Coach Abdeslam Ouaddou of the Orlando Pirates has come clean about how his team was under duress due to some of his tactical decisions in Saturday's highly anticipated Soweto Derby match against Kaizer Chiefs.

The Buccaneers had a tough first half as the Chiefs took advantage of opportunities to put pressure on them in the match that drew a huge crowd of South African football fans.

Following the game, Ouaddou admitted that he should have been more successful in his attempt to catch Kaizer Chiefs off guard with some tactical changes. After admitting that his strategy may have cost the Pirates the game, the coach accepted responsibility for his actions.

In an effort to catch them off guard, I made some ill-advised tactical decisions. In my opinion, coach Ouaddou made his team work hard in the first half.

Truthfully, I could have been the one to lose the game.

Nevertheless, we were grateful to come into halftime with a 1-1 tie. We also made some changes to the roster in order to make a tactical adjustment.

With the Soweto Derby on the line, where even a small slip-up could have a major impact, his remarks revealed an unusually forthright evaluation of his own strategy.

With the score tied 1-1 at halftime, the Pirates had time to regroup and make any required adjustments to their strategy before the start of the second half.

The significance of adjusting during high-pressure encounters was further emphasised by Ouaddou's readiness to admit his tactical shortcomings.

Fans of the Pirates will likely take the coach's confession as a springboard to criticise his strategy and the team's overall showing versus their archrivals.

Whenever the Pirates and Chiefs meet, the Soweto Derby is a highly anticipated matchup in South African football, and the rivalry between the two teams is legendary.

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