Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou says it’s important to not only notice talent in youngsters but to also be able to manage it as well.
The coach’s comments come on the back of his side’s 4-0 victory over African Stars in the second preliminary round second leg in the CAF Champions League, winning the tie 5-0 on aggregate where youngsters Simphiwe Masilela and Mpho Padime were among those with outstanding performances.
Masilela provided an assist for one of the goals while Padime scored the third goal on the night. The coach explained that he gives the youngsters manageable targets and freedom to express themselves when the side has a healthy lead.
“Padime and Masilela, it’s young players, and when you detect such talent on them, you just have to manage the talent and to give them targets when they go to play the game,” said Ouaddou.
“Not big targets, but they have two, three targets in order to focus in these targets. You know, because for me, like I told them, be efficient everything that you are doing, trying to do it, to go into the opponent’s goal, in the verticality.”
“All these things they are not so such important. Try leave them on the side, but after I told them if we have four goals, five goals, sometimes you have to release as well because they are young and they need this pleasure to touch the ball.”
“They need this pleasure to be in contact with the fans. But before that, if it’s 1-0, 2-0 I don’t accept it.”
The coach further revealed what he told Padime who came on a second a half substitute.
“And what I said to Padime is to trying to see the position of [Deon] Hotto, not to be in the same corridor,” added the coach.
“If Hotto is wide, I want him inside. If Hotto is inside, he has to be wide and most important connection between the ball carrier and the receiver. You can see that what I told him I said sometimes you have to be wide because the opponent is pressing on the ball side, and I want you to be the free man.”
“So, from opposite side, we can see it’s something that we have worked in training some diagonal balls and thinking it worked. We could have scored on those diagonal balls. And I told him to go forward, to have frequency on the ball, to eliminate the opponent, and to get quickly in the box, for crosses or to shoot, and it’s what he did. Can win some penalties as well, and I think I’m happy because they start to understand.”
“Sometimes I put pressure on them in training as well because it’s my job to create situations in training where I put them pressure because I’m not waiting for the match day where they will have a lot of pressure. I try to put them in training to put them under pressure in order to see their reaction and how they can react in such pressure environment.”