Ouaddou says Pirates’ mental side holds the key to progress

Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou says the biggest gains his team can still make lie in the mind rather than in the boots, according to iDiski Times.

The Moroccan believes his players have the quality, but says the weight of representing a club as big as Pirates is shaping the choices they make during matches.

A young group with many new faces

On the numbers, Pirates have the second-youngest squad in the Betway Premiership, with only AmaZulu below them. Ouaddou also had to absorb 10 new signings after the most recent transfer window.

Those arrivals have given the team extra depth and quality, but he pointed out that joining a club of this size is a step up in expectation. “It’s not easy to integrate,” he said, adding that a player who shines elsewhere still has to learn to handle the emotions that come with wearing the Pirates jersey.

He said he rates the players he has, and accepts there is always room to get better. Where he and his staff need to step in, he explained, is on the mental side.

Two halves, same players

Ouaddou used the contrast between his team’s two halves in a recent match to make his point. The same eleven looked rushed in the opening period, he said, with poor decisions and heavy passes. In his view that was down to pressure, not a lack of ability.

The coach, a former Marseille defender who has also worked as a coach in France, said the demands of playing for a giant of the game are very different from those at smaller clubs. He named Lorient and Guingamp as examples of the other end of that scale.

He said he hopes to help his players in this area himself, but he also raised the possibility of outside expertise. “I’m not a psychologist,” he said, suggesting the club may need a professional to dig deeper.

What comes next

Pirates have already booked a spot in the group stage of the CAF Champions League. Their attention now moves to the Carling Knockout, where they host Kruger United at the Orlando Amstel Arena on Tuesday evening.

For supporters, the match offers a chance to see whether a squad still settling in can show more composure when the occasion demands it.

This story is based on reporting by iDiski Times.