Abdeslam Ouaddou shares Orlando Pirates title challenge recipe

As the Buccaneers prepare for their opening league game at home to Sekhukhune United on Saturday, their three consecutive second-place finishes behind Mamelodi Sundowns is also a notable starting point. 

With the club having brought in more youthful talent, this is how Ouaddou thinks they can close the gap to their Tshwane rivals.

"I think Orlando Pirates, for many years, had a different profile of players, and since three years ago, I think they have decided to bring some young players that have brought some dynamism and nice football to the team," said Ouaddou.

"I don't mean to say that before it was not [like that], yeah, it was good, legendary players, but I think the dynamism that they brought in over the past three years was very interesting.

"I think the challenge is to mix these young talented players with the experienced players, with the experience I have, you need to bring that experience around [the youngsters] to extract the best from them."

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Last season, Pirates finished 12 points behind Sundowns on the log standings – a significant improvement from when they finished a mammoth 23 points behind in the 2023/24 campaign. 

It’s this sign of progress giving captain Nkosinathi Sibisi hope that they can do something special this season.

"The previous season was so close, yet so far, in terms of the Nedbank Cup, the league, and the CAF Champions League as well, so I think we know what we're capable of," added Sibisi.

"And I think within the whole group, there's belief to say, 'Why can't we go all the way in all competitions?' I think with the quality that we have right now, anything is possible – whether it's the league, Champions League, the Nedbank or the MTN8 cups.

"So for us the belief is there, it's just a matter of executing and getting the right results."