Cardoso urges patience after Sundowns return to winning ways

Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso says his team still needs time and support to develop, despite a convincing 5-2 victory over AmaZulu in the Betway Premiership on Wednesday.

The result lifted Sundowns into second place in the standings and came after their disappointing 1-0 defeat by Golden Arrows in the first leg of their MTN8 semi-final at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Sunday.

Brayan Leon scored twice for Sundowns, while Teboho Mokoena, Tashreeq Matthews and Bennet Mokoena were also on target in a dominant display against AmaZulu, known as Usuthu.

Cardoso praised his players for responding positively to the weekend setback, but warned that the performance should not be viewed as evidence that the team has suddenly reached its peak.

“We had a strong commitment, we knew there were things we had to control we could not miss. This team of AmaZulu is not an easy team to play against, out of counter-attacks and long balls they can overload the sides and create problems for any defence,” the Portuguese coach said at his post-match news conference at Loftus Versfeld Stadium.

The 54-year-old said Sundowns had prepared carefully for the dangers posed by AmaZulu’s attacking transitions, particularly after seeing similar qualities in their match against Orlando Pirates.

“We saw that in the match against (Orlando) Pirates, how they scored, how they had another goal (ruled out) for offside, this team is a really aggressive team the way they can make transitions. We knew we would control the game but had to be careful of the way we lose balls, how to immediately counter-press and reorganize ourselves at the back.

Sundowns could have scored more, according to Cardoso, but he believes the club’s supporters have an important role to play as the squad continues to adjust to significant changes.

He said the team had been affected by the arrival of a number of new players and needed patience, encouragement and support to develop quickly.

“We could have made an even bigger result but it is important that people understand that supporting this team is what is needed. The team has suffered a lot of changes, a lot of new players coming inside, the much love, support towards the team, the quickest the team will grow,” Cardoso said.

Despite the emphatic win, Cardoso insisted Sundowns must improve defensively. The champions conceded twice against AmaZulu and he stressed that a more controlled performance would be preferable to an open victory.

“We were not bad before and we are not fantastic (now). Anyway, we need to stop conceding goals, it is very important that the stability comes back. If we can score five and suffer two, it is always a result to consider but it would be better to make a 3-0 and not concede goals,” he added.

Sundowns now turn their attention back to the MTN8, with the second leg of their semi-final against Golden Arrows taking place on Sunday afternoon at King Zwelithini Stadium.

Cardoso’s side trail 1-0 from the opening match and must overturn that deficit to reach the next stage of the competition.