Abdeslam Ouaddou addresses chopping and changing of starting XI | OneFootball

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Ouaddou sheds light on starting XI decision

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Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has explained the reason why he opted to name a massively revamped starting XI in their recent Betway Premiership defeat to Marumo Gallants in Bloemfontein on Tuesday.

The Moroccan tactician, who replaced Jose Riveiro at the helm, has had a tough start to his tenure as the new Bucs mentor, losing the first two league matches on the trot. As a result, Pirates are currently in 14th place on the log standings.

While his Pirates era is still in the early stages, Ouaddou has been subject to criticism on his starting line-ups, particularly in the defeat to Gallants, where key figures like Relebohile Mofokeng and Sipho Mbule were benched. The 46-year-old tactician clarified the decision after the match.

“I think we have so many players, and we decided this line-up because we have many games as well. When you make such decisions, you have to understand that we are playing in the MTN8 as well against a very strong team [Mamelodi Sundowns],” said Ouaddou.

“So, we have to make some choices and that’s what we did. If we had won maybe the choices would be good, but now we lost, of course people will say the choices were not good but it’s football it’s like that – we make some choices and that’s it.

Meanwhile, with the Soweto giants looking like a shadow of their former selves, there has been a growing discontent from the club’s supporters, and Ouaddou acknowledges the frustration considering the team’s stature.

“When you come into such a big institution that’s playing for titles and competitions, of course there is a lot of expectations and you can understand the fans [for being frustrated], it’s normal and we understand them,” he added.

“When a club losses two games in a row like we have, it’s normal that they won’t be happy and we [as the technical team] are not happy as well.

The Buccaneers will be looking to bounce back with a win in their highly anticipated MTN8 semi-final clash against Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday. The two South African giants will lock horns in front of a sold-out Orlando Stadium.