Vilakazi Urges Ouaddou to Expand Pirates Squad
Orlando Pirates legend Benedict Vilakazi has thrown down a clear challenge to head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou: expand the squad, or risk being swallowed by a brutal season.
Pirates are deep in the thick of it. A place booked in the MTN8 final against Mamelodi Sundowns. The Betway Premiership title race gathering pace. The CAF Champions League already demanding long-haul trips across the continent. The Carling Knockout and Nedbank Cup still to come.
And the injury list is growing.
“It’s very wise to have a bigger squad,” Vilakazi told FARPost, pointing straight at the current problems. “Look at the injuries that they are having right now. I think [Makhehlene] Makhaula got injured; now we have [Thalente] Mbatha, who has a knee injury. We also have [Sihle] Nduli, who got hurt badly.”
For Vilakazi, those names are not just unfortunate absentees. They are flashing warning lights.
Trophies Everywhere, Bodies Breaking
Pirates are chasing silverware on almost every front available to them. That excites supporters; it worries Vilakazi.
“You have the Betway Premiership, the MTN8, which they are in the final of now, the Carling [Knockout] that is coming in, the Nedbank Cup and the [CAF] Champions League,” he said.
That list reads like a dream for an ambitious club. It also reads like a nightmare for a thin squad.
“So, it’s going to be important to have a bigger squad, especially when you look at the trophies that are on the table for the team,” Vilakazi argued. “It’s very important to have a bigger squad so that you can rest other players. Maybe others will play in the Champions League, and others will play cup games.”
The message is blunt: rotation is not a luxury this season, it’s a necessity.
Ouaddou’s Tight Group vs Vilakazi’s Big Pool
Ouaddou has been open about his philosophy. He prefers a tight, manageable group: 30 outfield players and four goalkeepers. Anything beyond that, he believes, risks diluting team chemistry and slowing individual development.
It’s a coach’s ideal scenario – everyone involved, everyone close, everyone feeling part of the project.
But the calendar is unforgiving, and Vilakazi is adamant that reality will bite if Pirates stick too rigidly to that number.
For him, the current injuries already undermine the idea that this group is big enough to absorb the strain of a season loaded with league, cups and continental travel.
The Hidden Opponent: Travel
Vilakazi didn’t just point to minutes on the pitch. He went straight to something many overlook: the grind of African travel.
“It’s important to have a bigger squad so that your players don’t get fatigued,” he explained. “Remember that we don’t look at playing. Also, travelling plays a part in fatigue. That is one thing a lot of people don’t think of. Travelling can also cause fatigue.”
Long flights, awkward connections, late arrivals, different climates – all before a league game two or three days later. That’s where, in Vilakazi’s eyes, a deeper bench becomes a weapon.
“So that’s where you need a [big] pool of players,” he said, “so that those who went to CAF come two days before the other game, and at least you can add one or two to the team that is there and carry on with the team.”
Fresh legs after a midweek slog on the continent. Rested regulars kept away from unnecessary risk. Specialists for different competitions. That’s the vision he’s pushing.
A Season on the Edge
Ouaddou stands by his belief in a lean, tightly knit squad. Vilakazi, a club great who knows what it takes to compete on multiple fronts, insists the numbers must grow.
Between them sits a season that could define Pirates: a title race, a cup final against Sundowns, and a Champions League campaign that has barely started to test their limits.
The fixtures won’t slow down. The injuries might not either.
So the real question for Pirates now: will Ouaddou bend on his squad stance before the schedule forces his hand?
