Abdeslam Ouaddou not ringing alarm bells over Oswin Appollis form

Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou says he is not worried about influential attacker Oswin Appollis' dip in form, with the 2026/27 campaign gathering steam.

The 25-year-old winger is enduring a slow start to the current season, having contributed a solitary goal in five appearances across all competitions, much to the concern of the Bucs faithful.

He enjoyed a stellar debut season in the famous black and white jersey of Pirates as he chipped in with 12 goals and nine assists in 43 games, helping the Buccaneers clinch a treble, including the Betway Premiership last term.

When pressed on whether the player's form is a cause for concern, the Pirates boss poured cold water on the suggestions, stating the 2026 FIFA World Cup took a toll on the participants worldwide.

“He's one of our best players, and when you have a diamond in your house, you have to protect it. Appollis is Appollis, you know him that he's somebody that even when he's 50% or 40% fit, he can score at any moment,” said Ouaddou.

"So, we're not suprised. He's not the only player that is not in the fitness state that we want. In Europe as well, all the guys who have been in the World Cup, we can see that it's difficult for them.

"With our performance department, medical department, the technical staff, we are doing everything for him to come back in a good shape.

Having withdrawn Appollis in the 65th minute during the 1-0 win over Sekhukhune United in the MTN8 semi-final over the weekend, the 47-year-old tactician says the decision was a precautionary measure to avoid an injury.

“And I think every game he's improving and today [Saturday] was just a moment for us to protect him, maybe for him to rest and not risk any injury,” Ouaddou added.

"I have been saying since the beginning, I knew that all the international players will be tired and in order to protect them I need to anticipate any big injuries, it's my job to do that.

"Sometimes the players don't understand it, they are not happy to go out but it's my duty to protect them because we have seen in other teams that I don't want to mention, they have unfortunately [suffered] very big injuries.

"So, at Pirates we want to avoid that with our international players. We have already two players that made a surgery - [Thalente] Mbatha and we have [Evidence] Makgopa injured as well, so we don't want to have more players injured because the season will be very long.

Pirates, meanwhile, return to action with a Betway Premiership clash against Sekhukhune at the Orlando Amstel Arena on Tuesday, 25 August, before the return leg of the MTN8 semis against the same opponent on the same venue.

Hlayisani Magoro

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Football journalist from South Africa covering African football news, exclusive stories and key events while sharing insights with passionate fans of the game.

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