Orlando Pirates manager Abdeslam Ouaddou has a theory as to why Relebohile Mofokeng didn’t perform against Sundowns.
The 21-year-old has been in sparkling form of late, collecting three Man of the Match awards on the bounce prior to Pirates’ 2-1 defeat against the defending champions.
Ouaddou reveals why Mofokeng struggled against Sundowns
Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has admitted that his idea of asking Rele Mofokeng to operate in several position on the pitch against Sundowns affected the player’s ability to impact the game.
“We’ve already discussed Rele’s quality. He’s a clever player who can cover two or three positions in the modern game,” said Ouaddou. “While he has performed well on the wing, I believe he is most effective as a ’10.’ Why? Because in the centre, he has 360 degrees of passing and movement options. On the flank, the touchline limits him to 180 degrees.
“However, we have to manage the squad and our impact players. Today [Wednesday night], we moved him around quite a bit. Usually, when a player settles into a role, they find their rhythm; shifting them multiple times can be destabilising. Moving forward, we should aim to keep him more central or stable in one role per game. While I gave him and [Oswin] Appollis the freedom to swap sides to surprise the opponent, I think we moved him between the ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ too often, which may have disrupted his game.”
“To help him reach the next level, we must believe in him and simulate high-pressure situations in training,” he stated. “At the highest level, you have less time to think and make decisions. With his low centre of gravity, we need to keep challenging him to make those elite-level decisions under constant pressure.”
Chiefs stay in the title race, Orlando Pirates looking over their shoulder
Before a somewhat surprising Nedbank Cup Round of 32 exit to Stellenbosch, the Glamour Boys hadn’t conceded since November 29th against Zamalek. They now sit eight points adrift of league leaders Orlando Pirates, but with two games in hand after Pirates’ defeat to Sundowns opened the door ever so slightly. Sundowns can cut the gap between them and Pirates to zero if they win their game in hand. There might be a genuine fight for the title this season, something we haven’t been able to say for quite some time. Chiefs have conceded only six goals in 15 league outings, the best record in the division. Pirates have conceded seven.