Miguel Cardoso explains Lucas Ribeiro's goal drought for Mamelodi Sundowns - 'We don't see him free, he should release the ball'

Since joining Mamelodi Sundowns at the beginning of the 2023-24 season, Lucas Ribeiro has been a key player.

He has been either scoring or creating goals for Masandawana across all competitions.

Lately, Ribeiro has not been lethal in the final third.

As a matter of fact, he has gone six games across all competitions with neither an assist nor a goal.

His last direct involvement was in the 2-0 win over AmaZulu when he provided an assist on March 11.

Ribeiro's last strike in the competitive game came on March 5 when he scored in the club's 1-1 draw with Golden Arrows in the Premier Soccer League.

Coach Miguel Cardoso has now explained the recent struggles for the 27-year-old.

“I totally understand the question and I think it’s important to comment, because after Lucas [Ribeiro] made the goal, [in] the matches against [Orlando] Pirates and then [Kaizer] Chiefs, all the teams were worried so much about him. By closing him with two to three players over him, It made his job much more difficult,” he told the media.

“And because of that, we don’t see him so free on the pitch. What is important is that the team understands that when there are two or three players over him, there are other spaces on the pitch that should be used, and we should relate to that.

“And also himself, he should understand that if he receives so much pressure, he should release the ball and let the other ones play, so that then he can position himself to find the spaces and play," Cardoso concluded.

Ribeiro and his fellow attackers struggled to make an impact in the latest outing in the Caf Champions League semi-final against Al Ahly.

The second leg is scheduled for Friday, and the Brazilians have to step up to avoid seeing their team get eliminated in the last four for the third consecutive time.