“It is important to have good management of players when you play in many competitions,” said Ouaddou.
Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou is set to ring in the changes when the Buccaneers take on Lioli in the second leg of the CAF Champions League preliminary round at the Orlando Stadium on Saturday (kickoff is at 3pm).
The Buccaneers walloped the Lesotho champions 3-0 in the first leg at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein last Saturday. They therefore go into this encounter in Orlando as favourites to go through to the next round of the continental competition.
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Ouaddou made some changes when Pirates played Siwelele FC in a Betway Premiership clash midweek including starting Oswin Appollis, who scored the winner on the bench.
The Moroccan coach has explained that it is important to rotate his players to keep them fresh especially because the Buccaneers are competing in many competitions this season.
“It is important to have good management of players when you play in many competitions,” Ouaddou told reporters after the match against Siwelele before explaining why he started Appollis on the bench.
‘We don’t want injuries’
Appollis came on for Patrick Maswanganyi at the start of the second half and scored the winner in the 80th minute.
“It was the plan to start Appollis on the bench. We wanted to rest him because he featured in most of the games so far this season. You would like to play all your best players but at the same time you have to think about injuries.
“We don’t want injuries because we have a long season. When we came to Bloemfontein, we had already planned for the two games against Lioli FC and Siwelele FC.
“We knew he (Appollis) will come in the second half with other players. He is a special player and the scouting department did well because they know exactly the kind of player they want to fit with the identity of the club,” added Ouaddou.
“It means that the scouting department of Orlando Pirates did well. They know exactly the kind of players they want for the club, for the identity of the club, and for the way that Pirates are playing.
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“It is not only him (Appollis); the quality of other players Pirates recruited for this season is fantastic. I have told some of them, this is not the time to play but they have to be patient because everybody will have a chance this season,” concluded Ouaddou.
