Sundowns’ Treble Push – “Demanding” Cardoso Credits Team’s Resilience
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso acknowledged his demanding nature, while crediting his staff and players for meeting expectations amidst a congested schedule.
Sundowns recently returned from Tunisia, where they secured a 1-0 aggregate victory over ES Esperance to reach the CAF Champions League semi-finals on Tuesday.
They are also in the Nedbank Cup semi-finals, hosting Kaizer Chiefs at Loftus Stadium on Sunday at 18:00.
Cardoso, appointed in December after Sundowns’ slow start in the Champions League group stage, has also guided his team to a commanding 12-point lead in the Betway Premiership, with Orlando Pirates holding three games in hand. Sundowns are now aiming for an unprecedented treble.
“We cannot [enjoy] be in the moments without going through the process,” said
“We still have some fixtures, and we have been managing, and I think from now on things would be manageable, despite that it brings because it brings extra.
“I would not say pressure, but level of demand, levels of concentration, extra work from our part.
“We can be very detailed and simplify in the way that we bring things to the players.
“We spent five days in Tunisia, and it was very tough to prepare this match because we knew that probably our sessions there would be seen because it was very difficult to keep the privacy, so we had to work something inside, and it was a lot of volume of work.
“As I said, emotionally, it was demanding for the players. But I have been receiving good things from the players – the high level of commitment.
“When you reach the end of the season, you look ahead and you have so many games to play, you just increase the number of games you play.
“If you do well, we won’t increase those numbers. Now we have extra two more games in the Champions League, but we want more in the cup and the championship (the league), it is what it is, there is no more matches than what we have the right obligations to do.”
Sundowns also have the FIFA Club World Cup in June, scheduled to take place in the United States in June, where they will face Ulsan HD FC, Borussia Dortmund, and Fluminense. Cardoso expressed that this is where everyone thrives – competing at the highest level.
“But we also FIFA Club World Cup where we will fight against tough opponents and let’s see if we will play one more [in that tournament],” added Cardoso.
“But this is the level players, coaches and staff want to be at the highest level, and we must cope with. Already we have programmed a lot in the following weeks, how we are going to play when we go to Cape Town [on 4 May), where we are going to stay, where we will sleep – we will provide good conditions.”
