“If Someone Falls, Another Rises”: Cardoso Reveals The Cost Of Sundowns’ Heavy Schedule
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso admits he is dealing with numerous challenges, but is encouraged by the way some players are stepping up in the absence of others through injury.
Cardoso was responding to questions about Iqraam Rayners, who scored his 11th league goal of the season in their 4-1 victory over a struggling Chippa United at Loftus Stadium on Friday.
The former Stellenbosch striker is now just one goal behind league top scorer Junior Dion of Golden Arrows, who has 12 goals.
Against Chippa, Sundowns were without Monnapule Saleng, Thapelo Morena, Arthur Sales and Peter Shalulile, all of whom are currently unavailable as the season reaches a defining stage.
The win saw Sundowns reclaim top spot in the Betway Premiership standings, with title rivals Orlando Pirates dropping to second in what is shaping up to be a fierce battle between the two most successful sides in South Africa.
Sundowns moved to 53 points after 22 matches, while Pirates trail by two points, with both teams having played the same number of games.
“My problem is that, besides that, I still have Lebo Mothiba, who is training so well. The way he is training is something I have never seen,” said Cardoso.
“Unfortunately, Peter Shalulile is still injured and not yet ready to return. But that shows we still have quality players out.
“Brayan Leon is a quality player, Rayners is a quality player — but they have different profiles and bring different qualities. We need to feed them both.
“I was very happy that they both scored because we always need players to be available. As you can see, we have important players who are not in the team.
“Thapelo Morena is not in the team, Monnapule Saleng is not in the team, Arthur Sales is not in the team. We had to take off Nuno Santos at half-time because he felt something, and I hope it is not serious.
“That is the impact we are suffering from due to the sequence of matches. I told you during the Nedbank Cup match against TS Galaxy that if I didn’t rotate the players, we probably would not have had enough available. I had to rest Thapelo for the following match, and he still got injured.
“That is the danger of a congested calendar with so many matches.
“Even with careful management during training sessions, the load from matches pushes the players to their limits.
“But they continue to perform. If one falls, another rises — and that is the only way to keep moving forward.”
Sundowns will now travel to face Durban City at Chatsworth Stadium on Tuesday.
Crucially, they will have an extra day’s rest, as City face Casric Stars in the Nedbank Cup semi-final on Saturday.
