Vilakazi Urges Pirates to Expand Squad for Success
Orlando Pirates legend Benedict Vilakazi has fired a clear warning shot in the direction of head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou: trim the squad at your peril.
With Pirates juggling a brutal calendar that stretches from the Betway Premiership to the CAF Champions League, and with cup competitions stacked on top, Vilakazi believes the current group is simply too thin to survive the grind.
“It’s very wise to have a bigger squad,” he told FARPost, pointing straight at the casualty list as evidence. “Look at the injuries that they are having right now.”
He didn’t have to look far for examples. Makhehlene Makhaula has gone down. Thalente Mbatha is nursing a knee problem. Sihle Nduli “got hurt badly”. Each name is another red flag for a team trying to compete on every front.
Cups, Titles and a Calendar That Won’t Let Up
Pirates are deep in the thick of it. They’ve booked a place in the MTN8 final against Mamelodi Sundowns. They’re navigating the preliminary rounds of the CAF Champions League. The league campaign is already intense, and the domestic cups are lining up.
Vilakazi sees a traffic jam of fixtures – and not enough bodies.
“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,” he said.
For him, the conclusion is obvious: you can’t chase all those trophies with a squad stretched to its limits.
“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,” he argued, framing rotation not as a luxury, but as survival.
Travel, Fatigue and the Hidden Cost of Africa
Vilakazi’s concern goes beyond the 90 minutes on the pitch. He knows African football’s real sting often comes between games.
“It’s important to have a bigger squad so that your players don’t get fatigued,” he stressed. The matches are only half the story. The miles add up.
“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, awkward connections, late arrivals back in Johannesburg – all of it eats into recovery time. By the time a team returns from a CAF Champions League trip, the domestic schedule is already knocking on the door.
That’s where Vilakazi insists depth becomes non-negotiable.
“So that’s where you need a [big] pool of players, 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,” he concluded.
Ouaddou’s Tight Circle vs Vilakazi’s Big Pool
Ouaddou, though, has made his stance clear. The Pirates coach prefers a tightly controlled environment. He has publicly stated he wants a specific number: 30 outfield players and four goalkeepers. Anything beyond that, he believes, risks damaging team chemistry and stalling individual development.
He wants a manageable dressing room. Vilakazi wants reinforcements.
The tension between those two ideas now sits at the heart of Pirates’ season. With the Betway Premiership title race intensifying and a showdown with Sundowns looming in the MTN8 final, every selection, every injury, every flight back from the continent will test Ouaddou’s conviction.
If the fixtures keep piling up and the injuries keep coming, the question will hang over Mayfair: will Pirates’ ambition be decided by talent, tactics – or the sheer size of the squad?
