Following the conclusion of the pre-season tour in Spain, Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has given an honest assessment of the club’s readiness for the new season.
The Buccaneers concluded their 12-day camp in Spain with a 2-0 victory over Spanish second division side Granada CF on Saturday. Before the victory in the training match against Granada, Pirates were winless in their last three friendlies.
The Soweto giants suffered a 2-0 defeat against Bolton Wanderers FC in the opening match before playing two successive draws against Pafos FC and Las Palmas.
In the tour, Pirates scored three goals and also conceded three times under the new coach, Ouaddou, who took over the coaching job last month. The Moroccan mentor has replaced Jose Riveiro. The latter left the club after his contract expired to join Al Ahly.
As they prepare for the highly-anticipated 2025/26 season, Pirates embarked on a pre-season tour to Spain to give the new coach sufficient time to instil his tactics and integrate the new signings into the squad.
WHAT ABDESLAM OUADDOU SAID ABOUT PIRATES’ READINESS
Ouaddou has revealed that his charges are ready to compete in the upcoming season and explained how he wants to structure his team.
“We have been waiting for the win [in the pre-season] for a long time, and it came at the end. I’m very proud of the boys. We played some good football [against Granada],” Ouaddou said on SuperSport TV.
“We created most of the chances even if we didn’t take them, but in the second-half the guys came in and did the job. I think everyone had the time to play in this camp, and we can say everyone is ready now.
“So what I wanted is to maintain the high pressing, and that’s what we want to achieve because we have players to do it. I’m happy about our compactness, the unity, and the bravery of my players.
“This will be very important, especially in the international competition, and we’re expecting to keep the ball more, better than in the other games. We need to find our players in between the lines and identify spaces.”
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