Nkosikhona Ndaba stepping up in Orlando Pirates rotation plan

Ndaba’s arrival from Richards Bay appears to have been part of a deliberate plan to provide cover and ease the strain on the 35-year-old Namibian, who has made over 80 club appearances in the past two campaigns, while also consistently representing his country.

The 25-year-old started back-to-back matches against Golden Arrows and his former club, suggesting he is beginning to win the coach’s confidence, with Ouaddou eager to rotate wisely while maintaining the team’s intensity and balance. 

"Look, you have seen since the beginning the philosophy that we're trying to implement at the club – to rotate the players in order to have some freshness and competitiveness," said Ouaddou.

"And to protect their physical integrity as well, it's very important because we are playing many competitions, and Ndaba is part of a group of Orlando Pirates players that are able to bring us something when we call him, and it's what he did."

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The coach added that he will be careful in how he tests Ndaba in the coming weeks.

"Every time when I call him, I'm very, very happy. The consistency is very important, and you cannot only play one, two or three games very well and then drop your level afterwards," he added.

"I always say to my players, the most important [thing] is the consistency of your performance, that's what brings you to a high level.

"So he must continue like this, he did a great game against Golden Arrows and [against Richards Bay] he also did well – he's a young player that we need to trust and give him confidence.

"At the same time, we need to be careful not to burn this young talent, you have to know how to bring them and which momentum you give them in order to create the right environment for them to improve."