Mamelodi Sundowns News Today: ‘Pained’ Cardoso on Mudau, transfer news & more

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Mamelodi Sundowns News Today: ‘Pained’ Cardoso on Mudau, transfer news & more

Latest Mamelodi Sundowns news in the last 24 hours, including Miguel Cardoso still reeling in pain after the loss to Golden Arrows; tactician opens up on Khuliso Mudau replacement and more.

Pitso delighted after Arrows survived Sundowns’ pressure

Golden Arrows head coach Pitso Dladla praised his side for surviving Mamelodi Sundowns’ pressure during their 1-0 win in the MTN8 semi-final first leg.

Arrows took the lead through Sede Dion’s first goal of the season in the first half and held on for the rest of the match.

In applying the transitions effectively during all phases, it was a planned situation, but there were moments when the team could’ve set it out better, though the work on this model continues.

“We planned for those transitions, but I believe we could’ve done better. We’re still going to work on them, and another thing is we should be clear whether it’s a transition or we should possess the ball more. But I think we did that well.

“I believe we could’ve gotten another goal or two from those transitions, but we will work on them properly.”

Dladla singled out the players’ mentality to see out the encounter, even though he was not happy with defending deep all game.

Cassius Mailula of Mamelodi Sundowns taking on Golden Arrows in the MTN8 semi-final first leg.
Cassius Mailula of Mamelodi Sundowns taking on Golden Arrows in the MTN8 semi-final first leg. Photo: Mamelodi Sundowns

“Yes, the concentration is high from our players. We simulate situations that put our defence under pressure so that when we get to the game, it’s not something new, and we should also be honest that we defended too deep.

“We did not like that, but there were times it looked scary, but we survived. The heart, the heart from the players,” Dladla said.

Cardoso in pain

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has admitted that he is in pain after the MTN8 first-leg semi-final defeat to Golden Arrows and hopes his players feel the same way.

Replacement talk by Cardoso

Mamelodi Sundowns slumped to a 1-0 defeat to Golden Arrows in their MTN8 semi-final first-leg clash at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Sunday afternoon, compounding a difficult week for head coach Miguel Cardoso.

The loss came on the back of a major injury blow, with Bafana Bafana defender Khuliso Mudau rupturing his Achilles in the 2-0 win over Marumo Gallants last week. The evergreen right-back is expected to be sidelined for at least six months, leaving a significant void in Cardoso’s defensive options.

The Portuguese tactician chose to focus on the collective strength of his squad rather than individual reinforcements, insisting that the team’s depth will be tested in the coming weeks.

Khuliso Mudau of Mamelodi Sundowns playing against Marumo Gallants.
Khuliso Mudau. Photo – Mamelodi Sundowns

“About shopping, it’s not here the place to speak about (that) and we have two players who are internationals in that position, obviously Mudau it’s in another platform, it’s you who say that, I don’t need to speak for that but the strength of the team is the collective, not individuals,” Cardoso told reporters at Lucas Moripe Stadium.

“We need to be collectively very strong as a team to overcome whatever losses we have. Other players will come back in the next matches; obviously it will make us strong.”

<!-- Author Start -->Willis Sob<!-- Author End -->

Willis Sob

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Willis Sob is a sports betting expert and journalist covering Nigeria and South Africa, with 16 years of experience. With a background in journalism, reporting and programme production, he specialises in football odds, and his work has appeared on OK Africa and GOAL, as well as TV, radio and podcasts.

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