Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso says the side’s new players have all had different ways of adapting in the team inspired by their different circumstances.
Sundowns acquired the services of Fawaaz Basadien, Tsiki Ntsabeleng, Nuno Santos and Miguel Reisinho this season however some have not enjoyed a lot of game time.
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Cardoso explained that for the former Stellenbosch captain the struggle is the competition in the left-back position. Basadien has only featured four times for the Betway Premiership champions since his move and currently Aubrey Modiba is the preferred starter and is doing well.
“I think that the four players we brought in the team and remember this was the smallest market in the last five years for Mamelodi Sundowns,” said Cardoso after the win over Remo Stars in the preliminary round of the CAF Champions League.
“It doesn’t mean that it was not good. They [players] have different process of integration. Fawaaz is obviously and I want you to understand the word I’m going to use “struggling” with the competition. He’s not struggling, all of them are struggling because there’s a lot of competition in the position.
“Asekho Tiwani is also struggling, Thato Sibiya is also struggling and Divine Lunga is also struggling. And Aubrey [Modiba] is in a very good level in the moment. Let’s hope he can continue, but we never know. So Fawaaz’s situation is more difficult because of the level of competition that’s in the position.”
On Ntsabeleng, the coach said they had a lot of work to do with the striker because he wasn’t in the place when he arrived and they are pleased with his progress, while he felt Nuno adapted quicker and Reisinho getting a red card in his first game didn’t help the player’s integration.
“Tsiki arrived not in the best place, but we see him develop,” added Cardoso.
“I even was thinking that he eventually today would be used, but then we had to manage two substitutions that took the opportunity to also put him in. I had planned to put him to play because I think he deserved he grew a lot in the last two, three weeks by approaching to an understanding of the football we want to play, the positioning and the tasks on the position that he plays.
“Then Nuno and Miguel they are in two different positions, because, unfortunately, Miguel lost the opportunity to play more consistently in the team, through the fact that he got the red card in the first championship match that he entered. And that took him even out of also today’s match to give him more time because basically we know that he cannot play the next two matches. That will delay, of course his affirmation in the team.
“Nuno is different. Nuno arrived he played immediately an unfortunate match we had in Golden Arrows. And then he played home we won, he got confident. He was man of the match first match he played home. He got confident, and he’s more experienced working abroad, he had already profits from the experience in the USA. He’s a perfect English speaker that also helps on the relations.
“So, I think that the adaptation of both has been very, very nice.”
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