Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi has raised concern over a player who has made a slow start to both of their matches in the MTN8.
Sundowns were handed a 1-0 defeat on home soil by Stellenbosch FC in the first leg of their MTN8 semi-final on Wednesday night, which puts them in a difficult position going into the second leg this weekend. Fawaaz Basadien netted from the penalty spot in the second half as the visitors held on for the clean sheet and an important victory on the road.
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The hosts were nowhere near their best on the night and a player Mngqithi raised concern over after the match is Tashreeq Matthews, who was taken off in the second half.
Matthews struggled to find any sort of rhythm in the final third and was hardly a threat to the opponents. While Mngqithi admitted Matthews was not at his best, he did first mention the team made too many mistakes, which is a concern.
"We were very unhappy as the technical (team) because technically we made too many mistakes and some of the mistakes, to a certain extent, are also forced by the pitch. I believe there was one very good rotation from Marcelo (Allende), Aubrey (Modiba) and then he found Terrence (Mashego) on the opposite side and you expected Terrence to immediately dash into the space and possibly find a cut back or a ball in between the defence and the goalkeeper. At that moment, I don't know what happened. I saw the ball going back towards our goals," Mngqithi told journalists after the game at Lucas Moripe Stadium.
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"But the truth of the matter is that we made too many elementary mistakes and Tashreeq...I think it's the second match where he does not start very well. What he has done, which has always caused a lot of problems for us throughout pre-season...he would not start very well but you would know that he is somebody who has got a chance and he is somebody who always has a goal in him. Unfortunately, when he does not score or create, it becomes very difficult for him because at Sundowns sometimes you need to grab that little opportunity that you get because it does not come too often. But to be honest, I was very happy with his defensive play and his counter pressure and his readiness to assist the team whenever we were suffering."
