Cardoso: No Team Will Be On Our Level In Three Months

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso believes his team is far from reaching its full potential, a level he expects to achieve in the next three months.

According to him, once the club has finalized its transfer market business, no other team in the Betway Premiership will come close to their level of play.

Sundowns secured a 2-0 victory over AmaZulu in a league match at Loftus Stadium on Tuesday. While the team struggled in the first half against AmaZulu’s wingbacks, they found their rhythm in the second half, scoring two goals.

Iqraam Rayners and Tashreeq Matthews were both instrumental in the goals, combining perfectly to secure the win. The victory moves Sundowns to second place in the Betway Premiership table with four points from two matches.

Despite the uninspired performance, Cardoso remains optimistic. He explained that the team will improve as the season progresses, as they have only signed one player so far—Fawaaz Basadien from Stellenbosch.

Cardoso on Transfer Strategy and Expectations

“We are looking at players who can reinforce the team, of course,” Cardoso stated.

Sundowns has a significant budget, having earned over R200 million from their participation in the FIFA Club World Cup in America in June.

“We feel that we need [new players] and we are going to do it [sign players], but we need to arrive at that point in the right way,” he added.

“We need to make the right choices; we cannot rush and make mistakes. We don’t want to bring many players, we just want to bring the one we need, and that is the process that we are doing.”

Cardoso is confident in the team’s long-term prospects. “Expectation is that, as soon as everything finishes in the market, we will know and understand what the squad is going to be for the entire season.

“That development of the team will happen and, for sure, I don’t believe a single team in the Betway Premiership is on the level that we will achieve in three months, not even one. The question is that we need results until the moment we are where we want to be. Winning matches will allow us to build confidence and that will let the team grow over victories, which will bring the team up.”

Following their win over AmaZulu, Sundowns will face Orlando Pirates in the first leg of the MTN8 semi-final at a sold-out Orlando Stadium on Saturday.

Pirates are coming off a 2-0 league loss to Marumo Gallants at DR. Molemela Stadium on Tuesday, their second consecutive defeat in the league.