‘Trying To Break Players’: Angry Ouaddou Confronts Durban City Bench

Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou fiercely criticized Durban City’s aggressive tactics following Saturday’s frustrating 0-0 draw at Orlando Amstel Arena, accusing the visitors of crossing the line from physical football into intentionally trying to injure players.

The Pirates coach was left frustrated after his side was held to a disappointing 0-0 draw by Durban City at Orlando, a result that dealt a significant blow to the Buccaneers’ hopes of winning the Betway Premiership title.

However, Ouaddou’s biggest concern after the match centred around the visitors’ physical approach, particularly following an incident involving goalkeeper Sipho Chaine in the closing stages of the game.

The former Morocco international defender did not hold back as he questioned the mentality behind some of the challenges made on his players, insisting there is a clear difference between playing physical football and intentionally trying to injure opponents.

“Look, there is a difference between playing strongly with physicality on the ball and trying to injure players,” said Ouaddou.

“This is not a good mentality, and it should never become part of the game. Firstly, I’m an educator, and I have to protect the players. I have to protect my players if somebody in the middle of the pitch is not protecting them. If I have to remind you, in the game against Kaizer Chiefs, we lost Tshepang Moremi because of this.

“We have also lost players in these kinds of matches, and when you are encouraging this kind of behaviour, it becomes very bad for football.

“We must remember that there are children in the stands, and we have to set a good example for the next generation. That is always the message I pass on to my players.

“I kept quiet after the game against Kaizer Chiefs, even though I lost one of my best players, and I didn’t want to lose my first-choice goalkeeper against Durban City after he was kicked while the ball was far away from the incident. That is very bad.

“So, we had a discussion with the Durban City coach after the match, and everything is fine because he understood my concerns and apologised. I also congratulated him on the good game his team played.”

The Pirates mentor also admitted that his side struggled to break down Durban City’s defensive low block despite creating several promising attacking situations throughout the match.

“I think we have played several games this season against teams that used a low block, and we managed to succeed,” he added.

“We have faced teams using high blocks and mid-blocks, and perhaps we could have found more space with the quality of players we have. But for every team in the world, when you play against a low-block side, you need to find patterns and combinations to penetrate the final third.

“I think we managed to create those patterns and combinations against Durban City, and we entered the final third around 50 times. However, the final pass and assist were missing.

“When you have a young team, you have to trust and believe in them, and I hope we will find the answers next week.

“To deal with teams that play with this kind of aggressive mentality, we need to be smarter. Before receiving the ball, you must already be thinking ahead.

“That helps you understand where your teammates are, where the opponents are positioned, and which spaces are available so that you can make the right decisions.”

Pirates will now turn their attention to their final league match against Orbit College FC at the Mbombela Stadium on Saturday, where victory would secure the Betway Premiership title for the Buccaneers.