Cardoso says Sundowns must break MTN8 pattern to reach final

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso says the club must understand and change the pattern behind their poor record in the MTN8 as they pursue the trophy this season.

Sundowns have won the competition only once in the past 18 seasons, with their sole success during that period coming in 2021 when they defeated Cape Town City.

That record has become a talking point for Cardoso and his squad as they prepare for the semi-finals. The coach said he challenged his players to examine why the club had repeatedly fallen short in the competition when their campaign began.

Cardoso said the issue was not simply a statistic, but something Sundowns needed to investigate if they were to improve their chances of winning the trophy.

“It’s obviously not a good thing that in 18 years, we have won a trophy on MTN8, but it’s also understandable that there are other trophies that we won during that period of time, “said Cardoso.

“But it’s a very interesting thing. Very, very interesting to understand. And let me just add, in the beginning of the competition, so when we played Polowane, it was our first match, it was my exact question to the players.

“When there’s a pattern, and when we won 1 out of 18, obviously there’s a pattern that is not good, but there’s a pattern. We should understand ourselves.

“If there’s anything that we do that takes us in the direction of that pattern, and what we have to do different so that we can try to break the pattern.

“And that was exactly the starting point for the competition that we settled between ourselves. And it will be for sure something I will remember once again on the preparation of the next match.”

The Brazilians now face Golden Arrows in the first leg of their MTN8 semi-final on Sunday. The match will be played at Lucas Masterpieces Moripe Stadium, with kick-off set for 15:00.

Cardoso said the discussion held at the start of the competition would remain relevant as Sundowns move into the decisive stages. The coach indicated that identifying the habits or decisions contributing to their record was part of the preparation for the next match.

Sundowns’ previous MTN8 success came against Cape Town City in 2021, but the club’s efforts across the rest of the past 18 seasons have not produced another title. Their objective this season is therefore clear: to add a second triumph in that period and continue their campaign by overcoming Golden Arrows over two semi-final legs.

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