Abdeslam Ouaddou delivers bad news for Tshegofatso Mabasa and Thalente Mbatha! Orlando Pirates coach insists his decisions will help win titles

Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has defended his player rotation policy and believes it will give every player fair chances to fight for starting positions. 

This policy was recently at play as Pirates faced and shared spoils with Mamelodi Sundowns in a Premier Soccer League game on Saturday.  

The likes of Tshegofatso Mabasa and Thalente Mbatha, who were Bucs' key players last season under Jose Riveiro, have been affected by Ouaddou's rotation policy.

“I have faith in all my players. I think you have seen how I’ve been working since the beginning of this season; I tried to rotate the players because we’re playing many competitions, so I have faith in all my players,” Ouaddou said.

"I gave a chance to some players [against Sundowns]; the idea is to all the time have some freshness – because you see we are playing every three days, with high intensity, very important games, and at the same time, as an educator, not a coach, I want to protect the physical integrity of my players because I need them all season," he added. 

The former Marumo Gallants head coach believes trusting and giving chances to all the players is central to his bid of winning titles for the Soweto giants.

“You have to trust them; you have to show them you trust them – you have to give them chances. It’s what we’re doing. If you don’t trust the group, it can be difficult to manage the group, and it’s this group who can make you win a competition," the Moroccan tactician said. 

“You can win a game with 11 players, but if you want to win titles, you need to trust your whole group. It’s what we’re doing with Orlando Pirates; the mentality is good, I like it, and we have to continue like that.”

For the game against Masandawana, Ouaddou benched players who are seen as pivotal in the Pirates' setup.

Mbatha, Deano Van Rooyen, Patrick Maswanganyi, Sipho Mbule, and Nkosinathi Sibisi were benched.

Former TS Galaxy star Kamogelo Sebelebele, who has also shown instances of brilliance, and Mabasa, Bucs' leading striker, were not in the matchday squad. 

Relebohile Mofokeng has also been missing as he recovers, and the youngster will face stiff competition for starting slots when he returns, given how his club rivals have fared.

Ouaddou's surprising gamble was the trust he showed in Cemran Dansin, who scored a spectacular goal that ensured Pirates did not go down at Loftus Versfeld Stadium.