Abdeslam Ouaddou bigs up Tito as Rele replacement at Pirates - 'He’s a clever boy, he knows exactly what we’re expecting from him'

Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has identified Patrick 'Tito' Maswanganyi as the man to fill the creative void left by Relebohile Mofokeng’s exit.

The Buccaneers secured a convincing 3-0 victory over Chippa United at Kings Park in Durban on Sunday and Maswanganyi was the architect of the win, providing a vital assist for Ghampani Lungu’s opening goal to set the tone for a dominant afternoon for the Soweto giants.

The midfielder’s influence has not been limited to league action, as he previously made a significant impact in the MTN8, registering an assist and scoring the winner in a 2-1 quarter-final victory over Durban City.

Ouaddou has been thoroughly impressed by the player's commitment in both training and match situations, believing the playmaker is ready to become the focal point of the team's attack.

Speaking on the quality of his midfield maestro, Ouaddou was effusive in his praise, noting that anyone with a deep understanding of the game can see the immense talent Maswanganyi possesses.

The coach revealed that extensive work has gone into refining the player's positioning to ensure he remains effective in the final third.

“Everybody who understands football, who knows football, can see fantastic quality on Tito,” Ouaddou stated as per iDiski Times.

“As long as he brings the game in his favour, to play forward, it’s what we have been saying to him, to bring the game forward.

"You see that he can help the team and he can be really the link between the defenders and the strikers.

"Not only that, he’s able to feed in the last third, but he’s somebody who is able to score as well.

"We sit with him, we talk a lot about which area he needs to occupy, he must occupy in order to be more efficient.

For Ouaddou, the next challenge is ensuring that Maswanganyi can maintain these high standards throughout a gruelling campaign.

The coach emphasized that the player’s intelligence and willingness to learn through video analysis have been crucial to his rapid adaptation to a more senior role.

The Pirates boss is clearly banking on "Tito" to be the heartbeat of the side as they look to keep pace at the top of the table alongside rivals Kaizer Chiefs, who have also enjoyed a strong start to the season.

“We did a lot of video sessions with him as well. And he’s a clever boy; he’s a clever boy. He knows exactly what we’re expecting from him and he showed it today,” the coach added.

“Again, I hope we will have this consistency because he’s a key player for Pirates, definitely. And like you said, truly, with the departure of Rele, he has a big space there to play and a very big role to play for our club," he concluded

Next up for Tito and his teammates is an MTN8 semi final against Sekhukhune United over the coming weekend as Pirates seek to win the trophy for the fifth year running.

Then it is back to the marathon of defending their league crown with fixtures against Sekhukhune again (August 25) and Kruger United (September 5) before their CAF Champions League first qualifying round double header against La Cure Sylvester.

Ouaddou will be hoping that he can count of a fit, focused and creative Maswanganyi as the season progresses and the fixtures pile up.