Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso is convinced that they will rise through adversity this season amid a truncated pre-season and doubts over certain key players.
Sundowns have negotiated their way to the MTN8 semis and four points in two games while dealing with internal issues relating to Lucas Ribeiro Costa, Thapelo Morena, Khuliso Mudau along with Peter Shalulile who is back.
READ | The truth about Saleng’s return to football
While there is a cloud of uncertainty for Cardoso it is business as usual with focus on solutions.
"This Sundowns will develop throughout the season, I have no doubt," says Cardoso.
"For sure.
"It has to.
"It is important that you understand that when you take out a player like Ribeiro from a team like this, when you take out (Khuliso) Mudau from a team like this, and you don’t have Thapelo to close that gap.
"When you have the team bringing up players like (Siyabonga) Mabena, Kutlwano (Letlhaku) that are still not on the level to support a team like Mamelodi Sundowns it is obvious that the team will suffer.
"You go to Sporting in Portugal and take out (Viktor) Gyökeres who went to Arsenal, and they are struggling.
"You come and take out (Relebohile) Mofokeng from Pirates and you will see how they will struggle because they are players who are key in the way the team relates and creates dynamics.
"The numbers for Lucas speak for him and it is up to us now to try and find a solution collectively so that we can obviously overcome what (Ribeiro) he used to do on the pitch.
"But we, emotionally, are not attached to that.
"We are working, we are developing inside the club and looking obviously at bringing players that can reinforce the team.
"Of course, we feel that we need, and we are going to do it.
"But we need to arrive at that point in the right way, we need to make the right choices.
"We cannot rush so that we make mistakes because we don’t to want to bring many players.
"We just want to bring the ones we need and that is the process we are doing.
"Expectations are that as soon as the market finishes then we will know what squad we have for the entire season and the process of the development of the team will happen.
READ | Chiefs get further debutants boost
"At this moment I don’t believe there is one team in the Betway Premiership that is on the level that we will achieve in three months.
"Not even one.
"The question is about getting results until we get to where we want to be so winning matches will allow us to pick the confidence and let the team grow," says Cardoso.
Stand a chance to WIN R1,000 in CASH by clicking here to complete a 5-minute survey.
Photo: Michael Sheehan/Gallo Images
