Cardoso backs Mothiba to make his mark at Mamelodi Sundowns

Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso believes Lebo Mothiba can rediscover his rhythm and become an important contributor, despite the striker’s limited opportunities since joining the Premier Soccer League club.

The 30-year-old has made 22 appearances for Sundowns but has generally operated behind established attacking options Brayan Leon and Iqraam Rayners. Cardoso says a lack of regular game time has made it difficult for Mothiba to build the momentum needed to perform at his best.

The coach also pointed to Mothiba’s work in training, where he has impressed the Sundowns staff with his attitude and finishing, as evidence that the forward still has plenty to offer.

“As a coach I am trying my best for all players, the coaching staff works very hard showing belief to the players and you saw how I supported him in a moment that was difficult, because he missed a situation where it could have been a goal,” Cardoso said.

“It was not the only one, there were many throughout the match that didn’t turn into goals.

“Two years ago, I remember a period where Lucas Ribeiro wasn’t scoring goals and you were always speaking about that, about how he could not score and why – and I said one day it will come out and be one [goal] after the other and it happened.”

Cardoso believes Mothiba’s situation is comparable to the difficult spells experienced by many strikers, for whom confidence and match rhythm are often closely connected.

“Strikers are a little like that and Lebo has not been the first option, as you know, Brayan and Iqraam have been the first options, so it’s normal when a player doesn’t play so consistently that to come in a match is more difficult to get into a rhythm,” he explained.

Although Mothiba has not been a regular starter, Cardoso said the striker has continued to show the qualities expected of him during training matches.

“Lebo shows good character and very good training matches and scoring in them, so he gave us all the energy,” Cardoso added.

The Sundowns manager also outlined why he rotated his attacking players, with Ortega having started three matches in succession after an interrupted pre-season.

Brayan had been unable to train consistently during the build-up to the campaign and, according to Cardoso, was still feeling the effects of that workload. The coach said the forward was not as fresh as the team would have wanted, particularly during the second half.

“And as you may understand, Brayan comes from a pre-season where he didn’t have the chance to train consistently and now played three matches in a row.

“So, it was absolutely normal we had to rotate that player because Brayan was still too tired, he’s still too tired as you saw in the second half, you saw he’s not as fresh as we’d like to have him.

“So, the rotation had to do with that, just finding 45 minutes for each of them, that could give intensity, that’s what we looked for.”

With Mamelodi Sundowns competing on multiple fronts, Cardoso’s approach should provide Mothiba with further chances to establish himself. The club’s need to manage the workload of its attacking players means the forward is likely to remain part of the rotation as Sundowns continue their campaign.