Cardoso pledges Sundowns commitment as January reinforcements loom

Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso says the club will strengthen its squad in the January transfer window, despite their CAF Champions League campaign having ended earlier than expected.

The Tshwane side have been without several important players during the opening part of the season. Teboho Mokoena, Ronwen Williams and Khuliso Mudau have all been unavailable at various stages, while Keanu Cupido, Kegan Johannes and Grant Kekana are among those who have also been affected by injuries.

Sundowns are expected to bring Ecuador international Jhegson Mendez to the club in January as they look to reinforce their squad.

Cardoso acknowledged the disappointment of missing out on the CAF Champions League but said his players must now focus on the fixtures that remain before the FIFA break.

“We have a big responsibility up until the FIFA break because we need to position ourselves in these four matches that we had to play; two we have played already,” he told the media.

“On Tuesday, we have the Carling, and then on the weekend we have the CAF Super Cup.

“We had a big setback [CAF Champions League exit] to our season… it was an important moment that we should have accomplished, but we did not.

“So, we need to deal with that responsibility, and the only thing we can do is to be as strong as we can.”

The Portuguese coach has promised Sundowns supporters that the team will continue competing strongly across the remaining competitions.

“The only thing I can promise to Mamelodi Sundowns fans is that we are going to push to fight for everything we can. We don’t promise nothing, but we promise work and determination and a lot of commitment,” he said.

Cardoso also called on the club’s supporters to remain positive and provide energy as the squad manages its injury problems.

“We need them. We need the energy from the fans,” he added. “We need everybody to be positive around the team.

“We have been suffering also with losses [due to injuries], but players are coming back.

“They will come back. The team will proceed.

“We will develop once…we will proceed with the others soon.

“We will have reinforcements, and that will make us stronger.”

With a Carling knockout match on Tuesday followed by another assignment at the weekend, Cardoso said his squad could not afford to take its focus away from the next challenge.

“I’m happy, but I’m thinking about Tuesday already because we have a knockout again, so there is no time for a lot of rest because on Sunday we have another job,” he said.

“Tuesday is the most important match of our lives, and that is how we have to think at Sundowns, always about the next one.”

Although victories have lifted the mood, Cardoso warned that success must not cause his players to lose their focus.

“Working over victories gives positive energy, gives good emotions, but should not lift our feet from the ground,” he said.

He added that Sundowns still needed to build resilience, attitude, character and trust as the season develops, with the final assessment to come later.

“As much as the season is still a child, as much as we already have good things, and also bad ones, we need to develop resilience, attitude, character, and fight against everything that we have on our way,” Cardoso said. “And then in the end, we will make the balance.”