Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou says Patrick Maswanganyi has a big role to play as a playmaker following Relebohile Mofokeng’s exit.
The Buccaneers were in rampant mood in their Betway Premiership clash with a convincing 3-0 victory over Chippa United at Hollywoodbets Kings Park in Durban on Sunday.
Maswanganyi played a crucial role in the win, providing the assist for Ghampani Lungu’s opening goal. He has also made an impact in the MTN8, registering an assist before scoring in Pirates’ 2-1 quarter-final victory over Durban City.
Ouaddou has been impressed by Maswanganyi’s commitment in both training and matches and believes the midfielder can take on the responsibility of creating chances and contributing goals — a role that was played much by Mofokeng.
“Everybody who understands football, who knows football, can see fantastic quality on Tito,” said Ouaddou.
“As long as he brings the game in his favour, to play forward, it’s what we have been saying to him, to bring the game forward. You see that he can help the team and he can be really the link between the defenders and the strikers.
“Not only that, he’s able to feed in the last third, but he’s somebody who is able to score as well. So, I think he has a lot of talent, he knows. We sit with him, we talk a lot about which area he needs to occupy, he must occupy in order to be more efficient.
“We did a lot of video sessions with him as well. And he’s a clever boy; he’s a clever boy. He knows exactly what we’re expecting from him and he showed it today.
“Again, I hope we will have this consistency because he’s a key player for Pirates, definitely. And like you said, truly, with the departure of Rele, he has a big space there to play and a very big role to play for our club. I’m very happy about his preparation since the beginning of the season.
“I’m very happy about how he’s training. I’m very happy about his attitude and it’s what I’m asking for my players. The work starts in training, not during the weekend, during the game.”
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