Ouaddou Warns Pirates Must Find Solutions Before Crucial MTN8 Clash
Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has warned that his side must quickly find solutions ahead of Saturday’s MTN8 semi-final second leg against Sekhukhune United following a concerning performance in midweek.
The Buccaneers secured a 2-0 Betway Premiership victory over Babina Noko on Tuesday, but Ouaddou was far from satisfied with what he saw from his players, admitting that Sekhukhune were the better side on the night.
It was the second meeting between the teams in the space of three days, following Pirates’ 1-0 away victory over Sekhukhune in Polokwane in the first leg of their MTN8 semi-final last Saturday.
The two sides will meet again on Saturday for the decisive second leg, with Pirates holding a narrow advantage as they look to secure a record fifth successive appearance in the final.
Ouaddou compared Tuesday’s performance with his team’s display in Polokwane and felt the Buccaneers had shown significantly better organisation, discipline and fighting spirit in the first encounter.
“Let’s say I think we had an interesting game there in Sekhukhune, in terms of the organisation, in terms of discipline and in terms of fighting spirit,” he said.
“And for me, we could have won 2-0 or 3-0 in Sekhukhune. But I have to be honest, on Tuesday we won, okay, three points. I’m happy for the boys, I’m happy for myself and for the fans.
“But we don’t deserve to win. They were far, far better than us. And I want to congratulate the Sekhukhune players and the way that they started the game.
“I know that it will not be easy; qualifying for the final will not be easy. So I think if we don’t find a solution in three days, it can be very, very difficult.
“So I think we will go to rest, watch the game, make the post-analysis with the players, find where we could have done better and where we missed it, and come back stronger. But it will not be easy, yes.”
The Buccaneers are aiming to reach the MTN8 final for a fifth consecutive season, having already made history by winning the competition in each of the previous four campaigns.
Pirates remain the only club to have won the MTN8 four consecutive times in the Premier Soccer League era, and they will now look to create even more history by reaching another final and keeping their hopes of securing a fifth straight title alive.
However, Ouaddou’s honest assessment of Tuesday’s performance suggests that Pirates cannot afford to repeat the same mistakes when they welcome Sekhukhune for the decisive second leg.
Meanwhile, the Moroccan coach also provided an update on striker Sifiso Luthuli, who is still waiting for his first appearance of the season.
Luthuli spent the second half of last season on loan at Magesi before returning to the Buccaneers for the current campaign. However, the 26-year-old has yet to be included in a matchday squad this season.
Despite his lack of game time, Ouaddou believes Luthuli possesses the qualities of a modern striker and backed the forward to eventually make an impact for Pirates once he gets his injury problems under control.
“Unfortunately, I didn’t have the chance to watch him in the local tournament, but I trust you,” he added.
“What I see in training, what I have seen of him, is that he is full of qualities of a modern striker. He’s tall. He’s able to play as a wall player. He’s able to play with the ball in deep areas. He’s able to play in combination. He’s able to score with his left foot and right foot. He’s able to score with his head.
“I think you were not surprised last season, in January, when I said I don’t need a striker because I already have the material at Pirates. So this season he came back, and I think the technical staff trusts him.
“Now I just hope that the injuries will stop, because he has all the time some small injuries, and we have to work on that to strengthen him, to strengthen the legs, to strengthen the upper body. But definitely, he has good qualities to help Pirates, and I hope soon to see him. But he’s really a good profile.”
Pirates will now look to address the shortcomings from their midweek performance when they face Sekhukhune once again on Saturday.
Ouaddou and his technical team have only a few days to find the solutions needed to overcome a Sekhukhune side that the Pirates coach admitted was far better on Tuesday.
At the same time, Luthuli will be hoping to put his injury problems behind him and earn an opportunity to demonstrate his qualities and secure game time under Ouaddou.
