Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has admitted that, ideally, he would prefer to maintain a stable starting lineup for the team, but the demanding nature of both domestic and continental football has made regular rotation a necessity.
Cardoso, who has overseen four matches as Sundowns coach, has made a number of changes to his starting XI in each game.
While such frequent adjustments could be seen as a sign of uncertainty, the Portuguese tactician has been quick to point out that the high-intensity demands of the football calendar leave him with little choice but to rotate his squad.
Despite the changes, Cardoso has managed to guide Sundowns to victory in each of his assignments, picking up a perfect record and keeping the team firmly on track in both the Betway Premiership and their continental campaigns.
In his recent comments, Cardoso reflected on the challenge of balancing squad depth with consistency.
"I have to confess that the context makes me change the way I usually am. I don't like to change the team a lot. But we have to deal with reality, indeed we have a fixture schedule that pushes us to the limit, there are players in our group that come from long-term injuries, as is public," he told journalists.
Read: Mokwena On Guardiola Matchup: 'You Cannot Lose'
"We have some of them that are recovering Grant [Kekana] has joined the group, [Mosa] Lebusa, Marcello [Allende] will probably return to the group. So according to what we have to manage in the different moments of recovery. Sometimes there is a player that you would like to play regarding the characteristics of the game, but it's better to play someone due to his condition, that will be able to give you a performance.
"For example, it was important to rest Iqraam and not expose him to the aggression he faced in previous games, but at the same time, we have a huge group of players and I have to pay attention to the players at home, who at any moment, could be a solution like Arthur [Sales], like Terrence [Mashego] did.
"It's important when we give the players an opportunity, that they give us the answers we are looking for," he added.
Read: McCarthy Emotional About Missing Chiefs Pirates Jobs
