Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro admits when a team is in-form players don’t want a break, but it can be important for the congested fixture schedule.
Pirates next game will come at the end of November in the CAF Champions League group stage opener against Algerian giants CR Belouizdad.
And the break comes off the back of only one defeat in all competitions with 16 matches played, seven consecutive league wins, a new record, the MTN8 title, and the only blip so far being the Carling Knockout Cup exit to Magesi.
“That conundrum of the [international] break coming, there’s nothing I can do, so I take it the way it is, it’s a break, it doesn’t matter if I prefer it or not,” he said.
“One of the keys to succeed in modern football is planning, we have an opportunity now to utilise this time to rest… at least some of our players, refine some other players, team dynamics, behavioural patterns.
“There’s more time to look at small details than when you’re competing every two or three days because you don’t have the time and opportunity to do. So I’m always taking everything something positive for us.
“If there’s a break it’s going to be positive for sure. Because we going to use the time to come back better, obviously when you’re winning every two-three days, you don’t want to stop, I’m not going to lie, you want to keep going, especially the players when they having fun and with results, you want to continue.
“But now with many of them, they have many other commitments with national teams,t they will continue competing and the others will continue to prepare for what’s coming [with Pirates] in a tight schedule in November, December, January, February it’s something else, the next FIFA break is in March.
“Once we start again after this one, we don’t stop anymore so it will be an important part of our preparation in the upcoming months.”