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Ouaddou speaks on title race on the back of thrashing Chiefs
Photo: Sydney Mahlangu/ BackPagePix
Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has shared thoughts on the heated Betway Premiership title race, with the business end of the season fast approaching.
The Buccaneers thumped fierce rivals Kaizer Chiefs 3-0 in the famed Soweto derby on Saturday, to climb to the top of the log standings.
Pirates are level on 41 points with defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns, who narrowed the gap with a 3-1 win over Sekhukhune United at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Sunday.
With games coming thick and fast, Ouaddou has urged consistency as the Sea Robbers look to build on the derby triumph in a bid to lift a first league title since the 2011/12 campaign.
“We are here to play all the games, every games that we are playing it's to win them. For me, like I said to the players, we have to keep the same spirit every games and to go definitely with the aim, with the target to win every games,” said the Bucs mentor.
"It's only with that mentality that you can, maybe at the end [of the season], dream about the title. But I'm not here to calculate if I prefer to be first or chasing, no. Every games are very important and God knows that two weeks ago we were not in the same shape.
"So, we have to take this victory with happiness and to build on that performance because I think that our boys did really good today [Saturday] because it's not easy to manage the pressure of that kind of game and today they really managed the pressure, they really managed the event and they delivered a great performance. I think it's one of the best games that we did and we have to build on that.
The former Morocco international went on to dissect the difference of partaking in a derby as a player and as a coach, likening the clash against Chiefs to a Champions League match.
“To play the derby as a player or as a coach - I think for me it's the same taste because there is a rivalry, so the taste is the same, it's spicy. The difference is just when you're a player you focus on your own performance because you want to look good, to play good for the fans and to make a good performance,” Ouaddou added.
"But as a coach, you're not looking after yourself, you're looking after 20 players or 30 because we have 35 players, but you're coach of 30 players. For me, it doesn't make too much difference, it's an important game for the fans.
"It's two big clubs - Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs are one of the biggest clubs in Africa. So, we can say that today it was not only a Soweto derby, it was a Champions League game for me today.