Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has explained why he prefers to rotate his players regardless of form.
Against Mamelodi Sundowns, the Moroccan coach opted to start with young midfielder Camren Dansin. The 20-year-old attacker struggled during the match but made up for a poor game with a long-range thunderbolt to secure a draw for his team.
Many Bucs fans felt Sipho Mbule, Thalente Mbatha and Relebohile Mofokeng should have played Saturday’s match. Both Mbatha and Mbule have been in good form but Ouaddou decided not to start with the Pirates duo against Downs.
I have faith in all my players. I think you have seen how I’ve been working since the beginning of this season; I tried to rotate the players because we’re playing many competitions, so I have faith in all my players,” Ouaddou said as per GOAL.
The former Marumo Gallants coach said it was important to rotate players to avoid unnecessary injuries.
Ouaddou explains why Pirates prefer to rotate players
“I gave a chance to some players [against Sundowns]; the idea is to all the time have some freshness – because you see we are playing every three days, with high intensity, very important games, and at the same time, as an educator, not a coach, I want to protect the physical integrity of my players because I need them all season,” the Pirates coach added.
Since joining Pirates in July, Ouaddou has won 13 out of the 19 matches across all competitions. Having only suffered three defeats, the 46-year-old tactician appears to be on the right track to bring more trophies to Mayfair.