Ouaddou points out the tactical mistakes that cost Pirates against Sundowns

Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has conceded tinkering with his tactics cost the club against Mamelodi Sundowns in the Premier Soccer League title race at the FNB Stadium.

Relebohile Mofokeng, who had played in the No.10 role for the initial three games where he scored three goals and assisted twice, was drifted wide as Patrick Maswanganyi was preferred in the creative role.

The 21-year-old struggled to deliver on the wing as opposed to playing centrally. Brayan Leon struck twice while Maswanganyi managed to get the only one for the Soweto derby.

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🥅 Maswanganyi 47'

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Ouaddou concedes mistake

“We’ve already discussed Rele’s quality. He’s a clever player who can cover two or three positions in the modern game,” Ouaddou told the media.

“While he has performed well on the wing, I believe he is most effective as a ’10.’ Why? Because in the centre, he has 360 degrees of passing and movement options. On the flank, the touchline limits him to 180 degrees.

“However, we have to manage the squad and our impact players. Today [Wednesday night], we moved him around quite a bit. Usually, when a player settles into a role, they find their rhythm; shifting them multiple times can be destabilising. Moving forward, we should aim to keep him more central or stable in one role per game,” he added.

We need to help Mofokeng

Ouaddou has further revealed a plan to help the versatile attacker become more lethal, especially in the final third of the season.

“While I gave him and [Oswin] Appollis the freedom to swap sides to surprise the opponent, I think we moved him between the ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ too often, which may have disrupted his game,” he explained.

“To help him reach the next level, we must believe in him and simulate high-pressure situations in training.

“At the highest level, you have less time to think and make decisions. With his low centre of gravity, we need to keep challenging him to make those elite-level decisions under constant pressure,” Ouaddou concluded.