Crunch time for Orlando Pirates, Abdeslam Ouaddou against Mamelodi Sundowns in cup semi
Orlando Pirates, under new coach Abdeslam Ouaddou, face Mamelodi Sundowns in a crucial MTN8 semi-final at Orlando Stadium on Saturday, aiming to recover from recent Premiership losses and meet high fan expectations. Picture: Itumeleng English/Independent Media
Image: Itumeleng English/Independent Media
There’s no doubt Orlando Pirates and new coach Abdeslam Ouaddou want to stop the rot in their MTN8 semi-final, against Mamelodi Sundowns at Orlando Stadium on Saturday. Kick-off is at 3pm.
In his first game in charge of the new season, Ouaddou saw his side to a 2-0 win over Polokwane City in the MTN8 quarter-final just under two weeks ago.
Since then, they have lost their first two Betway Premiership encounters to Sekhukhune United (1-0) on August 9, and Marumo Gallants (2-1) earlier this week.
With the games coming thick and fast, Ouaddou alluded to the fact that he was most concerned about the upcoming MTN8 semi, in the wake of his side’s loss to Gallants.
Ouaddou Addresses Criticism and Expectations After Pirates’ Losses
“I think we have so many players and we decided this lineup [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],” said Ouaddou.
There has already been heavy criticism of Pirates after the two losses, even with some speculation about Ouaddou’s future at the club. While such criticism is definitely on the harsh side, there’s not much chance of appeasing an expectant fan base after a second-place finish in the league last term.
“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.
“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.
“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.”