Ouaddou Sheds Light On Pirates’ ‘Secret’ Irish Weapon
Orlando Pirates have quietly invested in an additional layer of individual player development, with head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou shedding light on the work being done by Training121 behind the scenes at the club.
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The Siya crew reported in June that the Buccaneers had secretly enlisted the services of Training121, Ireland’s leading extra training provider, with the programme working with players on areas including finishing, scanning, decision-making and football intelligence.
Training121’s involvement was not initially communicated publicly, but Ouaddou has now explained why Pirates felt the need to bring in specialists who could work with players on an individual basis.
Speaking after Pirates’ 2-0 victory over Durban City at the Orlando Amstel Arena on Thursday, the Moroccan coach confirmed that Training121 has been working with the club since last season.
“Look, they’ve been working with us since last season. We just didn’t communicate about them.
“But maybe we didn’t see the fruit of their work straight away. All the time, when you work, you don’t see the benefits of this work straight away. It took a little bit of time.”
For Ouaddou, the additional training forms part of a broader individual development plan at Pirates, particularly when it comes to young players who are still developing despite already being part of a professional environment.
“But I think in our planification, in our prioritisation, there is all the time a room for IDP, individual development plan, especially for the young players. Because you have to understand that when you come in a professional group, especially when you’re still young, the development is not finished. So they are here for that.”
The work is also not limited to one position or a select group of players. Ouaddou revealed that Pirates have a number of coaches working across different areas, with attackers, midfielders and defenders all receiving specialist attention.
“Not only them. We have Mxolisi, we have Rayaan Jacobs, we have Junior as well, the coach of the other team. That taking defenders, taking strikers, midfielders, and there is a lot of area to work.”
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One of the key areas identified by the Pirates technical team is the cognitive development of players, particularly midfielders. Having worked extensively on the continent, Ouaddou believes there are certain areas of the modern game where young players can still improve, particularly their ability to scan, process information and make decisions quickly.
“We think that especially our midfielders and in the continent, let’s say, because I’ve been working in the continent for a while, some of the young players, they didn’t have this development in terms of cognitive, in terms of scanning, in terms of taking the information, especially in the heart of the game, in the middle.
“And they are there to help us. Because you know when you take in charge the global training with the players, sometimes you need technical staff as well, some other members to work individually with the players.”
That distinction is important for Ouaddou. While team training is largely focused on tactical and physical objectives, individual sessions allow players to spend dedicated time improving specific aspects of their game.
“Because it’s where you are going to improve the players. Sometimes when you make this global training, it’s more tactical or physical. You are looking for a topic, a subject.
“But then after they go with 20 minutes to develop this finishing, this scanning. And of course, the defenders, they are with me because I was central defender. So it’s my area.”
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