Ouaddou demands ruthlessness from Pirates

PROGRESS, for Orlando Pirates, is no longer the benchmark.

- SMISO MSOMI

That was the clear subtext behind Abdeslam Ouaddou’s measured but demanding post-match reflection after their Tshakuma Tsha Madzivhandila rout on Saturday. The Moroccan born mentor shook his head after a week in Durban that yielded maximum results but not complete satisfaction.

Pirates ticked the boxes that mattered on paper — league points secured against AmaZulu and safe passage into the Nedbank Cup last 16 — yet Ouaddou was quick to steer the conversation away from outcomes and towards performance indicators.

For a coach leaning heavily on process, the data told a more sobering story.

“Simply, if you look at the data, how many shots we take at goal and how many chances we create to get into the final third, we will realise quickly that this is simply not enough,” Ouaddou said, after the 4-1 victory over TTM.