Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has stressed the importance of unity and depth in his squad ahead of the Buccaneers’ MTN8 semi-final first leg against Mamelodi Sundowns this weekend.
Speaking to the media in the build-up to the blockbuster clash, Ouaddou emphasised the collective quality at his disposal and the need to integrate the club’s new arrivals as quickly as possible.
Read: Big Move Confirmed For Kimvuidi, Ndlondlo Announced At New Club
“Look, it’s very important to understand the size of the club and what we want to achieve,” Ouaddou said.
“We have talented players, we have good players, a big squad. Everybody is important for the club, and everybody will get the possibility to compete and to show what they’re able to bring. A lot of new players… our duty is to integrate them, to give them the opportunity to perform and to show themselves, but definitely, everybody is important this season for us,” the coach added.
The Moroccan tactician, who took over the reins earlier this season, was also quizzed on what aspects of his approach have worked well so far, even if they might not be immediately obvious to outsiders.
“If I have to go through my philosophy, it will be long,” he explained. “But we have tried to play some speed football, with good organisation and compactness. We saw it in the first game against Polokwane, against Sekhukhune as well, and we saw it against Marumo in the first half. There were a lot of interesting things from my players and to be honest, the contents are very interesting.
Read: ‘I Always Liked Him’ – Franco Martin On Pirates’ Mabasa
“Of course, if we go deep in terms of results, we can be disappointed as well and I can understand the disappointment of the fans. But there are a lot of interesting things in the contents,” the coach said.
Pirates will be hoping that those “interesting things” translate into tangible results when they host defending champions Sundowns in Orlando.
Kick-off is scheduled for Saturday afternoon at 15:00 at Orlando Stadium.
Stand a chance to WIN R1,000 in CASH by completing this short survey for Soccer Laduma. It will only take you 5 minutes. Click here to complete the survey.
Link: https://bitly.cx/EFYy1
