Orlando Pirates Coach Abdeslam Ouaddou Praises Sebastian Pedersen’s Debut but Flags One Issue
- Orlando Pirates secured a 1-0 win over Sekhukhune United in the MTN8 semi-final first leg on Saturday
- New signing Sebastian Pedersen came on as a substitute and immediately caught coach Ouaddou's attention
- Ouaddou identified a specific area Pedersen must address before he can fully contribute to Pirates' style of play
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Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has offered his verdict on Norwegian striker Sebastian Pedersen following the player's first appearance in a Buccaneers shirt, describing him as technically gifted but in need of significant physical conditioning.
The MTN8 semi-final first leg against Sekhukhune United at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Saturday ended 1-0 to Pirates, with Deon Hotto netting the only goal of the match. Pedersen, a new arrival during the current transfer window, entered the fray in the 65th minute.
**Ouaddou's Assessment of Pedersen**
The coach expressed satisfaction with the striker's attitude and footballing intelligence during his brief cameo, noting that Pedersen showed an eagerness to score and adapted quickly to the team's structure on the pitch.
"I think he came with a lot of [desire] to score if he got a chance to open his goal-scoring account, he joined the fighting spirit of our team. You can see really that he's clever," Ouaddou said.
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"He's clever in the game, he's going in the space that we want to find him. He's able to find the deep. We're able to find him in the pocket."
The coach was also encouraging about Pedersen's technical attributes, suggesting the striker has the qualities to make a meaningful contribution to the squad over the course of the season.
"His technique quality is very interesting. I'm sure that he's going to really help the team," Ouaddou added.
**Fitness the Key Hurdle for Pedersen**
Despite the positive appraisal, Ouaddou was candid about the challenge Pedersen faces in meeting the physical demands of his game model. The coach observed that the striker visibly faded within a quarter of an hour of his introduction.
"Like I said in the press conference, the basics in football, even if you have such quality, you need a good preparation. You need to be ready physically. We can see today that after 15 minutes, he was short physically," Ouaddou explained.
"We are keeping working with him in order to bring him to the high level of the fitness that I want for my game model. Actually, he still needs to increase the physical work in order to be able to shine and to show his quality because he has quality."
Pirates will carry their narrow advantage into the second leg of the MTN8 semi-final as they look to progress to the final of the competition.
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Source: Briefly News
