Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has set the record straight on Tshegofatso Mabasa’s lack of game-time, explaining the technical team expect more from the striker in terms of pressing.
Mabasa, 29, has scored four goals in nine appearances this season and looked set to become the club’s all-time record goalscorer, however, he has not featured since 4 October for the club.
With lots of fans and onlookers wondering why Mabasa has seemingly fallen out of favour with Ouaddou, the Pirates coach explained he expects more from his striker in terms of work off the ball.
“As a coach, as an educator I’m here to improve the players as well – not only me, all the people on the staff,” he told Robert Marawa on Radio 947.
“He knows that he’s one of the best players in the box, capable to finish in the box.
“[But] now if you’ve seen the way that we are playing, very high and chasing, high pressing with high intensity, and I cannot afford to leave the opponent with the ball more than five or six seconds, it’s too much.
“So, I need [us] to be very aggressive in the pressing. And, of course, it’s an area that he knows he needs to do more. And when you have a player able to do that, then sometimes we as a staff make the choice to select that kind of player.
“But sometimes we cannot say that as coaches we are right, sometimes we make mistakes as well in terms of selecting the players.
“Of course, Mabasa we know that he is efficient in the box and when he gets a chance, he puts it in the net. But at the same time, we are expecting a little bit more from him in terms of pressing.”
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