Allende says Sundowns’ squad rotation is key to handling packed schedule

Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Marcelo Allende says the club’s players have embraced squad rotation as they deal with an unusually demanding fixture schedule.

Sundowns are competing in eight competitions this season: the Betway Premiership, MTN8, Carling Knockout, Nedbank Cup, CAF Champions League, CAF Super Cup and the FIFA Intercontinental Cup.

With matches arriving in quick succession, the club have both the MTN8 final and the FIFA Intercontinental Cup still ahead of them. The latter takes place on Saturday.

Allende said the players understood the need to share the workload and trusted the coaching staff to manage their playing time. He was speaking on Ringas noCherry, a programme on Mamelodi Sundowns TV.

“No, I think it’s everything, you know. You need to obviously look at yourself,” he said.

“But of course, we have the technical team. So they manage the load of each player and the good thing is we are Sundowns.

“We have good players, so we can rotate and keep the same rhythm and the same quality.”

The Chilean added that competition for places within the squad meant players accepted they might have to wait for their next opportunity.

“[We don’t complain] We know we are good players, everyone. At Sundowns the quality is good so we know that the other one is waiting for the opportunity also,” he said.

Allende’s comments underline the role of the squad in helping Sundowns cope with the number of competitions in which they are involved. Rather than relying on the same players for every match, the club have been able to rotate while, in his view, maintaining their level of performance.

He credited the technical team with monitoring the demands placed on each player, while also pointing to the strength available within the Sundowns squad.

The immediate focus is the FIFA Intercontinental Cup, with the MTN8 final also remaining on the schedule. The back-to-back demands have made managing player workloads an important part of the club’s campaign.

For Allende, the depth of the squad is what allows Sundowns to make changes without losing quality. He said every player knew that another team-mate was ready to take their place and would be waiting for an opportunity.