Sundowns are absolutely bad! – Ex-Masandawana defender unhappy with Cardoso’s reign

Mamelodi Sundowns have not been at their best this season, especially in domestic football.

They failed to win the MTN8 after falling to eventual champions Orlando Pirates in the semi-final. Masandawana then struggled to make an impact in the Carling Knockout.

In the Premier Soccer League, the Brazilians have struggled to replicate their recent seasons’ form. The defending champions are second on the table with 26 points from 13 matches, two points less than leaders Bucs who have played a game less.

Furthermore, they have been struggling to get their identity in terms of game-display as it has lacked flair as it was Masandawana’s norm. According to their former defender Phelelani Mpangase, Sundowns have lost it and their coach Miguel Cardoso is not getting it right.

Sundowns struggles affects Bafana Bafana

“For me, if I look at how Sundowns used to play and how Sundowns are playing at the moment, it’s absolutely bad, it’s bad. Sundowns used to perform well in the Rulani Mokwena era. They knew how to initiate the attack from the back, with a lot of variation in the first phase of construction,” he told Kick Off.

In the middle, again, a lot of tactical movements, positional rotation, trying to play near so that you draw the opponent to come closer and exploit the space. But now at Sundowns, that is not happening.

“So, now when Sundowns don’t play well, it affects even the national team. If you look even back then, for Bafana to perform well, it was all because of Sundowns players in the Rulani era, let’s be honest,” Mpangase added.

Pirates carrying Bafana Bafana

“Fortunately, while Sundowns are not doing that well, Orlando Pirates are exceptional, that’s why, if you look at our last game, there were a lot of Pirates players, and they managed to take Bafana to the next stage,” Mpangase continued.

But, if you look, if Pirates and Sundowns were not performing well, they were not performing; it was going to be a challenge to qualify for the AFCON.

“So, I believe that if a lot of players from one or two teams perform well and they get selected into a national team, it becomes easy for a national team coach,” he concluded.