Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has highlighted Sipho Chaine’s leadership role in his tactical system, explaining why the goalkeeper is expected to organise and challenge teammates as well as keep the ball out of the net.
The Moroccan tactician was speaking after Pirates secured a 1–0 victory over Namibian champions African Stars in the first leg of their CAF Champions League second preliminary round tie at the Botswana National Stadium in Gaborone on Saturday.
Tshepang Moremi scored the decisive goal in the 75th minute, while Chaine helped the South African side preserve their clean sheet and take a narrow advantage into the return fixture.
For Ouaddou, Chaine’s contribution goes beyond his work between the posts. The coach’s tactical philosophy depends on having leaders in key positions who can maintain the team’s structure and ensure his instructions are followed throughout a match.
“You always need a spine, and the spine is the goalkeeper, the pair of central defenders, the six, the ten and the nine. And I need to have a leader in every line,” Ouaddou said.
“It’s important to have a well-oiled machine. You need to have strategic leaders in every line.”
The Pirates coach identified Chaine, Deon Hotto and Nkosinathi Sibisi among the players expected to take responsibility for reinforcing the team’s principles on the pitch.
Ouaddou explained that communication from the technical area can become difficult in noisy stadiums, making leadership within the team particularly important.
“Because sometimes when you play in front of 60,000 people, the players cannot hear you. Of course, we work during the week on the principle that we want to see on the pitch,” he added.
He also believes effective leadership sometimes requires players to be forceful when teammates lose concentration, rather than avoiding difficult conversations.
“And sometimes you have to be hard, you know, not have to be a nice boy, you know, to wake up people who are sleeping. Sometimes you need to shout. You need to wake them up,” Ouaddou said.
Chaine’s consistency provides further context for the trust placed in him. The goalkeeper played every minute of Orlando Pirates’ 30 league matches during the 2025/26 season, recording 21 clean sheets — a record-setting tally in South Africa’s top flight.
His latest shutout against African Stars added to his contribution as Pirates pursue a place in the Champions League group stage.
Ouaddou, a former defender, also expressed satisfaction with the result and the team’s defensive performance, stressing his preference for keeping opponents off the scoresheet.
“For me, I am a coach who loves goals and hates conceding them. I hate that as an ex-defender,” he said.
“So, today it was a good result. We scored one goal. We came back with a clean sheet, so I’m very happy.”
Pirates will now prepare for the return leg in Johannesburg, where they will look to protect their advantage and complete qualification for the group stage.
