Orlando Pirates coach to face 'new signings' pressure

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Betway Premiership high-flyers Orlando Pirates sealed a statement signing with Oswin Appollis from Polokwane City this week.

The 23-year-old attacker, who started his career at Ajax Cape Town, is expected to make an immediate impact, thanks to his starring role in the colours of Bafana Bafana last season.

According to the former Orlando Pirates star Johnny ‘Black Sunday’ Masegela, Appollis’ signing will create pressure for his coach, Abdeslam Ouaddou.

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Oswin Appollis promotes the Nike Mercurial boot. Image: oswinappollis_11/ Instagram

“Given the form they were in last season and the fact that they have changed coaches, the new coach is already under pressure to integrate everyone, especially with new players coming in,” Masegela told KickOff.

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“If Jose Riveiro had remained, he could have devised a good plan to introduce Appollis into his team. However, now that Abdeslam is new, he will have to balance playing both new and old players simultaneously.

“Abdeslam will face significant pressure to play Appollis, regardless of how well the current player in his position is performing, simply because he is a big signing. To accommodate Appollis in the line-up, someone will have to be sacrificed. At Polokwane City, Appollis was an exceptional player, but we will have to wait and see if he replicates that success at Orlando Pirates on the field.

“We all expected Ashley Du Preez to be a game-changer for Kaizer Chiefs when he joined, but that hasn’t materialised yet.

“Simply signing good players does not guarantee positive results. Appollis has shown his talent with Bafana Bafana, but as we know, Pirates is a different team. You can have one great game and score a goal, and suddenly everyone is praising you, only for things to change dramatically in the following games.

“It’s crucial for him to adjust quickly,” the legend concluded.