Ouaddou defends decision not to rotate Chaine at Bucs

Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has defended his decision to keep Sipho Chaine as the club's first-choice goalkeeper.

The South Africa international has been doing relatively well at the Soweto giants where he has been impressive between the sticks. His exploits have seen the likes of Melusi Buthelezi, Siyabonga Dladla, and Ethan Visagi warm the bench,

Chaine has played all Bucs games so far; he has featured 19 times across all competitions with a return of 12 clean sheets. He has conceded just eight goals in the process.

The Soweto giants have won the MTN8, are in the Carling Knockout final, where they will battle it out with Marumo Gallants, and are currently third on the Premier Soccer League table. Ouaddou has now explained why he has not rotated the 28-year-old.

It's not easy to change

“I think the daily work with the goalkeepers is very important, it’s a special department. The mentality of a goalkeeper is special, and they are in their own world,” the former Fulham defender told the media.

“We cannot compare them to the rest of the players; it’s a different mentality. We always have to communicate with them, trust them, and give them confidence. I know that I have four good goalkeepers, but now Sipho is doing well.

“It’s a department that is very important for me, it’s not easy to change because when you have strength like that and clean sheets, it’s very sensitive to change.

“What I can tell you is that I have a fantastic goalkeeper, hardworking and very focused on the project. I’m very happy about Buthelezi, Dladla, and Visagie. They are doing a good job at the club,” Ouaddou concluded.