RESPECT! Abdeslam Ouaddou reveals how he will keep Jose Riveiro's legacy at Orlando Pirates - 'It would be stupid for me to come and try to change everything'

Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has revealed his intention to keep Jose Riveiro's legacy intact at the Premier Soccer League side.

Ouaddou was appointed by Bucs to succeed Riveiro, who had spent three trophy-laden seasons with the club.

The new boss at the Soweto giants has promised to blend his philosophy with a touch of what was associated with his successor.

“As a new coach, it is very important to keep the legacy,” Ouaddou said, as quoted by SPORTSWIRE.

“When you arrive at a club such as Orlando Pirates that has been working well, that has built a legacy for three years, it would be stupid for me to come and try to change everything," he added.

"Let’s keep the good things and try and bring my own touch. So, we are expecting an exciting season; we want to please our fans.”

Ouaddou has also promised to work harder and impress the fans.

“When I saw the fans in the opening game (last week’s MTN8 quarter-final), it was just fantastic. So, we don’t want to disappoint them," he said.

"We are ready; we did a good pre-season camp (in Spain), the club made some new signings, the scouting department did a tremendous job, and I’m a happy coach because I have a choice," the tactician continued.

“We cannot hide. We are going to play our role this season. It will not be easy, because every year the PSL is getting more and more difficult, with lots of contenders in the league. Of course, we are ready, and we are ready to play our role.”

He has already overseen his first competitive game, against Polokwane City in the MTN8 quarter-final, where Pirates won and advanced to the semi-final.

As he looks deep into the future, he must be aware of the big challenge of filling the Riveiro boots. The Spaniard, now in charge of African and Egyptian giants Al Ahly, was in charge at Bucs for three seasons.

He won five trophies: three MTN8 cups and two Nedbank Cups.

The Sea Robbers were also Premier Soccer League runners-up for all three of Riveiro's seasons at the helm and reached the CAF Champions League semi-final last season. The Champions League campaign was a success to some extent, as the Bucs were at this stage for the first time since 2013.

These are some of the records the Moroccan has to at least match or better in order to be held in high regard.

As the new season beckons, Ouaddou must make sure he integrates his new players into a competitive unit.

His first challenge will be to defend the MTN8 trophy with Mamelodi Sundowns their next hurdle. After beating Polokwane, Bucs will face Masandawana in the semi-final.