“Mabasa knows that he’s one of the best players who is capable of finishing in the box,” said Ouaddou.
Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has set the record straight on the absence of Tshegofatso Mabasa from the matchday squad.
Mabasa has struggled to break into Ouaddou’s starting line-up since the beginning of the 2025/26 Betway Premiership season.
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The 29-year-old has featured in nine matches across all competitions for Pirates this season, scoring four goals and making one assist.
Despite his goal scoring prowess, Ouaddou has been preferring Evidence Makgopa and Yanela Mbuthuma upfront in recent matches instead of him.
With Pirates having signed another striker in Andre De Jong from Stellenbosch FC, speculation has been rife that Mabasa could be on his way out of the club.
Mabasa is a ‘good’ striker
Ouaddou, however, insists that Mabasa’s absence is purely down to squad competition.
“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. He’s a player that I love, he’s a good guy, he’s a good striker,” Ouaddou told Robert Marawa on 947 FM.
“But now I have a lot of strikers. I have a lot of players, and tactically, sometimes, regarding the defence I’m going to play, the team I’m going to play, I’m playing high, sometimes mid-block. Sometimes, tactically, the profile of the defence we are going to play influences the choice of striker. 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.
“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. If Mr. [Gianni] Infantino changes the law in the next few months or next year to allow me to play 15 players on the pitch, I will be able to integrate. So, it’s just a competition, it is really a competition,” added Ouaddou.
What Mabasa needs to do
“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.
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“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,” concluded Ouaddou.
