Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has shared his thoughts on central midfielder Abdoulaye Mariko’s debut season in the Betway Premiership.
The Malian joined the Buccaneers before the start of the season from Djoliba AC in his home country. Arriving at Pirates with last term’s CAF Champions League experience from his previous club, Mariko, however, has struggled for game time at the Buccaneers this campaign, after being handed playing opportunities, especially earlier in the season.
The 22-year-old has managed eight appearances across the Betway Premiership, Nedbank Cup and MTN8. Those eight games include two starts, as he battled to make an impact.
He had the likes of Bafana Bafana international Thalente Mbatha and Masindi Nemtajela as his direct competitors for playing minutes.
After the midfielder came off the bench to feature for 22 minutes during Saturday’s PSL tie against Durban City FC at a packed Orlando Amtsel Arena, Ouaddou has reflected on Mariko’s campaign.
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The French-Moroccan coach chose to throw Mariko into a tense match as Pirates struggled for a breakthrough in their title bid. The game ended goalless; a victory would have secured Pirates their first Betway Premiership title in 14 years, ending Mamelodi Sundowns’ dominant run of eight consecutive league titles.
“I think there is no right or wrong moment to bring one player. There are a lot of factors, like the fitness of the player, what you can see during training, and during training matches,” Ouaddou told reporters.
“I think at the beginning of the season, we gave a chance to Mariko against Marumo [Gallants]. He was just starting with Pirates. But he had several months to integrate to the pace of the PSL, to the aggressiveness, to the environment, very important.
“I think we were a little bit quicker to put him into that gap. But he really did well today [Saturday], and you can see such improvement since you saw him the last time in a game. Today he had the opportunity to play forward. He found some passes between the lines. He brings some dynamism as well. You can see.
“I think it’s very good news for the club, he must keep working.”
The Malian midfielder arrived at the Soweto giants alongside compatriot and namesake Abdoulaye Mariko, who was first loaned out to Chippa United and then Orbit College FC.
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