Orlando Pirates boss Abdeslam Ouaddou demands World Cup players improve after AmaZulu draw

Abdeslam Ouaddou has warned several Orlando Pirates players they must “wake up” quickly after the club surrendered a lead to draw 1-1 with AmaZulu in the Betway Premiership.

The Pirates coach was visibly frustrated after Wednesday night’s match at Kings Park in Durban, particularly because his side had created the better chances and controlled much of the game.

Tshepang Moremi gave the Buccaneers the lead, but AmaZulu equalised through a Thando Ngwenya penalty in stoppage time at the end of the first half.

Pirates had been hoping to make a perfect start to the new campaign after beginning last season with two defeats in their opening two league matches. They opened this season with a 2-0 home victory against Milford, but dropped two points in Durban.

Ouaddou was especially critical of the contribution from players returning from the Fifa World Cup. Speaking to SuperSport TV after the match, he said only Nkosinathi Sibisi and Sipho Chaine had made a strong enough impact since coming back.

“If we talk about this, the season is long. But some players need to wake up,” Ouaddou said. “They need to really, really wake up quickly.”

The French coach praised Sibisi and Chaine for continuing to play despite the limited time available after the tournament, but said other members of the squad needed to respond immediately.

“I give credit to Sibisi and Chaine. They went to the World Cup and they are playing every game. But they (others) are the ones that need to wake up. I don’t have time. They need to wake up because now it’s an emergency.”

Ouaddou said Sibisi and Chaine had started the season more impressively than the other Pirates players who had also been involved at the World Cup.

“Also clubs in Europe are complaining about this because their players didn’t have proper preparations and rest. So, it’s normal. But I need them to come back to the party, or I will take a decision to rest them. I only have Sibisi and Sipho who are doing the job, unfortunately,” Ouaddou said.

The short turnaround following the World Cup has created preparation and recovery difficulties for players, with clubs in Europe also expressing concerns about the lack of adequate rest and training time.

However, Ouaddou made clear that he would not allow those circumstances to become a long-term excuse. He called on the rest of the returning players to show greater commitment, while warning that he could leave them out if their performances do not improve.

“I need to be straight with the other players; they need to apply themselves. A club like Pirates has fans who are waiting for a lot of success. The club is also waiting. We don’t have time.”

The draw leaves Pirates with four points from their first two Betway Premiership matches. Their next challenge will be to turn their dominance and chances into victories while Ouaddou assesses whether his World Cup returnees are ready to meet his demands.