‘He can’t be Mofokeng or Appollis’ – Abdeslam Ouaddou sends clear message to Tshepang Moremi

Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has urged Tshepang Moremi to embrace his natural qualities as a speedy winger rather than attempt to imitate the playing styles of Relebohile Mofokeng and other attacking players.

Moremi has emerged as one of the standout performers in the South African Premier Soccer League, using his pace and direct approach to trouble opposition defenders.

The Bafana Bafana attacker has rewarded Ouaddou’s confidence with an impressive return of seven goals and one assist in 11 appearances across all competitions this season.

With Pirates preparing to host Sekhukhune United in the Carling Knockout Cup quarterfinal at Orlando Stadium on Saturday, Ouaddou explained why he believes getting the best out of Moremi requires building his tactical approach around the winger’s individual strengths.

The Moroccan coach stressed that managers must understand the profiles of their players and develop systems that maximise their abilities instead of forcing them into unfamiliar roles.

“To be a coach is not only planning about preparing training, doing team talks, and coming up with the game model. But it’s important to analyse the profile and quality of your players and deliver a game model that suits them,” said Ouaddou.

‘He cannot be Mofokeng or Appollis’

Ouaddou acknowledged the growing preference for inverted wingers in modern football, particularly among Europe’s leading clubs, but believes Moremi’s greatest contribution comes from operating as a traditional wide attacker.

He pointed to the influence of teams such as Manchester City and Barcelona, where wide players frequently move inside to create attacking opportunities.

However, the Pirates coach insists that adopting such an approach simply because it is popular would not necessarily bring the best out of every player.

“Speaking about Moremi, there are a lot of people who are watching big teams like Manchester City, FC Barcelona and all the other teams, and everybody wants to have inverting players.”

“Sometimes even though I want to have inverting players, the quality is sometimes to be simple and have an out-and-out winger.”

The coach also drew a distinction between Moremi and Mofokeng, who has previously operated in the number 10 role, insisting that the two players possess different qualities and should not be expected to perform identical functions.

“He is not a 10, and I cannot convert him to be a 10. I always tell him that you have a special quality that God gave you, which is speed, and you must use it with efficiency.”

Ouaddou reveals secret behind Moremi’s resurgence

According to Ouaddou, recognising and effectively utilising Moremi’s pace has been central to the winger’s impressive performances this season.

Rather than disclosing the specific tactical adjustments introduced to exploit that quality, the Pirates manager maintained that the player has gradually understood what is expected of him.

“I told him that when he realises his quality, he is going to be efficient. That’s what we did, but I cannot go into details as to how and where we use his speed because I will be giving you the plan.”

Moremi’s attacking output has also extended beyond scoring, with his ability to create opportunities for teammates adding another dimension to Pirates’ forward play.

Ouaddou is particularly pleased with the winger’s willingness to contribute to the collective effort rather than focus exclusively on individual statistics.

“But he is using his quality in a wonderful way that is helping his teammates. He can’t be Mofokeng or Appollis; he will stay Moremi.”

Pirates coach delighted with Moremi’s development

The former Morocco international believes Moremi has embraced his instructions and is becoming increasingly comfortable with the role assigned to him.

For Ouaddou, the winger’s happiness and confidence are just as important as his contributions in front of goal.

“He understands where I want to take him and how I want to play him, and it is working for him. The most important thing is when I see Moremi happy at the end of the game with a smile.”

The Pirates coach also backed the attacker to reach greater heights, highlighting his ability to combine goalscoring with creating opportunities for others.

“He is able to score, and he is able to feed his teammates and he is not selfish and he is going to go far.”