Ouaddou believes a psychologist will be key to Pirates’ ambitions in the CAFCL

Bucs have the second-youngest squad in the Premier Soccer League’s (PSL’s) Premier Division with an average age of 25.8, after AmaZulu’s 25.5.

With all the expectations that will come with Wednesday’s draw in Cairo for the group stages, Ouaddou says the younger player might need some professional help to deal with the pressure.

"But where my staff and I would really have to help them it's mentally. Mentally how I can manage the pressure, how I can manage this kind of game. If you see the first half, it's the same players that you see in the second half but in the first half you know, lots of precipitation. The weight of the ball, how you kick the ball,” Ouaddou said.

“The wrong choices are not because they are bad players, it's because they have pressure and if you play Pirates, if you play for Masse it's not the same as you are playing Lyon, it's not the same. 

“I hope that I can help them as a coach but maybe we will need a professional, even a psychologist to go a little bit deeper because I'm not a psychologist."

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Just two seasons ago, Pirates were in the semi-finals of the Champions League and narrowly lost to champions of that season, Pyramids. 

They still have about 11 players from that squad in the current team, but with a majority of the players being youngsters who are new to the set-up, Ouaddou says they are going to need help.

"In the PSL, I have one of the youngest teams and if you saw that we have 10 new players. It's not easy to integrate a club such big club like Pirates. You can be a big player in other clubs but when you come here the factor that you have to manage is the management of the emotions because there is a lot of pressure. I have good players, of course there is always much progression,” the coach added.