Why I Benched Rayners – Cardoso
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has explained why he benched top striker Iqraam Rayners against Richards Bay, citing the need to manage his squad due to the congested fixture schedule.
Rayners started on the bench as they beat Bay 2-0 at King Zwelithini Stadium on Saturday, as Cardoso made several changes to the starting lineup. With Rayners rested, Cardoso opted for Arthur Sales and the Brazilian striker repaid the coach’s faith with a goal, capitalizing on a pass from Lucas Ribeiro Costa in the first half.
It was a Brazilian showcase as Costa, also from Brazil, scored the second goal in the second half, ensuring Sundowns maintained their march at the top of the Betway Premiership table with 30 points from 11 matches. However, the African Giants have played two more games than second-placed Orlando Pirates, who face Magesi FC at Old Peter Mokaba Stadium on Sunday.
“We have to adapt to the circumstances,” said Cardoso. “As they say in England, the coach is a manager. This means managing the entire group – not just their emotions and psychological state, but also their physical condition. I have a competent support staff who provide valuable insights and assist in assessing the players’ current condition.”
“We have to deal with the conditions. The coach, as they say in England, is a manager,” said Cardoso.
“It means that we manage the group. Not only the emotions, the phycological state. But in terms of what is their condition, I have good people around me that also advises and makes my assessment clear of the condition of the players at the moment.
“We knew this was the first game for Grant Kekana and he would not last long. We also knew it would be difficult for Terrence Mashego and he suffered in the last 10 minutes.
“The substitution that I decided to do didn’t allow me to keep on Terrence because naturally, Terrence and Grant, these are the players we were going to substitute and it was planned like that.
“But games have to be won and sometimes you need to risk. On the case of Terrence, we had to risk. But I think we got good answers on the players that played.
“Most of all, we had good commitment.”
Although rested, Rayners entered the game in the 60th minute, and six minutes later, Costa scored the second goal for Sundowns, effectively securing the victory against Bay. Rayners has been in excellent form for Sundowns, scoring in the last six matches for the club, including three under Cardoso’s guidance. Therefore, his absence from the starting lineup was a significant surprise.
Meanwhile, Cardoso expressed concern about the dry pitch at King Zwelithini Stadium, stating that it hindered the game’s flow. He urged the PSL to implement a policy of watering the pitch before the game and during halftime.
Cardoso is not the first coach to criticize the dry pitches in South Africa. Former Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane also advocated for pre-game watering to enhance the pace and fluidity of the game.
“I think it is important that there is a decision from the PSL to water the pitch in the pre-warm-up and after warm-up and at half-time to increase the quality of football,” he said.
“People might say “But your players are technically good and they may take advantage’, but it is a that kind of football you want to sell.
“At the end, it is a product that we want to sell to be better played by both teams because I also saw good players from Richards Bay and other teams we have played already.
“It is obviously in the interest of football to make the quick for both teams. It will make a game more spectacular and in the end, we want to have a good show because football is a product that is sold to people and I think it would help.”
