Ouaddou fumes, says Pirates players must “wake up” after AmaZulu draw
Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has delivered a brutal assessment of his side after their 1-1 draw against AmaZulu FC in the Betway Premiership on Wednesday night.
The Buccaneers started brightly and deservedly took the lead through Tshepang Moremi. But Pirates failed to kill off the game. Yanela Mbuthuma and Ghampani Lungu were guilty of missing several chances as the visitors struggled to extend their advantage.
AmaZulu eventually punished them. Thandolwenkosi Ngwenya converted from the penalty spot late in the first half to bring the hosts level. Ouaddou did not hide his frustration after the match.
“To be honest, I love my team. Of course I will tell you we deserved more, especially if you look at the chances we created in the second half,” he told SuperSport TV.
“I don’t want to talk about the first half. The first half was really a disaster.” The Pirates coach believes his team should have taken all three points.
He also praised AmaZulu and coach Arthur Zwane for making it difficult for Pirates.
“I don’t think too many teams are coming to win here. AmaZulu is really a strong team. They have some good players,” Ouaddou said. “I think the coach is a very good coach. I told you he is one of the best coaches in this PSL.”
However, the French-Moroccan coach then issued a serious warning to his players. “We need to wake up. Some players really need to wake up quickly,” he said.
Ouaddou singled out Sipho Chaine and Nkosinathi Sibisi for praise after their World Cup involvement. “I have to give credit to Sibisi and Chaine. Of course, they went to the World Cup and they play every game,” he said.
“But the other ones really need to wake up because I don’t have time. Now it’s an emergency.”
