'When the ball is at the back inside the box, just take the ball out because it’s a place where you can’t joke with the ball,' said the Sundowns head coach.
Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has lamented his side’s poor game management after defensive lapses saw them being held to a disappointing 2-2 draw against Al-Hilal in their CAF Champions League Group C clash at Loftus Versfeld last Friday.
Sundowns resilience
The Brazilians showed resilience to recover from an early setback and briefly take control of the encounter, only to be undone by poor defending that ultimately cost them maximum points on home soil.
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Al-Hilal struck first through Abdelrazig Omer to put the visitors ahead before Arthur Sales responded midway through the first half, restoring parity with a well-taken goal that swung momentum in their favour.
Sundowns continued to press after the break and were rewarded in the 64th minute when Teboho Mokoena fired them into a 2-1 lead, seemingly placing Cardoso’s men in a commanding position.
However, their inability to see out the game proved costly as Omer struck again just six minutes later, punishing another defensive indecision to secure a valuable point for the Sudanese side.
Cardoso cut a frustrated figure after the final whistle, openly criticising his team’s defensive organisation and game management, particularly in decisive areas inside their own penalty box.
Cardoso – ‘We have to continue to work’
“When you make mistakes like that, the story that is written is simple and there are moments and things that I can’t control but we have to continue to work,” said Cardoso.
“To make players understand how to control the spaces at the back and how to drop in the right moments. Most importantly, when the ball is at the back inside the box, just take the ball out because it’s a place where you can’t joke with the ball.”
With a demanding run of fixtures ahead, Cardoso hinted at squad rotation as Sundowns prepare for two significant matches in quick succession.
The Tshwane giants shift their focus to domestic matters with a Betway Premiership clash against Sekhukhune United at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Tuesday night, before traveling to Rwanda for the return leg against Al-Hilal three days later.
“Like everybody with such a hectic schedule that we have, rotation will happen whether in the following game or the other one but it also depends on how the players show their level,” he added.
‘We don’t look at names’
“We don’t look at names, but we look at the level the players show and how committed they are to the team and how they show that they want to be in (the team) but it’s important for players to understand that when we give chances, they should take them.
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“That is because to go from playing and not being very important is very quick because there’s a lot of competition. They need to raise their level of a Champions League team that wants to be in the last stages like Sundowns.”
