Abdeslam Ouaddou defends misfiring Orlando Pirates forward as attacking frailties come to the fore - 'This is the mentality a coach is looking for from his players'

Orlando Pirates went for three matches without tasting victory when they drew 1-1 with Mamelodi Sundowns in an MTN8 semi-final, first-leg match against Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday.

Winger Kamogelo Sebelebele struck late to help the Buccaneers come from behind and claim a point at Orlando Stadium.

It was another match in which Pirates strikers failed to show up and score despite coach Abdeslam Ouaddou benching Boitumelo Radiopane for Evidence Makgopa, who was playing for the first time this season. 

Radiopane then came on as a second-half substitute, and Ouaddou justifies his faith in the player.

“This kind of player… it’s easy for a coach, he has a fantastic mentality, he is well educated as a player, as man, he is respectful – he’s a worker, so I’m lucky to have such players to train,” Ouaddou said as per iDiski Times.

“He’s a professional, it means when we call him for duty, he doesn’t have any problem… to sit on the bench and then come on to give everything. I gave him 10 minutes, and I said, ‘son you have to score your goal’. And he nearly scored, he gave everything. 

“This is the mentality a coach is looking for from his players and all my players, I’m really lucky with all the players I have at Pirates, they have fantastic mentality," added the ex-Fulham defender.

"It’s one of the first dressing rooms I have seen such a great mentality of the players.”

No Pirates striker has scored in the four competitive games the club has played, and the fact that their front-runners are firing blanks could reflect on a bigger problem the club has been facing.

This is a team that had Tshegofatso Mabasa being the top goal-scorer for the club in the last two seasons.

But the forward is being sidelined and not getting any game time under Ouaddou.

The Soweto giants travel to Stellenbosch FC for Wednesday's Premier Soccer League match, and their strikers will be under scrutiny to see if they will score. 

After that, they will visit Sundowns for the second leg of the MTN8 semi-finals, seeking to grab away goals and reach the final.