Ouaddou demands improvement from Pirates despite Sekhukhune victory

Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou said his team produced their worst performance since his arrival, despite a 2-0 victory over Sekhukhune United in the Betway Premiership on Tuesday night.

The result at Orlando Amstel Arena extended Pirates’ winning run against Babina Noko to two matches in four days and kept the Buccaneers at the top of the league table with 10 points.

However, Ouaddou was deeply critical of his side’s display and argued that the scoreline did not accurately reflect the balance of the match.

Boitumelo Radiopane put Pirates ahead in the first half before Oswin Appollis doubled their advantage after the interval. Despite securing what appeared to be a comfortable win, the French-Moroccan coach felt Sekhukhune were the better team for long periods.

“I think it’s the worst half of football we’ve had since I arrived at Pirates. We didn’t have any control of the game in the heart of the middle and that’s where the game is important. We were too predictable, there was no diversity in what we were doing,” Ouaddou said.

His main concern was the way Pirates failed to control midfield. He also criticised the lack of variety in their attacking play, warning that the performance would not be good enough for their next meeting with Sekhukhune.

“Today we won the game so I’m happy for the three points, the boys and the fans but we didn’t deserve to win today, they (Sekhukhune) were far better than us.”

The two sides will meet again on Saturday in the second leg of their MTN8 semi-final, making it their third encounter in just over a week.

Pirates take a 1-0 lead into the decisive cup tie after winning the first leg, but Ouaddou believes Sekhukhune’s latest performance highlighted the scale of the challenge facing his side.

The coach said his players would need to make a significant improvement to reach the MTN8 final. With only a few days available before the second leg, Pirates must address their midfield balance and find more variation in attack.

“If we can’t find a solution in three days, it could be very difficult,” Ouaddou said.

The victory strengthened Pirates’ position at the top of the Betway Premiership, but Ouaddou’s assessment suggested the cup tie would provide a far more demanding test than Tuesday’s result indicated.

The match at Orlando Amstel Arena featured Karabo Tlaka of Sekhukhune United FC and Mthetheleli Mthiyane of Orlando Pirates, who challenged for the ball during the Betway Premiership fixture.