Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has compared the Buccaneers’ backroom operation to what he witnessed during a visit to Arsène Wenger at reigning English Premier League champions Arsenal FC.

Ouaddou was speaking after his side’s 1-0 victory over Namibian champions African Stars in the first leg of their CAF Champions League second preliminary round tie in Gaborone.

Pirates host the Namibian champions at Orlando Amstel Arena on Friday night, looking to finish the job and secure a place in the CAF Champions League group stage. Kick-off is 19h30.

The Moroccan said Pirates have around 19 staff members, like the support team he saw at the English club during Wenger’s tenure. The former Fulham defender praised the specialists whose work influences Pirates’ decisions, including when to substitute players.

“What is important in our club is we have around 18 to 19 people in the staff. It’s a lot. It’s like in Europe,” Ouaddou said. “If you go to Arsenal, I’m very close to Mr Wenger, and at the time when I had a visit there in Arsenal, I have seen he had 18 people in his staff. In Pirates, we have 18 to 19.”

OUADDOU HAILS AFRICAN EXPERTISE AT ORLANDO PIRATES

He singled out the African expertise within the club’s support structure, explaining that those working away from the dugout make valuable contributions to managing the squad.

Ouaddou has consistently expressed confidence in his backroom team, having opted to retain the club’s existing staff rather than bring in his own when he took charge.

“People see only the coach, but you have to understand that around the coach there are a lot of competences, and I want to mention it: African competences. This is important to mention,” he said.

That expertise includes monitoring player performance data during matches, with staff in the stands assessing information collected through tracking devices worn by the players.

According to Ouaddou, those readings can influence a substitution when the support team identifies signs that a player may be at increased risk of injury.

“What is important is what comes from the stand, because we manage the fatigue, we manage the high-intensity effort. So, if one player is getting in the red flag, that maybe we can risk an injury, so we take him out before he gets this injury. Sometimes it’s just to bring some freshness, sometimes it’s to protect our players as well because we have many fixtures, and sometimes it’s a tactical adjustment,” Ouaddou explained.

His handling of Dion Hotto has been interesting, with the Buccaneers juggling domestic and international assignments. Ouaddou stressed player rotation would be key. “We have a lot of fixtures as we play in the Carling [Knockout] Cup. We will play in the second leg [Champions League] and we have the [Soweto] Derby. This season we are going to play nearly 60 games,” the Bucs coach added.

Hotto was on the bench when Pirates faced his former club African Stars, with Ouaddou hinting he may use him in the second leg. “Hopefully, he will be able to bring his experience,” he said.