Ouaddou draws inspiration from Arsenal and Man City in tight PSL title race

Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has praised his team for taking the title fight against Mamelodi Sundowns down to the wire, drawing parallels with the high-stakes race in the English Premier League.

The Buccaneers set a new club record on Tuesday, reaching 62 points with a victory over Stellenbosch FC, surpassing their previous best of 61 points in a single campaign. However, despite this milestone, they still find themselves in second place, trailing Sundowns by two points with only three matches left.

While Pirates hold a superior goal difference, their championship hopes now depend on winning their remaining fixtures and Sundowns faltering in one of their last three games, which includes a crucial clash against Kaizer Chiefs on Wednesday.

Ouaddou highlighted the significance of the close contest, comparing the rivalry between Pirates and Sundowns to the battle for supremacy between Arsenal and Manchester City in England.

How PSL race compares to Arsenal/Man City fight

“In every league, in every country, if you look at the Premier League in England, Manchester City and Arsenal are fighting. I think it’s the same fight that we are seeing in South Africa,” Ouaddou told the media as per iDiski Times.

The Pirates coach emphasised that the tight competition has been a major boost for fan engagement across the country.

“It creates a lot of interest for South African fans,” he explained. “It’s not fun when a team is winning the league with 10 games to go. If you know at the beginning of the season who is going to be champion, you lose interest.”

“So, this season, we tried to bring more competitiveness. I think the boys really did well. Let’s see what the result will be at the end, but the most important thing is to give this competitiveness to the PSL until the end.”

Pirates coach Ouaddou keeps title dream alive

Ouaddou affirmed that his squad remains fully committed to fighting for the title until the very last match of the 2025/26 season.

“I think it was a really good test for us today [2-0 win] because you don’t know what will happen in the next few matches against our rival. So, for us, the dream is still here,” he stated.

“The players are going to fight. It’s possible, like I said at the beginning of the season, to fight until the last game, and maybe people will only know the champions on the last day.”