Story audio is generated using AI
Lebo Mothiba can find his stride if he gets regular game time, Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso said, though he expressed some concerns about the potency of his strike force in a slow start to the season for the Brazilians.A slow early pace to a campaign has not been uncharacteristic for winning juggernaut Downs in recent years, though when the heavyweights gain momentum, they can be awfully hard to stop — as evidenced by their record-smashing eight consecutive Premier Soccer League titles in 2018-25.Still, an injury-plagued and patchy start to this campaign after ceding that astonishing league run to Orlando Pirates in 2025-26, albeit notably made up for with a second CAF Champions League title, has sparked speculation that Cardoso’s reign is again hitting a challenging period. It would not be the first tough phase for the coach, who has battled to win over the club’s supporters since his arrival in December 2024.This season faces its first disappointment in the MTN8 semifinals, where, at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Sunday, Downs could not penetrate the defence of coach Pitso Dladla’s Lamontville Golden Arrows. The Brazilians lost the first leg 1-0. Of course, the tie is not over, and Sundowns have the firepower to stage a comeback in the second leg in Durban on Sunday, but a rare home defeat rang another small alarm bell for a side that began by conceding five goals in their first three league and cup games.Mothiba, the injury-plagued centre-forward who showed promise scoring goals as a young player in Ligue 1 in the late 2010s but who has battled to two goals in 33 games since joining Sundowns in March last year, got a rare start against Arrows and missed chances. These included a glaring shot stopped by Arrows goalkeeper Edward Maova’s leg at point-blank.Cardoso will be pleased that Cassius Mailula has shown form up front with three goals in five games after returning to Downs following three years in Canada, Morocco and Belgium. Colombian Brayan León, who was influential after arriving in January in the Brazilians’ Champions League success, had his preseason disrupted by injury and has yet to find his stride. Iqraam Rayners, who was prolific in the previous campaign, had his preseason disrupted by having two weeks off after returning from playing for Bafana at the World Cup and has played twice.Cardoso was asked about Mothiba’s confidence levels and what he can do to help the striker. He suggested more game time should see the 30-year-old finding his scoring touch.“As the coach I am trying to produce my best for all the players,” he said. “And you saw how I supported him in a moment that was difficult because he missed in a situation where it could have become a goal. But it was not the only one [missed opportunity] — there were many others throughout the match. “Last year, or two years ago, I remember a period where [Downs’ former prolific Brazilian player] Lucas Ribeiro was not scoring goals, and you [the media] were always speaking about that: how he could not score and why. And I said, ‘One day he will come out [of the poor run], and there will be one goal after the other,’ and that happened. With strikers it’s a bit like that.“Anyway, Lebo has not been the first option, as you know. Brayan and Iqraam were. So it’s normal when a player doesn’t play so consistently that it becomes more difficult to establish a rhythm in matches. Lebo is showing character. He played good training matches, scoring in them where he gave us full energy.“Brayan also comes from a preseason where he didn’t have a chance to train consistently. And we had played three matches in a row, so it was normal we had to rotate the players.”Cardoso was asked about the absence of Rayners against Arrows and another injury-listed Downs attacker, Katlego “Tsiki” Ntsabeleng, this season.“If Iqraam was not on the medical report, it was because the doctor forgot because yesterday [on Saturday] he arrived at the training session with the flu and he could not play,” he said.“Tsiki is in the process of being 100% ready to play, so he could have been included. He was not [included] by a technical choice, but he is ready to be put into play when we decide so.”Another issue for Cardoso, especially with Mokoena out, is 27-year-old Portuguese central midfielder Nuno Santos. Santos, another major factor in the Champions League push, has also looked below his best in his two games. Not for the first time this season Cardoso hinted there have been behind-the-scenes factors in Santos’ performances.“Sometimes there are … things that happen inside the team that coaches cannot speak freely about.”When the players smile and are happy it will bring a flow with the energy that aligns with the targets we have. That’s what we need to find in everybody so the connections happen really well.— Miguel CardosoBusiness Day
