Coach says Bucs ‘not perfect and every game is another battle where we have to improve’

Orlando Pirates may be on a run of prolific form of late, but coach Abdeslam Ouaddou insists he’s not yet 100% satisfied with his team.

“The confidence is there, especially because we’ve been so balanced in the games we’ve played. We have kept our values, solid at the back, scoring goals, and that is something that can give confidence to the players,” Ouaddou said at a press conference at the PSL offices in Parktown on Thursday.

“We are not perfect and every game is another battle where we have to improve. Even though we are doing well, I am not 100% convinced about some areas that we still need to work on. I want to be satisfied with these areas, especially in terms of controlling games.”

Pirates, who have won eight of their past 10 fixtures with a draw and one defeat across all competitions, hope to advance to the Carling Knockout semifinals when they host Sekhukhune United in the quarterfinals at Orlando Amstel Arena on Saturday (3pm).

However, Ouaddou expects this clash to be one of their toughest yet, reasoning that having already beaten Sekhukhune three times this season makes them tougher to get one over on a fourth occasion. The coach is also also wary of the presence of Papi Zothwane on United’s bench after the former Golden Arrows midfield star frustrated Bucs when he was coaching Richards Bay last season.

“It will be one of the most difficult games we’ve ever played. Why? Because we have already hurt Sekhukhune three times this season. Again, this coach [Zothwane] who is in charge now gave us a lot of problems when he was at Richards Bay last season,” Ouaddou said. “We need to be at the height of our form to win this game. We need to defend our title.”

Pirates have already beaten Sekhukhune 2-0 in the league this season, also beating them 1-0 and 3-0 in the two-legged MTN8 semifinals. Zothwane managed to hold Pirates to a 2-all draw when he was Bay’s co-coach in the second round of the league last season.