What impresses me about coach Ouaddou

Let me start by giving credit where credit is absolutely due - coach Abdeslam Ouaddou at Orlando Pirates deserves all the flowers.

- Itumeleng Khune

You know, when coach Jose Riveiro left Pirates, many people were asking questions about who could possibly fill those shoes. Coach Riveiro had done well at the club, and following any successful coach is never easy, but what Ouaddou has achieved in just six months is nothing short of remarkable.

Two trophies in six months - let that sink in for a moment. Two trophies! If you look at his record since arriving at the club, he has lost only three games. Three games, my friends. That's the kind of consistency that championship teams are built on, and it shows that this man understands what it takes to win at the highest level.

What impresses me most about coach Ouaddou’s approach is how he’s managed to maintain the winning culture at Pirates while putting his own stamp on the team. You know, it’s one thing to inherit a successful setup, but it’s another thing entirely to improve on it and make it your own. That takes real coaching ability, real understanding of the game, and most importantly, real leadership.

I remember when I was playing, we had coaches who would come in after successful predecessors, and some would try to change everything just to show that they were different. That usually ended in disaster because they were more concerned with proving themselves than with continuing what was working. But Ouaddou, he’s shown wisdom beyond his years. He kept what was good, improved what needed improvement, and added his own tactical innovations.

The way Pirates are playing under him, you can see there's a clear identity, a clear plan. The players look confident, they look like they believe in what they're being asked to do, and most importantly, they look like they're enjoying their football. When players are happy and confident, that’s when you get performances like we've been seeing from Pirates.