What did Abdeslam Ouaddou say about his difficult first start with Orlando Pirates! | OneFootball

The Moroccan talks about his early days with the pirates.

What did Abdeslam Ouaddou say about his difficult first start with Orlando Pirates!

Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has expressed his gratitude towards the club's leadership for their patience and support during the difficult opening phase of his reign.

Appointed ahead of the 2025/26 season, the Moroccan tactician stepped into a high-pressure role, succeeding Jose Riveiro. His arrival from Marumo Gallants, after just six months in the PSL, raised eyebrows, and early losses to Sekhukhune United and Gallants intensified the scrutiny.

Following his team's 1-0 Carling Cup final victory over Gallants on Saturday, Ouaddou reflected on those turbulent initial weeks. “When you lose two games in such a big club, there’s fire in the house straight away,” he acknowledged.

He admitted to feeling the intense pressure that comes with the job, but also framed it as a necessary motivator. “You need to find solutions, and I can’t lie to you and say I didn’t feel the pressure. I still feel the pressure in every game; if you don’t have this pressure every game, you need to stop that job. This positive pressure helps you to deliver a performance and to be better."

Ouaddou highlighted the challenge of integrating a significant number of new players into his system, praising their quick adaptation. “But on the other hand, when you have 10 new players, they need to get your ideas and game model. I think the guys did well because they quickly got the ideas."

The coach then emphasized the critical factor in his early survival: the unwavering trust from a forward-thinking board. “Sometimes in some clubs they put three to four months for you to adapt. I’m quite satisfied with how the players reacted, it helped us to have results. You know what is very important as well? Is the trust and I’m very lucky because I’m in a club managed by professional people, and they are thinking about football, have a vision and a project."

He concluded by drawing a stark contrast, attributing his ability to navigate the rocky start directly to the club's long-term perspective. “They know the targets they want to reach; I was lucky because they know that these two games we lost are part of the process, and they gave me time. In some other clubs, they don’t give you time; you lose one or two games, you are out.”