Is this where Kaizer Chiefs went wrong with Sundowns star? ‘He struggles, he is not a six!’

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has indirectly hit at Kaizer Chiefs for playing Thabo Cele out of position.

The 29-year-old joined Masandawana on a free transfer after being released by the Soweto giants. Cele is slowly proving his worth for the Brazilians, helping them get the consistency they needed on the pitch across all competitions.

His latest involvement was in the Premier Soccer League outing against Richards Bay, a match that they won 4-1 to retain their position on top of the table with 23 points, one more than second-placed defending champions Orlando Pirates.

Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso believes the Bafana Bafana international shouldn’t played as a defensive midfielder since that affects his effectiveness in the game.

Did Chiefs get it wrong on Cele?

“He came, and he profited a little bit from also the fact that Bathusi Aubaas got injured, the fact that also Gomolemo Kekana got injured, and we have also Pitso [Sphelele Mkhulise] to bring in this period with us,” Cardoso said in a presser.

“When he doesn’t play with a player that is more a six, he struggles more. He’s not clearly a six, but he will be a player to help us in the future even more.

“Obviously, when we bring a player into the club, we also try to give him momentum of belief because it’s true, it’s reasonable, it’s acceptable, and we want him to feel that so that he quickly settles in the group. And after that, I think [against Richards Bay] he entered more consistently in the match rather than in the cup.

“He entered in a moment when the match was very broken because we were seeking a second goal out of those imbalances.”