Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has called on Masandawana fans to support the team during the period of overcoming early-season difficulties and following recent player departures.
Sundowns maintained an unbeaten run in the Betway Premiership campaign, defeating AmaZulu 5-2 at Loftus Versfeld stadium on Wednesday evening. Following this victory, Cardoso addressed the fans, emphasizing the need for patience despite ongoing defensive problems.
Nevertheless, the team has conceded eight goals since the start of the season. These goals include a 1-0 loss to Golden Arrows in the first MTN8 semi-final match, which they must rectify in the second match in Durban on Sunday afternoon (at 15:00).
Speaking after the win against Usutu in the country's capital, Cardoso expressed satisfaction with the result but regretted the defensive performance, as the team has only managed one match without conceding a goal so far.
Cardoso stated: 'We scored goals, and we could score more. But we must stop conceding goals because the team's stability comes from defense.' He added that the 5-2 result was acceptable, but 3-0 would have looked much better.
Due to the goals conceded, some players, particularly goalkeeper and vice-captain Ronwen Williams, have become targets of criticism from dissatisfied fans. Cardoso condemned this criticism and instead called for unity.
'We could have achieved an even better result, but more importantly, people must understand that supporting this team is what is needed,' said Cardoso. 'These guys need support. The team has gone through many changes and losses.' He concluded that the more support the team receives, the better it can develop, noting that the team was not bad previously, nor was it fantastic on this day.