Lunga highlights difference between Cardoso and Mngqithi at Sundowns

Divine Lunga has given an insight into his upturn in form and the subtle changes to the team since Miguel Cardsoso took over from Manqoba Mngqithi.

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The Brazilians have recorded back-to-back victories against Raja Casablanca and Stellenbosch FC under the stewardship of the new Portuguese coach.

Masandawana are targeting a strong end to 2024 with two Betway Premiership fixtures against KwaZulu-Natal outfits AmaZulu and Richards Bay. Their first assignment will be AmaZulu at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Tuesday afternoon, before they wrap up their year with another tricky encounter away to the Natal Rich Boyz on Saturday.

‘It’s just about listening’

“There’s not much difference (since Mngqithi sacking) and it’s just about listening to what the coach is saying so that we can do better,” said Lunga on Radio 2000.

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“We try to do our best and in training, we try to keep possession so that we draw in our opponents and benefit from that (spaces behind). I think it’s a good thing for the team and the guys are coping well.

“He (Cardoso) tells us not to be scared of making mistakes. If we make one mistake, we must not let our heads drop, but look up and try again as it will work because we have the talent and there’s nothing to be scared of. If we let our heads go down, our opponents will capitalise on that.”

Lunga says it wasn’t difficult to adjust to the tactical demands of Cardoso who has also rotated the team since taking over. The Zimbabwean left-back produced a man of the match performance in the narrow 1-0 win over Stellies.

‘You want to play at Sundowns’

“It’s an easy one because we train together, even if it’s just a short time but with our combinations, there’s nothing new. We do our best but communication is key and we did that with everything that was thrown at us in the last game,” Lunga added.

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“As a player, you want to play and at Sundowns, the only thing I’ve noticed since I arrived there is that they will give you an opportunity to play and you have to grab it. That’s because there are so many players who also want to play, so if you relax when given an opportunity, you’ll always find yourself on the outside.”