Is Abdeslam Ouaddou already feeling the heat? Orlando Pirates coach acknowledges fans' anger and explains how MTN8 semi-final clash with Mamelodi Sundowns influenced his selection against Gallants

Orlando Pirates lost their second consecutive Premier Soccer League match of the 2025/26 season after falling to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Marumo Gallants on Tuesday.

It was a result which Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou admitted further angered the Buccaneers fans after last weekend's 1-0 home defeat to Sekhukhune United. 

Against Gallants, Ouaddou made major changes to his starting line-up, bringing in the likes of Abdoulaye Mariko, Tshepang Moremi and Lebona Seema.

He still sidelined some of the players who formed the core of last season's squad, like Thalente Mbatha, Deano van Rooyen, Tshegofatso Mabasa and Evidence Makgopa.

Ouaddou speaks on his decisions, which came back to bite him as he took a cautious approach ahead of meeting Mamelodi Sundowns next weekend.

“When you come into such a big institution who are playing for titles and cup competitions, of course, there is a lot of expectation”, said Ouaddou as per FARPost. 

“You can understand the fans’ [frustration], it is normal, and we understand them. When a club loses two games in a row like that, it is normal that the fans are not happy, and we [technical team] are not happy as well to lose.

“I think we have so many players and we decided this line-up [against Gallants], because we have many games as well. 

"When you make such a decision, you have to understand that we will be playing in the MTN8 against a very strong team [Mamelodi Sundowns]," added the former Fulham defender. 

“So, we have to make some choices like we did. If we had won, the choice might have been good, but now that we’ve lost, people will naturally say it wasn’t. But it’s football, it’s like that. We make some choices and that’s it.”

By making the major changes he effected, Ouaddou might receive criticism about trying to fix what was not broken.

He inherited a thriving squad from his predecessor, Jose Riveiro, with the task of fixing areas that denied Pirates the CAF Champions League, PSL title and the Nedbank Cup last season. 

But the Moroccan appears to be out for a new start in his team, starting from ground zero.

Besides focusing on his tactics, what is happening at Pirates might also invite more scrutiny on the quality of players Ouaddou signed.

While reeling from what has transpired in their last two games, Pirates have a monumental task awaiting them this weekend.

They host Sundowns in the MTN8 semi-final, first leg, which is a fixture Ouaddou might not have cherished at this time.