A former Mamelodi Sundowns player has given his thoughts on the rotation of players at the club, saying ''it's not wise to rotate too much''.
Sundowns were handed their first defeat of the season by Polokwane City on Sunday, after head coach Manqoba Mngqithi made wholesale changes to the squad. The inclusion of Denis Onyango was forced, due to the fact that Ronwen Williams had traveled to Europe for the Ballon d'Or awards.
READ: Wydad Make Big Zungu Decision
Mngqithi brought back the likes of Rivaldo Coetzee, Mosa Lebusa, Marcelo Allende, Thapelo Morena, Lebohang Maboe, Tashreeq Matthews, Asekho Tiwani and Iqraam Rayners after they were left out of the starting line-up in the previous match against Royal AM.
Former Sundowns player Lebohang Mokoena feels it's not too wise to be rotating the squad so much early on in the season.
"That's what cost them in the game against Polokwane. They changed a lot of players in that game and it did affect the rhythm of the team. Maybe they were trying to surprise Polokwane, but trying to keep everybody happy does have its negatives. Yes, you can bring in one or two players because you might have injuries, but it's not wise to rotate too much of your players. If you have your core, maybe six that are always there...normally coaches would prefer to keep the same back four, and a midfielder and a striker," Mokoena said to the Siya crew.
READ: Sundowns Teen Leaves Manqoba Stunned
"It's understandable for coach Manqoba to want to give other guys an opportunity to come in and show (that they can do it). Maybe it happened at the wrong time and they ended up losing the match. But going forward, I think if he keeps his main team and gradually brings in the other ones to see how they can fit into the team. Then I think they can get back into their rhythm. It's unlike Sundowns to lose a game in the first five or six matches of the season. It's not wise to rotate too much at the beginning of the season, unless you have players out with injuries."
Second-placed Sundowns take on Cape Town City at Loftus Stadium this evening.
