Cardoso explains the absence of key
Mamelodi Sundowns on Wednesday night played to a goalless draw against Kaizer Chiefs in their Betway Premiership League encounter played at the FNB Stadium.
The Brazilians missed a number of key players in the game which included defenders like Grant Kekana and Divine Lunga.
Head coach Miguel Cardoso explained to the media why most of the players didn’t play on Wednesday night.
Cardoso told journalists that Kekana and Lunga picked up injuries in the MTN 8 semifinal loss to Orlando Pirates on Saturday hence they missed the Chiefs game.
“During the week there was a lot of issues regarding the players that the coach didn’t put this one and that one player didn’t play. Its Mothobi. It’s Maseko and people don’t know nothing.
And people should sometimes trust that people inside a club like Mamelodi Sundowns work very hard by respect with the players we have, understanding which players can and should play. No one knows that Mothobi Mvala had a set back on his knee.
No one knows. But they are charging me because the coach didn’t put Mothobi Mvala to play. But they forget that we have four or five players in that position. And that’s the respect I have for my players. Kekana you saw how he played the last match. That he suffered.
He struggled inside the pitch but he handled a big strong knock on the knee. Those things are not small. Thank God Mothobi is training normal. Grant will return to training session quickly. We are recovering Themba Zwane. Maseko had an injury.
He was assessed today (Wednesday) and I don’t know the results of the injury he has yet. He had an injury in the match against Orlando Pirates. Divine Lunga finished the match against Orlando Pirates as you saw with a big concussion on the hip.
So also made an assessment on him today (Wednesday). I don’t know exactly the results of the scan. Coaches and doctors and physios and the performance department we are not sleeping we are resecting. You can also ask why Miguel took out Morena when he was playing so well. But Morena could not finish the match because either wise he would risk.
You know Morena had already risked enough from the indication I had from the medical department in terms of his use on the match. I risked more already. This is the respect as well that we as coaches as performance department as doctors that we need,
we demand to have from people. Not charging us for the results and faults while there are reasons for us to make things and that’s what we need to do everyday regarding the management of the team,” Miguel observed.
Meanwhile the Portiguese born mentor further added that people should not forget that he is part of the good history of the club in terms of what they have achieved.
“Yeah but part of the past was also done by me with the players since I arrived. I remember that the club in 10 years they didn’t arrive in the finals of the Champions League and we did it. And we kept winning the championship.
And we broke all the records in the PSL. I think except one. So this is the respect that was done by the people who arrived in the club not only by the ones who were here. Everyone works hard everyday.
We demand the respect for the work we did because this is also the trust we have inside the club. There is a big commitment, big trust inside Mamelodi Sundowns. It’s important to understand that.
Everybody wants to win every match but no team wins every match and if you are really fair to the people who work at Mamelodi Sundowns, to the coaching staff, to the technical department,
to the sporting director you will understand that the team that played the World Cup is not the same team to the one that is playing now because the impact of the players that are absent is so much so that we have to rebuild th team and the rebuild is done in the moment that some of the players are still young that last year almost didn’t play and we are rebuilding over that. We are happy to do it and pleased.
We will arrive where we want to arrive because we know which direction we are going very well believe me. And we are so committed on that work. We are so strong inside the club. And we will become stronger and victories will follow one after the another because its the nature.
It will happen but its not easy for the team to have the schedule we have. It’s not easy. I would like to see any other team to have a schedule that we are facing what result they will face but we are strong. We are very strong. It’s not me that is strong.
We are strong because my strength comes from the support I have in the club. The support I have from the real fans. From the ones who are there everyday. The one I went to salute today.
Those are the strength that Mamelodi Sundowns has. The big commitment and the values that we have. Inside the locker room. That myself I have in life.
That we have in the technical staff and that the Sporting Director together with the chairman and the board instigate and produce everyday as a way of living together and this is the South Africa that I found when I arrived here.
A country of values. A country of people that respect each other. A country where I felt so welcomed. I felt so nice to live and I brought my family to know. Because I said from the first day to my papa and mama what a country I found.
What a people I found. So gentle, so kind, so full of love and I hope to live that because that’s what I deserve also, ” Cardoso told journalists.
The other two players who have not been present after the FIFA Club World are want away striker Lucas Rebeiro Costa and defender Khuliso Mudau whose contract is believed to be still under discussions.
