Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou explains why strikers Tshegofatso Mabasa and Evidence Makgopa missed MTN8 quarterfinal clash against Polokwane City.
To the surprise of many, Pirates named their squad for their clash against City in the quarterfinals of the MTN8 without noticeable names like Thalente Mbatha, Makgopa, and Mabasa.
The line-up had 10 new faces, with three of them making the starting line-up. Ouaddou’s line-up raised eyebrows, leading to questions before the start of the match at Orlando Stadium.
Speaking to SABC Sport, Morrocan tactician revealed the reasoning behind his line-up and how he will use his big squad this season.
“We had a very interesting pre-season camp, I can say that everybody is ready,” Ouaddou told SABC Sport.
“This season, we would like to involve the majority of our players. Today, we have one line-up, maybe [the] next game, we would have another line-up, so everybody will be involved this season.”
He further touched on why he played Boitumelo Radiopane ahead of Makgopa and Mabasa who who regularly started ahead of Radiopane in the previous seasons.
“No, no this is not [because of] injuries, our major player[s] like Makgopa and Mabasa played one game this morning, then we choose [the] selection for today,” Ouaddou added.
“They did a fantastic job during the pre-season, and they will be very important players for us today.”
The Buccaneers went on to win 2-0 thanks to goals from new signing Oswin Appollis and attacking middlefielder Patrick Maswanganyi.