Pirates’ Ouaddou hails Mbule for ‘Master Chef’ performance

Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou was full of praise for midfielder Sipho Mbule following his brilliant display for the Buccaneers this past weekend.

“Master Chef”, as  Mbule is affectionately known in South African football circles, was of the standout players for Pirates as they hammered Lioli of Lesotho 4-0 at Orlando Stadium on Saturday to advance to the second preliminary round of the CAF Champions League on 7-0 aggregate.

The Buccaneers will now face the winner of the tie between DR Congo’s Saint-Eloi Lupopo and Sudanese giants Al-Merreikh in the next round. A place in the lucrative group stage will be at stake.

Speaking after their win against Lioli, an impressed Ouaddou hailed Mbule and labelled him “one of the best players in South African football.”

“Sipho had a good performance. It is good for him to have time like that, and what I like is that I see a boy who is smiling, enjoying his game, and it is what we want,” said Ouaddou.

“He is a fantastic player, let’s say that he is one of the best players in South African football, and when I see him happy, I am happy.”

“So, I can say that it was a bit difficult for him in the first half because to play with a low block in very small spaces was not easy, and after we gave him the opportunity to play a little bit lower when he had more space, we saw the real Mbule, what he is able to do. I’m very happy about his performance and in general the performance of the boys,” added Ouaddou.

Galaxy challenge next for Pirates

The Moroccan coach will be looking for another masterclass performance from Mbule and his Pirates teammates when they host TS Galaxy in a Betway Premiership clash at the Orlando Stadium tonight (kickoff is at 7.30pm).

Pirates are currently eighth on the log with 12 points after six games. They trail log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns by nine points, but have four games in hand over the Brazilians.

Galaxy, on the other side, are a point above their hosts in sixth place in the Betway Premiership standings with 13 points after seven matches.

With Pirates having reached the second round of the CHampions League and doing well in the league Ouaddou is happy with what his team has achieved so far.

“Credit has to be given to my players, the medical department, the performance analysts and technical staff and the management. It’s teamwork, and it’s not finished, we have a long season with many targets, but I’m happy with what we have achieved now.”