Mamelodi Sundowns legend Hlompho Kekana shared his thoughts on what coach Miguel Cardoso must do following the costly mistakes made by under-fire defender Lucas Suarez.
Suarez has been heavily criticised for his costly blunder, which led to Kaizer Chiefs‘ first goal during their Nedbank Cup semi-final clash at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria over the weekend.
Wandile Duba capitalised on a poor Suarez pass, seizing the opportunity to score the equaliser for Chiefs early in the second-half.
The game ended 2-1 in favour of Amakhosi as Ashley Du Preez netted a late goal to help the Soweto giants progress to the Nedbank Cup final, where they face arch-rivals Orlando Pirates on the 10th of May 2025 at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
This wasn’t Suarez’s first costly mistake. Last month, a slip against Orlando Pirates in the league also led to a goal, contributing to Sundowns’ 2-1 defeat at FNB Stadium.
Suarez joined Masandawana during the January transfer window from the Argentinian side, CA Talleres, on a loan deal. Since his arrival at the Brazillians, he has played 13 games across all competitions.
HLOMPHO KEKANA’S ON WHAT SUNDOWNS COACH SHOULD DO AFTER SUAREZ’S COSTLY MISTAKES
According to Kekana, a coach should avoid dropping a player after a mistake, as that can severely damage their confidence.
He went on to emphasise that a player should be given support and allowed to play their normal game to regain confidence.
“I believe that when you’re a footballer and a professional footballer, you will understand that it’s a game of mistakes. You have to make mistakes. So, that is why when you play against other teams, you are forcing them to make mistakes, and capitalising on their mistakes,” said Kekana on The PitchSide Podcast.
“The same would happen in our camp, where other teams would plan better, and such situations would happen [Suarez mistake]. For a player to grow and to test their character in a big team, those mistakes will happen. But it is how you bounce back from them.
“For a coach and anybody who believes that when you bench a player, he will learn from the outside, you’re making the biggest mistake. This will dent the player’s confidence, and already, the player’s confidence has taken a knock. So allow the player to do things he normally does [on the field] to gain confidence.
The retired footballer added: “So, I still believe that when you take a player out of the team because of a mistake, you’re killing his confidence. You’re showing that you don’t trust him. You must appreciate and accept that there will be mistakes. Otherwise, players will start playing with fear. Therefore, players will think, ‘I can’t make mistakes because the next mistake will get me out.'”
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