Ouaddou prioritises winning as Orlando Pirates reach MTN8 semi-finals

Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou says he will continue to select the team he believes gives the club the best chance of winning, rather than picking players to keep everyone satisfied.

Ouaddou made the comments after Pirates secured a narrow 2-1 victory over Durban City in the MTN8 quarter-final, with Gamphani Lungu scoring in the closing stages of extra time to send the Buccaneers through to the semi-finals.

Pirates had taken the lead through Patrick Maswanganyi, but Jean Lubumba equalised for Durban City at Orlando Amstel Arena on Saturday. The home side created numerous opportunities during the match but struggled to convert them before Lungu settled the contest late in injury time.

Ouaddou said the need to avoid repeating last season’s poor start had influenced his selection decisions. The coach lost his opening two matches last season and made it clear that he would not compromise his choices in pursuit of avoiding criticism.

“I’m not here to give flowers to people. We are not in the circus. We are in a professional ecosystem,” he told the media after the match.

“There are a lot of expectations. If you want me to remind you of my two first games last season, you feel that I was happy to have eight bodyguards around me?

“I want to win. Of course I’m going to play the strongest team because the fans want to win this competition, the club wants to win it as well, and I want to win it as well, and it won’t be easy.

“So I need to put a strong team and the players who deserve to play because they show in training, they show in the preparation.

“There is nothing guaranteed, and it’s how we push the players to have competition.

“But I’m not here to give flowers, because when you lose two or three games, who is in the headlines?

The match also provided an opportunity for Pirates’ new Norwegian striker Sebastian Pedersen to watch his new team from the venue. With the Buccaneers having missed several chances against Durban City, Ouaddou hopes Pedersen can strengthen the club’s attacking options and help address their problems in front of goal.

“It is all the time the good news for the coach to have a new player, and he is part of our strikers that we have already, and it is very good news for everyone who is impatient to see him,” he said.

“He will be part of the competition among all the strikers that we have.”

Ouaddou added that Pedersen’s arrival would create further competition among the forwards already at the club, with places in the team to be earned through performances in training and preparation.

The victory keeps Pirates’ hopes of winning the MTN8 alive, although their immediate attention now turns to the league. The Buccaneers will travel to face AmaZulu at Kings Park Stadium on Wednesday.