After Mamelodi Sundowns had a short pre-season due to their FIFA Club World Cup participation, a physical conditioning expert weighs in on whether they could struggle deep into the 2025/26 season.
Sundowns did not show any signs of fatigue or not yet ready for a competitive game in the PSL, despite only just over a week's training, following their 4-0 win over Richards Bay in the MTN8 quarter-finals.
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Unlike in other seasons, where The Brazilians would jet out of the country to conduct their pre-season training, this time around they only trained for about a week in Rustenburg's Royal Marang, as a preparation for the whole season, since they returned from their extended break after participating at the Club World Cup.
Of more concern for Sundowns is that they have not been able to pin down new signings, with Fawaaz Basadien the only addition, most likely because head coach Miguel Cardoso would not have time to integrate new players, in a campaign they will rely mostly on experience to get through.
The big physical test for the Tshwane giants will be when other competitions such as the CAF Champions League start and when the season starts to get demanding, especially with the 2025/26 campaign set to be squeezed, ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations in December.
Soccer Laduma spoke to physical trainer Abongwe-Ubuhle Badi on whether Sundowns could struggle later on given their short pre-season training.
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"It will depend how they manage their players, in terms of recovery and travelling, because traveling in Africa is very difficult and playing in those conditions is very difficult," Badi said.
"But how do they recover from those games and how they manage players in terms of game time (will be important), because they don't have to play all their players all the time," the former Polokwane City and Durban City physical trainer added.
