Cardoso: What Sundowns Lacked When I Took Over
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has identified a key attribute that was missing at Chloorkop upon his arrival, after guiding the Tshwane giants to a record-extending eighth consecutive league title.
Masandawana clinched the 2024/25 PSL championship with a commanding 3-0 victory over Chippa United at Buffalo City Stadium on Wednesday evening, courtesy of an Arthur Sales brace and a solitary strike from in-form golden boot-chasing Iqraam Rayners.
With one game to go, the result saw the Brazilians increase their points tally to 70, while the highest points second-placed Orlando Pirates, who have four games in hand, can reach is 67, provided they win all their remaining matches.
Now, with their dominance confirmed for yet another season, the Portuguese mentor says the biggest thing he had to change after taking over in December was the atmosphere around the club, crediting the positive energy for their achievement in sealing the championship.
“I think that when we arrived, it was clear that there was something that needed to change, mostly the energy. It has nothing to do with the work of the previous coaches that I respect so much because it was not a matter of results, it was really a matter of the air,” said Cardoso.
“We invested a lot in the relationships because football is not only about the way you coach the ball, but also the way you connect yourselves, and we connected very well with the staff, the players, and with the club.
“I think that was the key, the ambience, the spirit has been a wonderful experience to be in South Africa, it has been a wonderful experience to be in Mamelodi Sundowns, and a wonderful experience to work with this group of players.”
Cardoso went on to hail his charges for the commitment they showed in the latter stages of the campaign, as he believes it also aided their preparations for the crucial two-legged CAF Champions League final against Egyptian side Pyramids FC, since they were able to rest some players.
“I agree that it’s obviously important [to have secured the league], but I think in the last matches it’s the way the players committed themselves with the need to achieve victories. That was so wonderful that it always brought us results and allowed us to manage players,” the 52-year-old tactician added.
“So, throughout the last matches, we were not only able to take out players from the matches but also leave some players out. For example, today [Wednesday], Mali [Khoza] and Aubrey [Modiba] stayed out.
“Themba [Zwane], we didn’t put him to play because the pitch was a little bit risky, so we decided not to put him to play. In the previous match, Marcelo [Allende] and Grant [Kekana] stayed out, so we have been able to manage the players throughout the last matches.”
Sundowns will welcome Magesi FC at Loftus Versveld Stadium in their penultimate league match on Saturday before switching focus to Africa’s premium club competition, where they are set to lock horns with the Cairo-based outfit for continental glory.
