Abdeslam Ouaddou explains why he made a change 'that people didn’t expect' after Orlando Pirates edge Richards Bay to reach 10th Carling Knockout final

Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has revealed what convinced him to bring on Sinoxolo Kwayiba during the Carling Knockout Cup semi-final game against Richards Bay on Saturday.  

In what looked like a surprising substitution, the Moroccan tactician swapped Yanela Mbuthuma in the second half when Pirates were enjoying a 1-0 lead. The Soweto giants held onto the slim win to advance. 

Ouaddou has now stated that it was a tactical change that sought to counteract a danger that Richards Bay presented.

Other changes that Ouaddou made included Relebohile Mofokeng coming on for Sipho Mbule, Thabiso Lebitso replacing Deano van Rooyen, and Deon Hotto taking Nkosikhona Ndaba's place. 

However, it is the Kwayiba-Mbuthuma change, and the Bucs coach took time to explain why it was necessary.

“Yes, like I told you, I wanted to bring some fresh legs to the team. I think the boys did well, but we saw with the staff that we needed to sweep and make some changes in order to be more offensive," the coach told SuperSport after the game at Moses Mabhida Stadium. 

"We decided to bring Rele, and one change that people maybe didn't expect was Kwayiba because we saw that the central defenders were coming with the ball and trying to break the lines, so we needed somebody to make the pressing there, and Kwayiba did a fantastic job," he added.

Although Ouaddou was not particularly satisfied with the game his players displayed, all in all, he is happy that they got the result they were looking for. 

“First of all, I’m proud of my boys. They played with bravery today. Sure, sure, you know the cup games. I cannot say we had a fantastic game in terms of football, but it’s a cup game," the former Marumo Gallants tactician stated.

"I think we have seen a strong team with a good organisation of Orlando Pirates and a big resilience from my players, so sometimes it’s what you need to go to the final, and it’s what they did, and it was a good team for us; it was really a good team," he said.

Ouaddou also praised his Richards Bay counterpart, Ronnie Gabriel, whom he said organised his team well.

“They were brave. It was not an easy game. We played against a very good team from Richards Bay with a good coach with good organisation," the MTN8-winning coach stated. 

“We knew they would fight till the end. Cup matches are about more than hardness; they’re about team spirit. We saw today that after playing three days ago against Golden Arrows, it was not easy," he continued.

“But thanks to the fantastic fans of Durban, we’ve been received with a top-top, high-level, very warm welcome thanks to them. The hospitality here is tough. So, yeah, it’s good that we’re through to the final.”

Although Bucs struggled against their Premier Soccer League opponents, that does not matter because they progressed to the final after all. 

This will be Pirates' 10th cup final, and they will know their rivals after the conclusion of the other semi-final pitting Marumo Gallants and Golden Arrows.