Orlando Pirates playmaker Patrick Maswanganyi breaks his silence after Bafana Bafana-AFCON snub as player tipped to replace Themba Zwane admits 'this has been hard for me to watch'

Patrick Maswangwanyi is one of the players who has seen his playtime under Abdeslam Ouaddou reduce a great deal this season.

Tito, as the midfielder is affectionately known within football circles, is facing stiff competition for places in the starting line-ups. His reduced minutes are majorly due to the top form shown by Sipho Mbule.

Mbule has established himself as a key player not only for the Soweto giants but also for the national team.

In fact, Mbule replaced Tito in the Bafana setup, and the former Mamelodi Sundowns star is heading to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals, and Maswangwanyi is not.

“I think you can’t control some of the things in life. This has been hard for me to watch other players playing, but you need to understand that those people are working hard,” Maswanganyi told Metro FM.

“For me, it’s never been the case of asking the coach why I’m not playing, but for me it’s to show the other guys, especially the new ones, that I can also be on the bench and support them because they are helping us at the moment.”

Being one of the most experienced midfielders in the Premier Soccer League, expectations were that Tito could make the cut for AFCON. However, that was not possible even though his teammates are dominating the Morocco-bound squad.

Tito has admitted he resigned to fate a long time ago, and he knew he would not earn Hugo Broos' call-up.

“I already knew that I wasn’t going to make it to the AFCON squad because I wasn’t playing," the 27-year-old Bucs star explained.

"I would get a few minutes to play, but I think when I was called up in the national team, I had problems with small injuries, and those kinds of things affect your mind and your position in the national team because there are a lot of players in the country that are working hard to be in that position.”

The former Gallants coach has applied a rotational policy that, although effective at times, has sidelined experienced players.

Thalente Mbatha and Tshegofatso Mabasa have been heavily affected by the policy; some pundits claim this is the weakness of Ouaddou's philosophy.

But the Moroccan has always been quick to defend himself, arguing that the policy helps integrate every member of the squad.

“To be honest, many people are asking me that question [about Mabasa’s absence]. First of all, I don’t have any issue with Mabasa,” Ouaddou said.

“He’s a player that I love; he’s a good guy, he’s a good striker, and now I have a lot of strikers. Sometimes, tactically, the profile of the defence we are going to play influences the choice of striker.
“Sometimes we are playing high, sometimes we’re playing mid-block. My game model is very demanding. There are a lot of runs, pressing, and a lot of demand in terms of fitness. With my staff, we are choosing players regarding the opponents we are going to play.
“If the opponents are building from the back, we need someone to chase. He had the opportunity to play, maybe not enough, but I have Makgopa, Mbuthuma, Mabasa, [Boitumelo] Radiopane, and [Sfiso] Luthuli, five players in one position," the coach stated.

Ouaddou is alive to the fact that his tactics and policy have been criticised, especially by the fans, but he is ready to stick with them.

“And sometimes fans can feel that there is an injustice, but it’s just rules, and I can only play 11 players on the pitch. As a coach and educator, I have to improve players," he added.

“Mabasa knows that he’s one of the best players who is capable of finishing in the box. Now we’re pressing very high and chasing; I cannot afford to leave the opponents with the ball for more than five seconds – it’s too much.

“It’s an area that he knows he needs to do more. When you have players who are able to do that, we make the choice to select those kinds of players. We expect a bit more from him in terms of pressing.”

Already, the 47-year-old has won two trophies with the Soweto giants - the Carling Knockout and the MTN8 - effectively shielding him from scathing criticism.