Orlando Pirates protect Oswin Appollis amid post-World Cup fitness concerns

Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou says winger Oswin Appollis is being carefully managed because of concerns that he could suffer a serious injury after returning from the World Cup.

Appollis was substituted in the 65th minute as Pirates defeated Sekhukhune United 1-0 in the first leg of their MTN8 semi-final at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday. Deon Hotto scored the only goal of the match.

The 24-year-old Bafana international has not completed a full 90 minutes for Pirates this season. He was part of the South Africa squad at the World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada several weeks ago.

Although Ouaddou has replaced Appollis in all five of Pirates’ matches in the league and MTN8 this season, the coach stressed that the winger remains central to his plans.

“Appollis is Appollis; you know him. He’s somebody even if he’s 50% or, let’s say, even 40% [fit]; he can score at any moment,” Ouaddou said.

The coach believes Appollis is still working towards his best physical condition, as are other players who featured at the World Cup.

“We are not surprised [about Appollis’s lack of full fitness]. He’s not the only player who’s not in the fitness state that we want; all the guys who were at the World Cup, you can see that it’s difficult for them.”

Ouaddou said his decision to withdraw Appollis was primarily precautionary. He is determined to avoid a serious injury for one of Pirates’ most important players, having seen several Bafana internationals suffer significant setbacks since the tournament.

“He’s one of our best players, and when you have a diamond in your house, you have to protect it. We are doing everything to help him [Appollis] to return to good shape.

“He’s improving in each game. Today [Saturday] it was a moment for us to protect him; maybe for him to rest and not to risk any injuries because I’ve been saying this since the beginning, I knew that all these international players will be tired [after the World Cup].

“To protect them I need to anticipate any big injuries; it’s my job to do that, and sometimes the players don’t understand; they are not happy to be substituted, but it’s my duty to protect them.”

Pirates have already lost Thalente Mbatha and Evidence Makgopa to serious injuries after the World Cup. Both players require surgery.

Other Bafana players affected include former Pirates defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi and Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Khuliso Mudau, who have also suffered long-term injuries since returning from the tournament.

Ouaddou said Pirates were determined to prevent the number of injured World Cup players at the club from increasing during a demanding campaign.

“We’ve seen other teams that I don’t want to mention, where World Cup players have suffered very big injuries, so we want to avoid that with our international players,” Ouaddou said.

“We already have two players in Mbatha and Makgopa who need surgeries, so we don’t want the list to grow because this season will be very long.”

Pirates take a 1-0 advantage into the second leg against Sekhukhune United, with Hotto’s goal giving them the narrowest of leads after Saturday’s match.