Watch: Ouaddou: If You See Me Wearing A Clown Uniform
Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou. Photo by Delmain Faver
Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou opens up on his side’s hard-fought 2-0 win over Durban City on Thursday evening.
The former defender wasted no time in giving full credit to the opposition, admitting that Durban City’s tactical setup genuinely caused Pirates problems in the first half.
The back five was something they hadn’t fully anticipated, and by his own admission, the visitors deserved to be leading at the break. It’s a rare moment of complete transparency from a winning coach.
The half-time talk is described in detail — composed, analytical, and video-driven — with specific focus on the spaces they needed to exploit and the movement patterns that weren’t clicking.
What followed was a second half Ouaddou describes as a reference performance — the kind of football he’s been building towards, with sharp combinations, third-man runs, and clinical efficiency.
There’s genuine warmth when the conversation turns to individual player development, particularly around a young player earning his first national team call-up.
Ouaddou spoke at length about mentality, coachability, and the long-term work that goes into building a player — crediting the national team coach for recognising the talent.
He also pulls back the curtain on a specialist individual development programme quietly running within the club, explaining how it targets the technical and cognitive gaps common in young South African players — from finishing to scanning to decision-making in tight spaces.
The presser closed with Ouaddou reflecting on the challenge and reward of managing one of the youngest squads in the league, delivering one of the more memorable lines of the South African football season in the process.
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