Will Khoza Feature Against Pirates? Cardoso Responds
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has weighed in on the likelihood of young defender Malibongwe Khoza featuring against Orlando Pirates at Loftus Stadium on Saturday, in a clash that could potentially decide the title race.
The 20-year-old center-back has enjoyed a meteoric rise since his elevation to the first-team at the beginning of the season. Khoza established himself as an integral part of Masandawana in the heart of defense, having made 19 appearances across all competitions with two goals scored.
Impressively, the starlet played all matches in the CAF Champions League for the Brazilians, starting six of the eight encounters at the highest level of African football – a testament to his mental fortitude and capability to stand his ground in high-stakes games.
Cardoso, who won nine of the 11 matches he has overseen since succeeding Manqoba Mngqithi in the hot seat at Chloorkop in December, says the technical team doesn’t look at factors such as age in team selection regardless of the magnitude of the game.
“We don’t look at the passport, the citizenship documents of a player regarding their age, sex and color, we don’t look at any of that. We look at the values and behaviors, if they share the values of the club they share the values of the team,” said the Portuguese mentor.
“And if they have the right behaviors and performance on the pitch and on the training session, we trust and put them [on the field] to play. Obviously, each game has its own approach and evaluation regarding the conditions of the players.
“I’m speaking out about Malibongwe but in general, so that’s what we need to do on a daily basis because now that’s a daily basis thing and management. Tomorrow [Friday] we will still decide and see how the players are and after that we will decide who’s going to the game.
Moreover, the 52-year-old tactician sent a strong message to his center-backs, stating that they face stern competition to nail down a starting spot in his side with a host of players to select from but insists it’s a welcome selection headache for him as a coach.
“I believe that in future the position of center-back will be even more difficult for us but positively difficult. So, those are the difficulties that the coach likes to have because we also have Mothobi [Mvala] that’s coming back [from an injury],” added Cardoso.
“We have Keanu [Cupido] that can play center-back, Lucas Suarez played for the first time [vs SuperSport], we have Mosa [Lebusa] on a good level, Grant [Kekana], we still have Keegan [Johannes] that can give us a hand.
“So, it’s a position where the competition will be tough, but they will rotate with the schedule that we have. We are happy with the work that Malibongwe has been doing for the first year in the first team, in the level of Mamelodi Sundowns – he’s coping well with the responsibility, so we trust him.”
It remains to be seen who will reign supreme in the capital city with Sundowns’ back-to-back domestic cup final defeats to Orlando Pirates in the MTN8 and Nedbank Cup respectively expected to add another interesting layer to the clash.
