Benedict Vilakazi Challenges Coach Ouaddou on Squad Strategy
Orlando Pirates legend Benedict Vilakazi has thrown down a clear challenge to head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou: rethink the squad strategy, or risk burning out a team chasing trophies on every front.
Vilakazi vs Ouaddou: Clash of Philosophies
Ouaddou has made no secret of his preference for a tight, controlled group. Around 30 outfield players and four goalkeepers. Beyond that, he believes, the dressing room becomes crowded, chemistry suffers, and individual development stalls.
Vilakazi sees it very differently.
For him, the current reality at Mayfair – injuries piling up and fixtures coming thick and fast – is proof that Pirates cannot afford to go lean.
“It’s very wise to have a bigger squad,” he told FARPost, pointing straight at the casualty list. Makhehlene Makhaula sidelined. Thalente Mbatha dealing with a knee injury. Sihle Nduli “hurt badly”. Three names, one message: the margins are already thin.
A Calendar That Shows No Mercy
Pirates are not just busy. They are stretched across almost every competition available.
They have booked a place in the MTN8 final against Mamelodi Sundowns. They are battling through the preliminary rounds of the CAF Champions League. The Betway Premiership title race is heating up. The Carling Knockout is on the horizon. The Nedbank Cup will follow.
Trophies everywhere. Games everywhere. Recovery time nowhere.
“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.
His logic is blunt: the more fronts you fight on, the more bodies you need.
“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. So, 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.”
Rotation, in his view, is not a luxury. It’s survival.
The Hidden Cost: Travel and Fatigue
Vilakazi’s warning is not limited to what happens between the white lines.
He zeroed in on an element of African football that often gets brushed aside until it’s too late: the travel.
“It’s important to have a bigger squad so that your players don’t get fatigued,” he stressed. “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-haul flights across the continent. Late arrivals. Time-zone shifts. Training sessions squeezed between airports and hotels. By the time players return from a CAF Champions League assignment, they are not just tired – they are drained.
And still, the domestic calendar does not pause.
Depth as a Weapon
This is where Vilakazi believes Pirates must arm themselves better.
For him, a “big pool” of players is not about hoarding talent. It’s about having enough trusted options to keep performance levels high when the schedule turns brutal.
“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.”
The idea is simple: protect the core, support them with fresh legs, and avoid running key players into the ground before the decisive stages of the season.
Ouaddou’s belief in a tight squad speaks to control and cohesion. Vilakazi’s call for expansion speaks to endurance and ambition.
With an MTN8 final looming and the Champions League journey only just beginning, Pirates will soon discover which philosophy can carry them through a season that refuses to slow down.
