Mamelodi Sundowns struggled earlier in the season especially in the domestic competitions.

Masandawana failed to deliver the MTN8 as well as registering inconsistent results in the Premier Soccer League. They eventually lost the race to Orlando Pirates, who secured a treble in coach Abdeslam Ouaddou’s debut campaign with the Soweto giants.

Denis Onyango, Themba Zwane and Ronwen Williams, Mamelodi Sundowns - Images: Sundowns — Denis Onyango, Themba Zwane and Ronwen Williams, Mamelodi Sundowns – Images: Sundowns

In the CAF Champions League, the Brazilians went all the way to the final where they beat Botola Pro League outfit AS FAR Rabat 2-1 in aggregate to be crowned.

Coach Miguel Cardoso has now explained what contributed to Masandawana’s initial run that saw the team collect 15 points from their seven PSL games, which proved costly.

Why did Sundowns struggle at the beginning of the season?

“I think that one of the reasons that didn’t allow us to start the season the way we could have started was exactly because of the fact that we had to immediately, put too many youngsters to play in a moment that we needed, because we had lack of numbers in that moment,” Cardoso told The Pitchside Podcast.

“And we exposed them probably to a level that they were not able to sustain, especially the level that the team needed in terms of results. Promoting young players is a challenge for a coach, a beautiful one. Look, this medal [Champions League] is very important but bringing a young player to a first team level is a medal as valuable as this one, and I know that. But also, the way you do it can throw him in the garbage, and you cannot also do that.

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso. Photo: Mamelodi Sundowns

“I think that is very important that we understand that producing young players is also making assets for the club, is making money for the club because you don’t need to buy when you have. It’s a reason for everybody to work on this club.

“People need as much as they love our Academy, and we also love our Academy, we’re the first ones to love the Academy. Always believe there’s a moment to do the things, and that moment that must be the right one, because the demand to win is so big that you cannot risk it. So, you need to balance it in the right way,” Cardoso concluded.