Ouaddou demands more from Pirates before Soweto derby

Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has warned his players they must improve quickly after criticising their performance in Tuesday’s 3-0 victory over Milford FC.

The win secured the Buccaneers’ place in the quarter-finals of the Carling Knockout, with Tshepang Moremi scoring twice and Thapelo Mokobodi adding the other goal.

But Ouaddou was unhappy with the way Pirates lost control of the match, particularly after half-time, and accused several players of making selfish decisions.

“Thank you very much. The positive point, I think, is the win. I think I will only retain this victory because I was not happy about how we played,” Ouaddou told SuperSport after the game.

“We didn’t have the control, we had a lot of precipitation, we were selfish. A lot of players were selfish. Instead of giving the ball to the teammate to score – and they are not in a bad position – they shoot.”

The coach said Pirates’ three goals and clean sheet were the only positives he could take from the match, warning that a higher standard would be required if the club were to pursue its ambitions in the Betway and the Champions League.

“There was a lot of wrong decision-making. The positive point is these three goals and the clean sheet, but to be honest, if we want to dream bigger – when I say dream bigger, it is to win the Betway, win the Champions League,” he said.

Pirates now face a quick turnaround before Saturday’s Soweto Derby, with Ouaddou calling on the squad to respond as the fixture schedule becomes increasingly demanding.

“I think if we continue like that, we’re going to win nothing, and we have to be honest. So, I was not happy about the game,” he said.

“The positive point is we go to the next stage, but there are a lot of players who really need to wake up.”

Ouaddou said representing Pirates and competing in continental football required a greater level of commitment from his squad.

“We need to wake up, we need to wake up. I’m not here to please people. When we’re playing for such a big brand and when we are ambitious to play on the continent, we need to wake up,” he said.

“People need to wake up when we sign the contract for Pirates. We need to give more, we need to play at another level, to be honest.”

The French-Moroccan coach also stressed that players must be prepared to perform every three days, both mentally and physically, while expecting more from those used during the team’s rotation.

“This is the high level. When you have the pretension to play high-level football, you need to be ready every three days in the mind, physically, and you need to deliver,” Ouaddou added.

“Especially the impact players that are making this rotation – I’m expecting a lot from the impact players.”