According to Junior Khanye, a former winger for the Kaizer Chiefs and current iDiski TV pundit, head coach Miguel Cardoso has made some notable changes to Mamelodi Sundowns' typical style of play, and this is especially true this season.

It seems to Khanye that the Brazilians are progressively abandoning their tried-and-true possession-based strategy. This strategy included methodically constructing assaults from the back, dominating the midfield, and using their technical dominance to exploit their opponents.

Rather than the complex passing combinations that used to characterise Sundowns, the football pundit said on iDiski TV that the team is now relying on wide attacks, crosses, and aerial chances.

His remarks follow Tuesday's 1-0 Carling Knockout Cup quarterfinal win for Sundowns against Golden Arrows at Loftus Versfeld Stadium.

If you believe Khanye, you can see the shift in the way the squad attacks now. He thinks Sundowns have become better at distributing the ball to the flanks and crossing it into the penalty area so their strikers may score.

Additionally, he doubted that the club's new recruits are making the most of their technical abilities with this strategy.

Their new style of play allows them to score from a variety of sources, including crosses and headers, but they still miss wide. Once the ball enters the box, they have a decent opportunity to score, even from corner kicks. Because you've signed players on the basis of their technical superiority, it's frustrating, but I suppose that's what the coach feels, Khanye said.

The expert went on to say that Sundowns' long-standing football ideology was a major factor in the recruitment of numerous players from earlier coaching regimes.

The teams of past coaches Pitso Mosimane and Rulani Mokwena were known for technical combinations, positional rotations, and patient buildup play, which he cited in particular.

According to Khanye, Sundowns often skip the middle and go straight to other parts of the ground because of the way things are going now.

On top of that, he thinks the squad is starting to seem more and more like a formula and warns that their opponents may figure out how to counter their strategies.

Nevertheless, the team's current success under Cardoso shows that Sundowns can still compete, even if they've been receiving criticism. Major trophies, such as the CAF Champions League and MTN8, have been won by the club under the tutelage of the Portuguese coach.

Cardoso had previously said that widening his attack was a part of his strategy to counter Golden Arrows' defensive system, which made core penetration tough.

For the time being, Khanye's evaluation has sparked yet another vital debate among South African football fans: are Sundowns, currently managed by Cardoso, only tactically improving or are they progressively abandoning the football ideology that propelled them to the pinnacle of South African football admiration?

Source

https://x.com/iDiskiTimes/status/2118773390945440031?a=Gyt3iFKzMzluP3srjMQ&s=19