Orlando Pirates new signing Yanela Mbuthuma has earned praise from the club’s head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou.
The French-Moroccan coach was speaking after the Buccaneers won 2-0, defeating Granada in their last pre-season friendly match in Spain.
The new man at the helm of the Sea Robbers, Ouaddou, wasted no time in showering praise on one of the club's fresh faces, Mbuthuma, during an interview on SuperSport TV.
WHAT OUADDOU SAID ABOUT MBUTHUMA
“[Pressing is] one of the instructions of the defensive formation when we are defending,” said Ouaddou.
“He (Mbuthuma) did a great job in terms of pressing, that is what we asked him. His job was to stop the relationship between the central defender and the goalkeeper.
“And to push the opponent to make mistakes because we wanted to recover the ball on the sides. We did very well in the first half. But afterwards, when we recovered the ball, the plan was to open wide and to find free space in order to create chances.
“I think we achieved that, we had many chances, now we have to improve in the box, to be more clinical, and we can win the game.
“We can see that the team, step by step, is starting to understand a bit better exactly the expectation of the coach. So I am happy.”
Pirates wrapped up their pre-season camp in Spain and will be returning to South Africa to continue preparing for the 2025/26 season.
They will now focus on their final pre-season fixture on Saturday, July 19th, where they will face Granada, aiming to conclude their preparations on a high note.
