Ouaddou credits player trust and ‘invisible training’ for Orlando Pirates’ title surge

Abdeslam Ouaddou says Orlando Pirates’ historic league triumph was built on player trust and professionalism away from the spotlight, as the coach prepares for his second season in charge.

Pirates ended a 14-year wait for the league title by dethroning Mamelodi Sundowns in the Betway Premiership, having already secured the MTN8 and Carling Knockout earlier in the campaign. The Soweto club’s league success completed a remarkable domestic treble in Ouaddou’s first year at the helm.

Their 69-point haul was the highest recorded by the club since the launch of the NSL in 1985, underlining the scale of the achievement. It was also statistically their most dominant league season in the modern era.

Record-breaking campaign

Pirates not only topped the table but did so with numbers that rewrote parts of the PSL record books since the league became a 16-team competition.

They scored 58 goals in the league, the highest tally achieved by the club in the 16-team PSL era. At the other end of the pitch, they conceded just 12 goals, the fewest they have ever allowed in a season under the same format.

Those figures came in a campaign where Ouaddou had to navigate the intense scrutiny and pressure traditionally associated with being head coach of Orlando Pirates, one of South Africa’s most closely watched clubs.

“There are a lot of factors that I think are important to say,” Ouaddou explained, reflecting on what underpinned Pirates’ rise.

“Firstly, the confidence of the players is important when you have a new coach coming with a new game model.

“It takes some time to be implemented, so I think the trust of the players is very important because you need that.

“You are playing with the players.

“To follow your path, they need to understand you.

“So, I think the time and the results have given us some answers to our questions, and we won the title, the MTN8 and Carling Cup.”

‘Invisible training’ and professionalism

Ouaddou believes that the squad’s attitude in training and their commitment to what he calls “invisible training” were decisive in turning promising performances into silverware.

“For me, they are the best answer for the players so that if we are committed to our job every morning, every training, doing the right things, taking care of our lifestyle… because there are trainings on the pitch, but there are invisible training, which is what defines the professionalism of a player.

“So, if we continue like that with the trust, we will be able to keep going,” says Ouaddou.

As he sharpens his plans for a second season, the coach is banking on those same principles – trust, discipline and off-the-ball professionalism – to sustain Pirates’ challenge at the top of South African football after a record-setting year.