Abdeslam Ouaddou’s Valentine’s Day “we are not here to play circus” rant painted him as a hard-to-please coach. It was a tongue-lashing to his Orlando Pirates players who had just completed a 3-0 Betway Premiership victory over Marumo Gallants. But he was not happy with their bluntness in front of goal.
He warned that he did not like players “who joke on the pitch” and stated that the lack of bite upfront was “becoming a sickness.”
Seven days earlier, it was a similar story when the former Morocco defender could not hide his frustration after Pirates beat ABC Motsepe side Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila [TTM] 4-1 in the Nedbank Cup Round of 32.
Despite the Buccaneers finding the back of the net four times, he felt it was supposed to be a goal fest. His anger was directed at his attackers for being ineffective in the final third.
The same problem manifested itself on Saturday when the Soweto giants were held to a 1-1 league draw by Siwelele FC at Orlando Amstel Arena. But surprisingly, Ouaddou was not as angry as in the past.
A lot was at stake for the Ghost as Ouaddou witnessed his men lack the clinical edge in the final third, in their own backyard.
While Pirates remain log leaders despite dropping two points, it was a result that left them at risk of losing top spot. If second-placed Mamelodi Sundowns beat Gallants on Tuesday, they will open a two-point lead.
‘SAME STORY IN THE FINAL THIRD’ BUT OUADDOU GOES SOFT ON HIS PIRATES ATTACKERS
Siwelele goalkeeper Ricardo Goss was the star of the show, sensational in goal and sending Ouaddou searching for superlatives to describe his spectacular saves. The Pirates coach settled for “Jesus Christ” as he waxed lyrical about the Bafana Bafana shot-stopper.
He avoided another rant at his attackers, although he acknowledged they lacked the cutting edge in the final third.
“From my side, we just have to keep going, to believe there are still nine games. Our boys, I think, gave everything on the pitch; you can see at the end of the game,” Ouaddou said.
“Maybe in the last third, it’s the same story; we could have been more efficient. But let’s take the positives, there are still nine games to go. Anything can happen in football. Football is not an exact science. We will give some rest to the guys, and after that, we will come back to the battle and fight until the end.”
TWO POINTS DROPPED BY PIRATES AND OUADDOU REMAINS UNMOVED
The title brace has reached a precarious stage in which every point is now crucial, but Ouaddou is relaxed facing the prospect of Pirates playing catch-up with a resurgent Sundowns.
“We cannot lie to say that we are not disappointed. We have a feeling that we lost two points at home regarding the physical aspect of the match, the chances created, ball possession, shots on target,” went on Ouaddou, who featured at four AFCON finals with Morocco as a player.
“But for us, let’s fight until the end of the season because maybe this point can be precious for us, but only at the end of the season can we get some feedback about this point. Is it two points lost, or is it one point regarding the opponent? Let’s fight until the end.”
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