Orlando Pirates boss Abdeslam Ouaddou demands more after TS Galaxy win

Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou praised his players for responding to their MTN8 final defeat but admitted he was unhappy with aspects of their 3-0 victory over TS Galaxy.

The Buccaneers secured the win at the Orlando Amstel Arena on Tuesday night, extending their winning run in the Premiership to five matches.

Pirates had been seeking an immediate response after losing the MTN8 final to Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday. The result kept their early title challenge on track and strengthened their hold on second place.

Sundowns remain top after defeating Richards Bay FC in the other match on Tuesday, leaving Pirates two points behind the leaders.

“Look, I think it was good reaction from our boys, you know it’s not easy when you lose the final and you have to come back and get the result so well done for that about the reaction, well done for the three goals,” Ouaddou told SuperSport TV.

The Moroccan coach said the final score was the main positive from the performance, while criticising his side’s use of the ball in midfield.

“We will retain today the result because to be honest I cannot be satisfied how we managed the game, how we kept the possession, we lost too much the ball in the middle and I think for a team of a high level you cannot lose such many balls in the middle – too much transition moment,” he said.

Ouaddou added that Pirates needed to address those problems, despite being pleased with the way they created openings against a well-organised TS Galaxy side.

“And I think it’s something that bothered me to be honest, we have to fix this, we have to fix this, but let’s be happy, let’s congratulate the boys, we had I think a good moment to imbalance that opponent,” he said.

The coach acknowledged that Galaxy had made life difficult by remaining compact, but felt Pirates had eventually found the necessary spaces to break through their defensive structure.

“It was not easy, we played against a good TS Galaxy, very compact and I think we managed to break this block, finding the spaces between the lines to overload, we wanted to overload this midfielder and to play in-behind I think we did it but let’s rest the boys and think for the Champions League,” he added.

Pirates will now turn their attention to their Champions League preparations after recovering from the disappointment of the MTN8 final.