Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso reveals that Thapelo Maseko was given minutes against ES Tunis to exploit the spaces behind the defence though he admits their plan never really yielded results they were hoping for.
Maseko last featured for the Sundowns first team back in February in their Betway Premiership clash against TS Galaxy and has been sparingly used in the DStv Diski Challenge squad as well.
On Tuesday afternoon in their CAF Champions League quarterfinal first-leg clash against Taraji at Loftus Versfeld, Maseko was an 82nd minute substitute for goalscorer Peter Shalulile whose only goal was the difference on the afternoon.
“Maseko has been training very well,” Cardoso said in his post-match presser.
“He has not been playing regularly, it’s true, but he has been on the group. And when a player is regularly on the group, it means that we trust.
“And he has physical characteristics, and we thought in the moment the game was, we could profit from the characteristics that he has.
“He’s a player that’s very quick. He understands the spacing on the back of the defence.
“He has been training with us for those characteristics and highlighting those characteristics on him, so that’s want we wanted to, but we didn’t serve him the right way because he must be served on the space.
“He’s a player to be served on the space and not on the feet with the central backs that are much more powerful on the contact than him.
“So, we should play the ball out of direction of the centre-backs, so it didn’t really work out, but the intention I think was something correct by putting him on the pitch.
“So, we decided with the work that he does every day, that’s why he played.”
