Abdeslam Ouaddou slams first half 'disaster' and demands Orlando Pirates players 'need to wake up'

Orlando Pirates missed a significant chance to exert pressure on the summit of the Premier Soccer League table following a frustrating 1-1 draw against AmaZulu FC at Kings Park Stadium.

The stalemate leaves the Buccaneers trailing their rivals, Kaizer Chiefs, and head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou was in no mood to offer excuses for a performance he deemed unacceptable in the opening period of the contest.

Speaking after the final whistle, Ouaddou was brutally honest about his team’s shortcomings, specifically focusing on the lack of application during the first forty-five minutes.

He did not mince his words when reflecting on the display, stating clearly that the performance fell well below the standard expected of a club with title aspirations.

Despite the dropped points, Ouaddou admitted that his side showed much more promise after the break, though he refused to ignore the earlier failures.

“To be honest, I love my team. Of course I will tell you we deserved more, especially if you look at the chances we create in the second half because I don’t want to talk about the first half,” Ouaddou said as per iDiski Times.

The manager continued his scathing review by addressing the specific tactical failures that plagued his side early on. “The first half was really a disaster.

"So, if I take into consideration where we had more interest in the last third, more play forward, more combination, and more interest in the last third, of course we deserved to win that game,” he explained.

While critical of his own players, Ouaddou was quick to show respect to the opposition and their technical bench.

He acknowledged that Kings Park is a difficult venue to visit and credited AmaZulu for their organized approach to the match.

“But to be honest, I don’t think too many teams are coming to win here. I told you in the beginning that AmaZulu is really a strong team.

"They have some good players. I think the coach is a very good coach."

Ouaddou went further in his praise for his counterpart, reinforcing the idea that the PSL is a highly competitive environment where no result is guaranteed.

“I told you he is one of the best coaches in this PSL.

"I really like him; I appreciate him. He is very humble, and if we have to talk about that, it’s ok the season is long.

"But we need to wake up; some players really need to wake up quickly.

Ouaddou did then single out a few of his own players for praise while simultaneously putting the rest of the squad on notice.

“I have to give credit to Sibisi and Chaine, of course; they went to the World Cup, and they play every game, but the other ones really need to wake up because me I don’t have time because now it’s an emergency,” he concluded.