Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has explained the rationale behind starting Oswin Appollis on the bench in the MTN8 final loss to arch-rivals Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday night.
Pirates relinquished their four-year streak in the MTN8 as they went down 2–0 to Sundowns at a sold-out Moses Mabhida Stadium. Teboho Mokoena scored for the Brazilians in the first half before Iqraam Rayners wrapped up the tie from the penalty spot.
Despite being underdogs on paper due to a youthful, new-look squad, Ouaddou was expected to start with his big guns. Instead, he benched PSL Midfielder of the Season and Bafana Bafana international, Appollis.
The attacker made his entrance at half-time to replace the injured Kamogelo Sebelebele. However, with Sundowns in control and stabilising the midfield through the introduction of Thabo Cele, Appollis found it difficult to turn the tide for his side.
“He’s one of the best players in the country, and our team as well,” Ouaddou said of Appollis. “But when you are playing a cup final, you have a strategy. You can play in different phases. You have to think and anticipate what can happen in the second half.”
Having seen Appollis and Tshepang Moremi come off the bench to win the MTN8 final in extra time against Stellenbosch at Mbombela Stadium last season, Ouaddou revealed that he was hoping Appollis would once again act as a trump card.
“We planned to bring him on quickly in the second half. We did it last year (and it worked). You know how I work: I have a starting lineup, and impact players, and today, he was part of the impact players,” Ouaddou added.
“He is somebody who can change the match, especially because we conceded first and were chasing the match. Oswin is a fantastic, and important player for us. But today, we decided that he must have an impact, so that he can change the match.”
Pirates cannot afford to dwell on the defeat. They need to quickly dust themselves off and focus on defending their remaining silverware, including the Carling Knockout Cup, which launches on Wednesday.
