Cardoso defends Sundowns squad after Super Cup defeat and Champions League exit

Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has defended his squad following suggestions that the South African champions may have lost the hunger and experience required to compete at the highest level of African football.

The Brazilians have endured a difficult spell despite their recent success, suffering a 3-1 defeat to USM Alger in the CAF Super Cup after being eliminated from the CAF Champions League by Angolan side Williete SC last month.

The consecutive setbacks have raised questions about whether Sundowns need to strengthen their squad, particularly after winning the Champions League last season.

However, Cardoso insists it would be unfair to compare the current team with the side that reached two consecutive Champions League finals and successive semi-finals, pointing to the departure and absence of several experienced players.

Speaking to iDiski Times, the Portuguese coach acknowledged that Sundowns are going through a rebuilding process but maintained that the squad still possesses the quality to achieve success.

“Obviously, what is honest is if we make an analysis, take a look at the team that played the two finals of the Champions League and the two semi-finals, and probably look at the team that played today, you see it’s not the same team, it’s another team,” he said.

“We have lost a lot of players, but we cannot complain. We know we are rebuilding, we know we have quality. Obviously, here and there, we don’t have maturity, which is different. Quality is one thing; maturity is another to play these matches.”

Cardoso believes the experience and composure that helped Sundowns reach the pinnacle of African football last season must now be developed within the current group.

He highlighted the youthful nature of the squad, particularly in defence, where the centre-backs who featured against USM Alger were aged 22 and 23.

The coach also identified the departures of Nuno Santos and Brayan Leon as significant losses, arguing that their experience in demanding continental competitions would have been valuable.

“Of course, we understood that last year, we achieved the pinnacle of maturity, and it’s something that needs to be rebuilt. The team showed hunger, quality, we played international matches at a high level and will play more.

“But we know there’s a lot of youth. The centre-backs today were 22 and 23, and you go one by one and you see. Of course, when you lose immediately a Nuno Santos, that’s experience, used to these kinds of environments, you lose Brayan Leon.”

The Portuguese tactician also pointed to injuries and the unavailability of key players as factors that have disrupted the team’s performances.

He mentioned Keanu Cupido, Khuliso Mudau and Jayden Adams among those missing, while Ronwen Williams and Teboho Mokoena had only recently returned.

Cardoso believes the absence of several important players significantly affected the team’s structure and ability to compete against the Algerian side.

“The absences we have from Keanu, Mudau, the late Jayden Adams, all those were very important players, with Nuno and Brayan. If you take them out, look really well at the team, this team has nothing to do with last year,” he added.

Despite the disappointing result, Sundowns have already collected two trophies this season, offering some encouragement as Cardoso attempts to rebuild the squad.

Nevertheless, he admitted that losing the Super Cup was particularly frustrating because he believed his team had the quality to secure another continental title.

The coach also suggested that the playing surface and physical conditions were not ideal for Sundowns’ technical style, which relies heavily on possession and quick combinations.

He referenced players such as Siyanda, Tashreeq, Antonio and Marcelo, arguing that their physical profiles made it difficult to impose their preferred style on the pitch.

Cardoso, however, accepted that Sundowns could have performed better and insisted that the team must remain focused on improving.

He remains optimistic about the club’s prospects, promising that the rebuilding process will eventually produce positive results.

“Now it’s time to continue to work. There’s a lot of things to do and I feel we will do many beautiful things in the future,” he said.