Junior Khanye urges Miguel Cardoso to give Siyanda Ndlovu more freedom

Former Kaizer Chiefs winger and iDiski TV analyst Junior Khanye has called on Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso to ease the tactical instructions placed on attacking midfielder Siyanda Ndlovu.

Khanye made the comments after Ndlovu’s display in Sundowns’ goalless CAF Champions League second preliminary round, first-leg draw away to Wiliete SC in Lubango on Sunday.

The 23-year-old was introduced as a second-half substitute and played for 20 minutes, but Khanye believes he is no longer showing the same confidence and attacking spark he had when he joined Sundowns.

Khanye stressed that his criticism was not a reflection of Ndlovu’s ability, but argued that the player appeared to be following too many instructions rather than relying on his natural instincts.

“I saw Ndlovu also coming in, he’s not the same Ndlovu like when he arrived at Sundowns,” Khanye said on iDiski TV.

“Not to say he’s bad player because he knows football, but I think he’s being coached too much. Sometimes coaches need to stop over coaching players.

“I see he doesn’t like to take on players going wide, he uses his own creativity that Sundowns would play with wingbacks and cut inside.”

Khanye called on Cardoso to allow Ndlovu to express himself more freely in attack, while retaining clear instructions for his defensive responsibilities.

“A bit of advice for the coach, can you leave the boy to be himself, you can give him instruction that when you don’t have the ball this is what you must do,” he said.

The analyst added that Ndlovu needed to be able to make his own decisions in the final third, where he felt the midfielder had lost some of the qualities that previously made him effective.

“I mean his mind has to be sharp in the final third because the boy for me doesn’t have the same spark I know him to have and not to say he’s a bad player,” Khanye said.

“It’s the thing of being over coached that he’s no longer has that spark.”

Ndlovu’s appearance came as Sundowns were held by Wiliete SC in the first leg of their CAF Champions League second preliminary round tie.