Mabasa Sees Similarities Between Ouaddou And Riveiro’s Coaching Styles
Orlando Pirates striker Tshegofatso Mabasa has shared his thoughts on the team’s new coach, Abdeslam Ouaddou, praising his demanding yet player-centric approach.
Ouaddou joined the Buccaneers during the offseason, taking over from Spanish tactician Jose Riveiro, who departed for Al Ahly.
Mabasa believes that Ouaddou’s coaching style is similar to Riveiro’s in that he is an encourager, but with a demanding edge.
“I think the biggest thing that I’ve noticed about the coach personally, he’s very demanding, but he loves his players at the same time,” Mabasa said.
“He’s also an encourager of which it’s quite similar to coach Jose Riveiro in what we experienced from him.”
Mabasa revealed that Ouaddou is focusing on improving specific areas of the team’s game, particularly in set pieces and transitions.
“There’s not a lot that coach Ouaddou is trying to change; that’s probably the way we are defending, especially in set pieces and how we deal with transitions as well,” Mabasa explained.
“We are just trying to improve on the areas we were lacking last season, and we feel that it’s mostly on set pieces. We lost the CAF Champions League because of set pieces, and we conceded three goals from set pieces.”
Mabasa found it ironic that the Buccaneers were one of the best at defending set pieces domestically, but struggled in the Champions League.
“It’s very funny how we lose the Champions League on set pieces, but yet in the country we were the best in terms of defending set pieces,” he said.
Despite this, Mabasa believes that Ouaddou’s efforts to improve the team’s weaknesses will be beneficial for the team.
“So, there are a lot of things that we need to take into consideration this season, but what coach Ouaddou is trying to improve are the areas we were lacking in last season,” he added.
Under Ouaddou’s guidance, Pirates have been working hard in preseason, and Mabasa is confident that the Moroccan coach’s experience will rub off on the players.
Ouaddou was at the helm during the team’s preseason tour in Spain this month, and he will make his official debut with Pirates this Saturday in the quarterfinal of the MTN8 Cup against Polokwane City at Orlando Stadium.
The Buccaneers will be looking to make a strong impression in the MTN8 Cup and beyond, and Mabasa’s praise for Ouaddou suggests that the team is in good hands.
