Cardoso urges Mamelodi Sundowns fans to trust squad rotation

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has asked supporters to back his selection decisions as the club enters a demanding period involving the Betway Premiership, CAF Champions League and Carling Knockout.

The Brazilians have had little time to recover from their MTN8 final victory over Orlando Pirates in Durban, with a Betway Premiership fixture against Richards Bay scheduled for Tuesday.

Their attention will then switch to the CAF Champions League, with Sundowns travelling to Angola this weekend to face Wiliete, the leaders of the Angolan league.

Sundowns’ schedule will become even more congested when they begin their Carling Knockout campaign. The last-16 draw has paired them with Marumo Gallants, making careful management of the squad essential.

Cardoso said rotation would be based on players’ fitness, preparation and motivation, rather than a reduction in the standards expected from his team.

“I would like Mamelodi Sundowns fans to also understand that, so they can support our technical decisions here and there. It will be clear that we are managing the group, but managing the group puts the ones who show us that they are in better condition to play,” Cardoso said.

“We also need to manage motivation; we need to have a group that is permanently on the edge of motivation, and we would like to have them like that.”

The Portuguese coach also urged every player to remain prepared for an opportunity, using defender Fawaaz Basadien as an example of how squad readiness can be rewarded.

Basadien produced an impressive display against Richards Bay after Divine Lunga and Aubrey Modiba had occupied the left-back position in the MTN8 final.

“Obviously, we know that we have competition in positions and there are players who can play at any moment. Fawaaz had a beautiful game on Tuesday, but in the final, it had been (Divine) Lunga and Aubrey (Modiba) playing,” Cardoso said.

“So, ja, the boys are giving answers to the challenges we’ve posed. We tell them to trust that their moment will appear.”

Cardoso said he was pleased with Basadien’s response when selected, adding that the defender had understood the message being delivered by the technical team.

However, the coach stressed that rotating players would not mean compromising Sundowns’ level of performance. Wiliete’s status as the leading side in their domestic league underlines the difficulty of the Champions League assignment.

Cardoso has also called on the squad and supporters to remain humble after the MTN8 success, with further challenges still to come.

The Sundowns coach, pictured alongside an unnamed member of his technical team, now faces the task of balancing a heavy fixture list, keeping players motivated and pursuing further silverware without allowing standards to slip.