Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has sent out a firm selection warning to his players, saying there are no handouts for places in his team.
The former Morocco international defender witnessed his team beat Marumo Gallants 3-0 in a Betway Premiership match at Orlando Amstel Arena on Saturday, but was not pleased with his players’ execution. While the result looked convincing on paper, Ouaddou was not a happy man.
Just after issuing a forthright rebuke of his men for being wasteful, while demanding from them to “be serious in the final third,” and reminding them that “we are not here to play circus football,” Ouaddou was not holding back.
Not mincing his words, he has told his players that they have to earn their stripes by showing, at training, that they deserve game time. In trying to manage the fitness levels in his squad amid a demanding season, the former Fulham centre-back has been rotating his players.
But he has been quick to state that the rotation does not guarantee one marching straight into his team. The stern talk comes as the Buccaneers are keen on clinching the PSL title for the first time since 2012. They are currently six points clear at the top of the table.
NO GUARANTEES FROM OUADDOU TO PIRATES PLAYERS
“Since I was a professional football player in England in the [English] Premier League, we were playing in many competitions with a big squad, it’s very important to have this kind of management,” said Ouaddou.
“Especially, there is the fitness shape of the guys, the fatigue as well, and you have to evaluate the kind of fatigue regarding the games we are playing and the squad that we have.
“On the other hand, to keep the competition inside the team. Everybody needs to be involved. When I say everybody involved, I’m not here to give gifts.
“I evaluate the performance of the guys at training, the guys who are professional, the guys who are working and they deserve to play. They get the chance to play and they are included in this rotation.
“This is very important when you are ambitious in any league. My mentality as a coach in any club is to have this kind of rotation. But the guys have to deserve it. It’s not a gift.”
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