Miguel Cardoso blasts Kaizer Chiefs after tense Sundowns draw

Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has sharply criticised Kaizer Chiefs, accusing them of relying on a physical and disruptive style of play during Wednesday’s 1-1 Betway Premiership draw at Loftus Versfeld.

The reigning champions were forced to share the points after Brayan Leon cancelled out Flavio Silva’s first-half opener, in a match that also saw Sundowns reduced to ten men.

The result leaves Sundowns three points clear at the top, although they have played more games than Orlando Pirates and trail them on goal difference.

Cardoso, however, focused less on the standings and more on what he described as a lack of footballing quality in the contest, suggesting Chiefs’ approach undermined the spirit of the game.

“At that moment, and after a game like that, a coach needs to be able to focus on what’s important to communicate externally and analyze the situation.

And I think you [the media] should also do an analysis, because in recent weeks we’ve had two of the biggest games you can see in South Africa,” said the Downs coach.

“We had an Orlando Pirates-Kaizer Chiefs match and then a Mamelodi Sundowns-Kaizer Chiefs match. I remember that in this [press] room you often asked me about the level of play in South Africa, and after these two matches you have the answer, that’s basically the conclusion you have to draw.”

He went on to argue that the encounters between the country’s biggest clubs have lacked technical quality, claiming too much emphasis has been placed on physical battles rather than tactical football.

“There is still much to be done to develop football. The matches are always full of emotion, but this should be directed towards the technical and tactical aspects of the game, but today there was none of that on the field: it was just fighting from beginning to end.

“During the match against the Pirates, it was the same: fights from the kickoff, the ball in the air, blows in front, blows in the back, blows to the players, blows to the legs, blows everywhere.

Frankly, I don’t think this is the best way to envision the future of football here. But that’s the initial analysis, and it stems from the start of the match, the way it began and was managed.”

Cardoso also suggested that Kaizer Chiefs showed little ambition at Loftus Versfeld, implying their priorities differ from those of the title contenders.

“One team was under intense pressure to get a result because there is a title to be won, while the other has nothing left to gain.

Their position in the standings is quite stable in relation to their objectives, which have almost been achieved,” Cardoso continued.

“This should lead the game towards a pattern where the technical aspect should take precedence and make us say ‘wow,’ but I don’t think anyone said ‘wow’ after today’s game, absolutely no one.

In the end, when you try to remember, you see one team trying to play and another doing everything to prevent them from doing so, using every possible strategy to disrupt the game, draw fouls, and catch opponents.”

“And in the end, there were a lot of emotions on the pitch from start to finish. If you look at the match statistics, it’s clear from the xG who had scoring opportunities; if you look at possession, shots, everything, you have the answer about the match, regardless of what some want to embellish – there are no flowers to offer, there is only the reality of the numbers. That’s what needs to be taken into account.”

Sundowns now turn their attention to Saturday’s home fixture against Siwelele FC at the Lucas Moripe Stadium as they look to strengthen their title push.