Red-hot Orlando Pirates are on a goalscoring spree, and this rich vein of form has resulted in head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou smiling from ear to ear.
Friday night’s 4-0 demolition job of Namibian club, African Stars, was the cherry on top ahead of Tuesday night’s Carling Knockout cup Last-16 encounter against Milford FC. The game, hosted at the Orlando Amstel Arena is scheduled to kick off at 7pm.
Since their 2-0 loss at the hands of Mamelodi Sundowns in the MTN8 cup final on October 10, the Buccaneers have recuperated admirably, scoring eight goals in three matches across the Betway Premiership and the CAF Champions League.
With this feat, coach Ouaddou has made something of a U-turn regarding showboating and the exhibition of dribbling skills. He now says that as long as his team scores plenty of goals, he is happy for his players to express themselves and showcase their talents.
READ: Orlando Pirates start Carling Knockout defence against Milford FC
The lanky French-Moroccan was speaking after his side qualified for the CAF Champions League group stage by walloping African Stars 4-0 on Friday night. The Buccaneers vaulted to the group stage with an impressive 5-0 aggregate, following their 1-0 win in the away first leg in Botswana.
With the game already wrapped up in Soweto, fans called for the players to juggle the ball and to provide them some entertainment. Crowd favourites such as Mpho Padime, who scored one of the goals, obliged, going as far as standing on top of the ball. The crowd responded with pure jubilation, demanding more from their players.
Previously, Ouaddou had slammed showboating, calling it unnecessary and time-wasting, especially when games are still in the balance. He even threatened that players who prioritised tricks over winning would not play under him.
READ MORE: Ouaddou blasts Pirates players for showboating against La Cure waves
However, after the 4-0 win, he adjusted his tune, conceding that flair is acceptable as long as there are many goals on the scoreboard.
“Of course, the goals, even at 4-0, I was pushing the guys to score the fifth one, the sixth one. My proudness is we scored four goals, and we didn’t concede. So, the guys, when they score four goals, they can enjoy,” said Ouaddou after their emphatic win.
He added:
“I didn’t say nothing when Popo [Mpho Padime] was climbing on the ball. Simphiwe Masilela can do his tricks and showboating, I don’t have any problem. But you need to score four goals.”
He was also delighted about Pirates returning to the Champions League group stage. “It was important for us to come back to the Champions League, we felt very sorry for our supporters last season. The Champions League, without Pirates, does not have the same taste. We made a comeback, and we are happy for the fans and for the club.
“It was one of our targets, and credit has to go to the boys because we had a difficult first half – even after we scored two goals it was not what we expected but the second half was better we were in control.”
The coach was equally pleased to give his younger players some run-time.
“We gave them a little bit experience of this competition and it is a big positive for the club. Now we need to focus on the Carling Knockout cup match… It’s another competition that is tough, that is physical, another type of football and we will have to adapt.
Ouaddou emphasized the importance of balancing the team with young and experienced players.
“In the Champions League – even when young players give freshness, energy and vitality, you still need the spine of experienced players to guide them and speak to them because it’s a high level competition. The advantage, the positive point, is to play at home but I think it will be a difficult game. If you remember when we played Milford in the first game of the season, I said that we are not going to see many teams beat them,” he added.
- Orlando Pirates won 4-0 against African Stars on Friday, securing a 5-0 aggregate victory to qualify for the CAF Champions League group stage.
- Since their 2-0 loss to Mamelodi Sundowns on October 10, Pirates have scored eight goals in three matches across the Betway Premiership and CAF Champions League.
- Head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has relaxed his stance on showboating, allowing players to express themselves with flair as long as the team scores many goals.
- The next match for Orlando Pirates is a Carling Knockout cup Last-16 game against Milford FC, scheduled for Tuesday at 7pm at the Orlando Amstel Arena.
- Ouaddou highlighted the importance of balancing young and experienced players for success in the Champions League and described the upcoming game against Milford as a difficult challenge.
