - the feeling when you lose is twenty times worse than when you win,” said Tinkler.
“We didn’t want to replicate what we experienced in 2013 and unfortunately that is the feeling right now. We have that same feeling we had two years ago, which is not a great feeling.
“But we can’t point fingers at anybody because I think the players worked extremely hard and in my mind they are champions. This has been a long and hard road to get to where we did and they should be very proud of what they achieved.”
Pirates aren’t in a position to know for sure they will be back playing continental football next season because of their Premier League position. It’s early days yet, and the Nedbank Cup - a tournament that earns the winner a place in the Confederations Cup - only kicks off in March.
Tinkler, who will be under even more scrutiny now, is already being meticulous in his planning.
“At least we have a bit of a (rest) period now until we play Mamelodi Sundowns on December 20 (the final game of the year for both clubs). I think it’s a good thing because it would have been bad for us if we had a game coming a week after the final,” the coach said.
“We can reset our focus on the task at hand of getting ourselves higher up in the league. And obviously we still have the Nedbank to play for. That is where our focus will turn to now, knowing that every game, every competition is a priority at Pirates. That is just the reality.”
Tinkler hopes his side produce something special - akin to striker Thamsanqa Gabuza finishing as joint top scorer in the Confederation Cup with six goals, Thabo Rakhale chipping in with four in the competition as well, and Kermit Erasmus catching the eye of the rest of Africa with his displays.
“We should never find ourselves in a position we find ourselves in currently if we produced the same performances we have been doing in the Caf competition.
“And yes, we should always be getting to the finals or close to the finals and winning them because what we have shown in the tournament has been phenomenal against exceptionally good teams. If we can just replicate that in our league and cup form, then I see us going very far,” he said. - The Star