Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has explained the delicate
balance of managing a star-studded squad, particularly when it comes to
players like Bathusi Aubaas who have seen limited minutes after returning
from international duty.
Aubaas featured three times for Bafana Bafana at the Africa Cup of Nations
but has not played a single minute for Sundowns in their last four matches.
Speaking at a Nedbank Cup press conference, Cardoso emphasized the need for
patience and trust, especially with the FIFA World Cup looming at the end of
the season.
“Imagine with Aubaas—until this moment, in the last four games, he hasn’t
played one single minute, and he comes from making a good AFCON. He wants to
go to the World Cup, for sure,” Cardoso said. “How do I create the
understanding that they will be ready for the World Cup? Because I will take
care of them at the proper time. So, it is really a matter of trust. I want
the players to believe that I trust them always.”
Cardoso also opened up about the difficulty of leaving high-profile players
out of matchday squads, using the striking department as an example of the
selection headaches he regularly faces.
“If we go more into the analysis of the squad and look at the number nine
position—oh my God, it is very tough. I’m not in an easy and comfortable
position having Peter Shalulile, Iqraam Rayners, and Lebo Mothiba—three
players with expectations, two of them aiming for the World Cup, and one who
is an international and works seriously.
“Then I have a player who arrives and shows the capacity to play as well,
Brayan León. A team that usually plays with one striker has played with two
in the last two matches. So, I count on the understanding of my players of
the situation we live in.”
He noted that similar competition exists in midfield and central defense,
reinforcing his philosophy that there is no fixed “first XI.”
“The difficult part is convincing my players that not playing one match or
two, they are as important as the ones who played. It is a matter of
creating that trust—but in a year that has a World Cup at the end of the
season, this is not easy.”
Cardoso’s comments highlight the ongoing challenge of maintaining squad
harmony and player confidence at Sundowns, where depth and quality create
both an advantage and a managerial test.
