Orlando Pirates Coach Abdeslam Ouaddou Admits Tactics Backfired in Shock Loss to Marumo Gallants

Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has admitted that his tactical changes did not work as planned following the Buccaneers’ 2-1 loss to Marumo Gallants on Tuesday night. The Morocco international, who began his reign with a 2-0 MTN8 quarter-final win over Polokwane City, has now suffered back-to-back defeats in the Premier Soccer League against Sekhukhune United and Gallants.

The latest loss came against Ouaddou’s former club, Marumo Gallants. Despite creating numerous chances, Pirates were unable to convert, leaving the door open for the opposition to capitalize. Ouaddou acknowledged that his adjustments failed to produce the expected results.

“Yeah of course, it’s not the result we expected. We came here with a lot of ambition to take these three points that we lost at home,” Ouaddou said. “We started the game very well, opening the score with a lot of chances again that we didn’t put in the net, and when you don’t score, you give the opportunity to the opponent to finish you. It’s a big disappointment that we start very badly, but we’ll sit and we’ll think about that.”

The coach added that his team’s second-half performance fell short, despite attempts to inject fresh energy through substitutions. “We tried to make some changes to bring some fresh blood; unfortunately, the changes that we made didn’t give us what we expected from them. It was about their level. Yeah, it’s a big disappointment, but we’re going to sit, analyse and come back stronger,” he said.

Ouaddou’s reign at Pirates started with optimism, but two losses in three PSL matches have raised questions about his immediate impact. The Buccaneers will now host Mamelodi Sundowns in the first leg of the MTN8 semi-final on Saturday, a match Ouaddou cannot afford to lose. Failure to produce results in this crucial fixture may place the former Atlas Lions player’s position at risk even before the season reaches its first quarter.

The Pirates technical team will focus on analysing the recent defeats, with particular attention on finishing and tactical adjustments, as they prepare for a challenging clash against the reigning league champions.