Ouaddou: Pirates passion driven by pursuit of excellence

Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou says his emotional touchline reactions are rooted in a desire to get the very best from his players and the club.

The Moroccan has become an animated figure since taking charge of the Buccaneers, with his intense responses reflecting the high standards he sets for himself and his squad.

Speaking after Orlando Pirates’ 2-1 Soweto derby victory over Kaizer Chiefs, Ouaddou said the pressure of managing a club of such stature had intensified his determination to succeed.

“It’s not easy to do this job. When you played for 17 years and then decide to become a coach, especially at a big club like Pirates, you want the best for your team and your club. I am driven by excellence,” he said.

Ouaddou said his approach had also been influenced by a story about former Arsenal and France striker Thierry Henry, whose father challenged him to improve even after impressive performances as a young player.

“I had my friend Thierry Henry here. I was reading his book and he said his father was never happy when he was young, playing in a youth team in Paris. I think in Clairefontaine, he was scoring four or five goals and when he came home, he was expecting his father to congratulate him, but he was told it was not enough.

“He was telling him he should score more. So, I’d like to push my players for excellence, to be better and better. As a big brother and a coach, you want the best for the players, but of course, on the side, you can see the emotion of someone who wants to win.”

The Orlando Pirates manager accepted that his passion would not affect every member of the squad in the same way.

Players with the right temperament may respond to his intensity by raising their performance levels, while those with less confidence or mental resilience could initially be unsettled by the strength of his reactions.

Ouaddou nevertheless believes emotion and pressure are unavoidable at the highest level of football. He said learning to control and handle those demands was a key part of competing successfully.

“In some players, depending on their profile, my emotion can push them to be the best and for some who have a weak mentality, when they see the emotion of the coach, they can be surprised, but high level is a lot of emotions and pressure. And you have to manage these emotions,” he concluded.