Ouaddou Responds To A Potential Early Departure
Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has responded to the possibility of an early departure from the club if things go wrong on Saturday.
Pirates will host Mamelodi Sundowns in the first leg of the MTN8 semi-final at Orlando Stadium. However, the team is heading into the game in poor form. Ouaddou, who was appointed during the off-season to replace Jose Riveiro, has lost the first two league matches.
Pirates were shocked at home by Sekhukhune United in the season’s opening league game last Saturday and followed that with another loss to Marumo Gallants at Dr. Momela Stadium on Tuesday.
This is the first time since the 2007/08 season that Pirates have lost their first two matches.
What has worked against Ouaddou at Pirates, leaving fans disappointed, is his decision to introduce many new players at once, dismantling the team that Riveiro had built to finish second in the past three seasons in the Betway Premiership.
Key players such as Evidence Makgopa and Tshegofatso Mabasa, who led the attack so well last season, have been left on the bench or not been involved at all. This has angered Pirates fans, and everyone is guessing what kind of side Ouaddou will field against Sundowns.
Failure to beat Sundowns, who thrashed AmaZulu 2-0 at Loftus Stadium on Tuesday, could spell the end for Ouaddou, whose appointment did not excite Bucs fans in the first place.
“Like I told you, if you are an expert, like you said in football, you could have seen a lot of interesting things that our players did,” said Ouaddou, who started with a laugh when replying to the question about an early departure.
Pirates reached the semi-final after beating Polokwane City earlier this month in the quarter-final, a competition they have won three times in the last three seasons.
“Of course, some things didn’t go well. But we are here to work, to improve ourselves. Every player understands the starting block to perform, and that is what we are going to do to bring happiness to our fans.”
