Big Three involvement in title race good for SA football – Pirates coach

Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou says it is good for South African football to have the ‘Big Three’ involved in the league title race.

Unlike the past seasons, where Sundowns dominated and claimed an unprecedented eight consecutive league titles, this season, the ‘Big Three’ – Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs, and Mamelodi Sundowns – are all in the mix, with only a few points separating them at the halfway mark.

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Pirates currently lead the Betway Premiership standings with 35 points, followed by Sundowns with 32 points, and Chiefs are third with 30 points, with all teams having played 15 games each.

“It brings value to South African football. You cannot have a team dominating for decades, winning the league with 20 points. It is not entertaining. You even lose interest in football. So, I think it’s good that now we have maybe three teams fighting for the title,” said Ouaddou.

‘Not good enough’

Meanwhile, despite his team scoring six goals in two games in Durban last week, Ouaddou is not satisfied with his team’s finishing.

The Buccaneers beat AmaZulu 2-0 in a league match at the Moses Mabhida Stadium midweek before handing ABC Motsepe League side Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM) a 4-1 drubbing in a Nedbank Cup last 32 clash at the same venue over the weekend.

But despite these convincing victories, Ouaddou was still not happy and urged his side to be more ruthless in front of the goal.

“If you look at the data. How many shots do we take at goal, and how many chances do we create to get into the final third? You will realise quickly that this is simply not enough,” said Ouaddou.

“The numbers don’t lie, so we need to finish goals off,” added the Moroccan coach before revealing what he told his players before the game against TTM.

“I told my players that the only way to respect these kinds of teams is if you have to score six or seven goals, then you do just that because it’s the law of football.”

Gallants next up for Pirates

Following their win against TTM, Pirates will shift their focus to the Betway Premiership, where they will face Ouaddou’s former side, Marumo Gallants, at home at the Orlando Amstel Arena on Saturday.

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A win in this game will see the Buccaneers extend their lead at the top to six points.

Chiefs and Sundowns are not involved in the domestic league this coming weekend. They are playing in the CAF Confederation Cup and Champions League, respectively.