History beckons as Ouaddou challenges his players

Pirates have already won the MTN8 and Carling Knockout titles this season and are also league leaders in the Betway Premiership. Tomorrow they start their journey in this season’s Nedbank Cup title against ABC Motsepe League side Tshakuma Tsha Madzivhandila. Ouaddou has got a challenge for his players.

"I think with these things you have to be motivated, you have to challenge yourself. Football moves very quickly; sometimes you think you have 10 years to play, but that time goes by so fast. In the 10, 5 or 6 years that you are able to play football, try to be ambitious and try to write your name in the club's history.

"Just to give you an example, in 2004 I played in the CAF AFCON final. We had in my opinion, the strongest team in Africa. We played fantastic football in Tunisia everybody looked at us as favourites to win, but in the end we didn't win the trophy. Your name is not on the trophy, Tunisia won that AFCON. That's why I always say to my players: use this time that you are playing to be ambitious and to make sure your name is remembered as a legend," said Ouaddou

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The gap between the elite division and the third tier of South African football can be quite evident on the pitch, but Ouaddou says they are taking no chances.

Last season, it was a bitter pill to swallow for Pirates in this competition, and they lost 2-1 to arch-rivals Kaizer Chiefs in the final. Ouaddou says they will make their intentions clear from the first whistle tomorrow.

"We will try and come up with a strong plan in order to win that game, and you can be sure that I will have a very strong speech for my players."

Meanwhile, managing a big squad can be a mission and requires people skills, and this is the area where Ouaddou excels. He delves deeper to understand his players' personalities.