Ouaddou On Ndaba’s Form: He Must Continue Like That
Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has highlighted the importance of Nkosikhona Ndaba in providing depth and competition at left-back after Deon Hotto appeared to have owned that position.
Ndaba joined Orlando Pirates from Richards Bay during the off-season.
The left back position has predominantly been occupied by Hotto over the last couple of seasons.
“Look, you have seen since the beginning the philosophy that we’re trying to implement in the club. Meaning to rotate the players, rotating the players to have some freshness, competitiveness, and to protect their physical integration as well, because we are playing in many competitions,” said Ouaddou.
The 23-year-old had a good time on his return to King Zwelithini Stadium last week, where his former side played their home games, scoring his first senior goal against Golden Arrows, which earned him the man of the match award, as well as helping his current employers reach the Carling Black Label Knockout Cup final by defeating his former side, Natal Rich Boys.
“Ndaba is part of a group of all the Pirates players that can bring us something when we call, and that is what he did. Every time I call him, I’m very happy. But as I said, consistency is very important. You cannot only play one game, two games, three games, very good, and then drop your level thereafter. I always say to my players, the most important thing is the consistency of your performance that brings you to the high level,” added Ouaddou.
The man from Newcastle in KwaZulu-Natal has made seven appearances across all competitions this season thus far.
“He must continue like that. He had a great game against Golden Arrows, as well as he did well; he is a young guy, a young player that we need to trust, we need to give him confidence. Sometimes we need to be careful not to burn this young talent. You need to know how you bring them, which moment you give them to create the right environment for them to improve,” concluded Ouaddou.
With a Carling Knockout final against Marumo Gallants at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on 6 December to look forward to, Ndaba and Ouaddou will be aiming to secure their second piece of silverware since their arrival at Pirates.
