The Buccaneers have kept seven clean sheets in their last nine league matches.
Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has revealed the secret behind his team’s good defensive record in the Betway Premiership this season.
The Buccaneers have kept seven clean sheets in their last nine league matches. They have registered eight wins and a draw and have conceded only two goals in those nine process.
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This good run of form has seen them move up to join Mamelodi Sundowns at the top of the league standings.
‘Defending is an art’
On Tuesday, Pirates kept another clean sheet when they beat Chippa United 2-0 at the Orlando Stadium. And after the game, Ouaddou was quizzed about his team’s solid defensive record and he credited it to “fantasic” team spirit.
“I think it’s very important to have a game model in defensive animation. You have to give the ideas to the players, how you want to defend,” said Ouaddou.
“I always say that we don’t defend with two or three players, not even with the back four. For me, defending is an art. It’s very important to know where, when and how we want to recover the ball.
“As long as my 11 players, or let’s say my 20 players, are able to answer that question in the same moment, for me it’s very important. It means that they understand exactly what I want. We are strong defensively because we think the same thing at the same moment,” he added.
“Inside our team block, everybody is working and giving effort. And like I said to the guys, if we have one or two players that let us down, it can be difficult. So, I have to congratulate them since the beginning of the season. These guys were very brave, fantastic team spirit. That’s why it’s very difficult to score a goal [against us].”
Ouaddou will be hoping that his team keep another clean sheet when they take on Durban City in a Betway Premiership clash at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Saturday afternoon (kick-off is at 3.30pm).
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Seventh-placed City played to a goalless draw against Richards Bay in the KZN derby in their previous clash. And coach Gavin Hunt was satisfied with the result.
“A draw is a point and at this level it moves us forward, other teams lost today and for us it’s a step forward, we just need to keep moving forward and closer to our goal,” he said.