Orlando Pirates' Coach Ouaddou Praises Appollis' Start At The Club, But Still Wants More

Orlando Pirates’ coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has vowed that he’ll not change the dynamism of Oswin Appollis, though there’s still room for improvement for the talisman.

Appollis started life at Pirates on a high note, bagging the Player of the Match award when Pirates beat Polokwane City 2-0 in the MTN8 quarter-final.

Appollis Scores On Pirates Debut

The 23-year-old scored the opening goal against his former club at a packed Orlando Stadium, before Patrick Maswanganyi netted the winner from the penalty spot.

“I played against Appollis when I was in my previous club [Gallants]. I know his qualities and I will not change him,” Ouaddou said.

“But as an ex-professional footballer and as a coach, I want to bring him to the highest level. And of course, we need to discipline him and give him some tactical workshops to do.

“He did it during the pre-season camp, and you can see that we don’t use him only for transitions, we use him for many tasks, and he did it well.

“We gave him 60 minutes [against City] as we didn’t want to burn him, but he can come between the lines, he can make runs from deep, and he can change sides.”

Appollis was also happy with the result and performance, saying the work and efforts they put in during their tour of Marbella, Spain, paid off against City.

“It was a very positive result. I am very happy with today’s [performance]. But most importantly, we have to give credit to the whole team,” said Apollis on Pirates TV.

“Everyone worked hard. All the stuff that we did during pre-season in Spain just came together.

“It’s amazing to see a packed stadium today. I am very happy to be at Orlando Pirates, we’ll continue to do our work at training and do our best.”

A Lot Expected From Pirates And Appollis

Indeed, Apollis and Co have to be at their best throughout the season as ‘The Ghost’ want the team to win the Betway Premiership this season more than anything.

It has been 13 years since Pirates last won the Premiership, and over that Period Mamelodi Sundowns have won 10, including eight in the last eight seasons.

The Sea Robbers have bolstered their squad to knock Sundowns off their perch, signing 11 new players during the transfer window so far.

The new signings also include Sipho Mbule who lived up to his ‘Master Chef’ moniker against City, as he dished up passes for his teammates.

Mbule, Appollis and the rest of the team have to take their bright start to their league opener when they face Sekhukhune United in Orlando on Saturday afternoon (5.30pm kick-off).

Pirates Have Must Be Fluid

Ouaddou knows the game against Babina Noko might present a different challenge compared to the outing against City, which is why he wants his troops to play in a fluid system.

“I want dynamic players, not only to stand on one side and wait for the ball, I want a dynamic team and a dynamic system,” Ouaddou explained.

“It’s modern football. You can see from the system that I am not a 4-2-3-1, 2-4-3-1 or 3-4-3 system, everyone is changing their position. The opponent cannot know you are playing.

“We are forced to manipulate space, the opponent and lines. It’s what he did today, and we’ll continue to build him [Appollis].”

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