Abdeslam Ouaddou explains decision on Pirates goalkeepers | OneFootball

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Ouaddou on Bucs' goalkeeping department

Photo: Lefty Shivambu/ Gallo Images

Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has shed light on the reason why he doesn't rotate goalkeepers in contrast to other positions.

The former Morocco international has been an advocate of squad rotation since taking over from Jose Riveiro in the off-season, citing fixture congestion.

While he rotated the squad in each and every position, Sipho Chaine has consistently received the nod to start in goals across all competitions.

When quizzed on his lack of rotation in the goalkeeping department, the 47-year-old mentor argued that goalkeepers are a different breed of players compared to their on-field counterparts.

“I think it's very important the daily work with the goalkeepers. It's a special department, the mentality of goalkeepers is very special, they are in their world. We cannot compare them with the rest of the players even though they are players,” said Ouaddou.

"But it's a different mentality and we have to communicate with them, to trust them and give them confidence. I know that I have four good goalkeepers.

The Pirates boss went on to stress that it's not easy to drop Chaine considering the amount of clean sheets the team has kept with the Bafana international in goals.

“Now Sipho is doing well and it's a department that is very important for me, it's not easy to change because when you have a strength like that with clean sheets, it's very sensible to change,” he added.

"But what I can tell you is that I have fantastic goalkeepers, hard workers, very focused on the project. I'm very happy about them - [Melusi] Buthelezi, [Siyabonga] Dladla, [Ethan] Visagie are doing a good job in the club.