Orlando Pirates coach Ouaddou demands improved finishing ahead of CAF Champions League

Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has challenged his attacking players to improve their finishing as the South African giants prepare for the CAF Champions League group stage.

The Buccaneers have enjoyed an impressive run of form, recording six consecutive victories across competitions since their 2-0 defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns in the MTN8 final. However, despite scoring 13 goals in their last six matches, Ouaddou believes his side must become more clinical in front of goal.

The Moroccan tactician remains concerned about the number of clear-cut opportunities his players continue to waste, insisting that greater attacking efficiency will be crucial to their ambitions on the continental stage.

Pirates are preparing to begin their CAF Champions League campaign away against Tanzanian giants Simba SC towards the end of November.

They have also been drawn against Morocco’s RS Berkane and Cameroonian outfit Colombe Sportive in Group C, setting up a challenging group-stage campaign for the Soweto giants.

Speaking about his team’s goalscoring concerns, Ouaddou acknowledged that converting chances remains a challenge for several teams across the world, highlighting the importance of having quality forwards.

“It’s not new. It’s not only us, but a problem for many teams around the world to be efficient in the two boxes. You know why strikers are the most expensive in the world? It’s because of that,” Ouaddou told reporters.

The former defender then made a light-hearted reference to his playing career, joking about why he was not among the expensive players in football.

“That’s why I was very cheap as a defender because I was not scoring goals. I’m looking to the Champions League with these games I’m looking forward to,” he added.

Ouaddou further admitted that his players could have made better use of their opportunities but insisted that the technical team would continue working on improving their attacking output.

“We could have been more efficient because we create these big chances. I don’t want to be hard on the boys, but it’s an area we definitely need to continue [working on],” he said.

He also stressed the importance of maintaining individual development plans for the forwards, expressing hope that the additional work would translate into more goals.

“We cannot step down, and we have to continue with the IDPs [individual development plans] with the strikers and hope that we are going to score more goals,” he added.

Ouaddou has several attacking options at his disposal, including Yanela Mbuthuma, Evidence Makgopa, Boitumelo Radiopane and Sifiso Luthuli, all of whom will be expected to contribute as Pirates pursue success on multiple fronts.

The Buccaneers will be particularly eager to make an impact in the CAF Champions League, having last won the competition in 1995.

Nearly three decades after their historic triumph, Pirates are determined to re-establish themselves among Africa’s elite, but Ouaddou believes improving their conversion rate will be vital to their continental ambitions.

With their winning momentum providing encouragement, the Pirates coach wants his forwards to sharpen their finishing before the challenges of African football begin.