Sundowns coach Cardoso welcomes this week’s break for players to ‘breathe’ a bit

The past week or so has been a whirlwind for Miguel Cardoso in charge of Mamelodi Sundowns with two matches against Raja Casablanca and Stellenbosch in five days.

Cardoso started his tenure as Brazilians coach with a 1-0 Champions League win over Raja and that match was quickly followed by a trip to Cape Town where they pulled off a win by the same margin against Stellies in the Betway Premiership. 

He is a welcoming the breather this weekend as the Carling Black Label Cup match between Magesi FC and the All-Star team takes centre stage at Orlando Stadium on Saturday. 

League action resumes on Tuesday when Sundowns hit the road to Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban to take on AmaZulu and he welcomes the weekend off to bond with the players.

“We need this week to mostly rest some of the players,” said Cardoso. 

“We have players out injured, some with the long-term injuries, but others have small issues and they can recover in one week, so we need this break to breathe a bit. 

“For example, there is one player we gave two days off from training so he can have a breather and feel comfortable to proceed with preparations. 

“We also need to practise but we cannot push the players too much. We must be clever in managing them and our training sessions. It is a challenge but a good one for the coach.” 

Cardoso said they are working well with assistant Steve Komphela, goalkeeper coach Kennedy Mweene, head of physical performance Mathias Zangenberg and the rest of the fitness, analysts and the medical team. 

“In working with the group of people we found at Chloorkop, it is easy. Coach Steve is an amazing person, easy to relate to and he has a mindset that has easily touched us. 

“It is the same with coach Kennedy, Mathias and the rest of the fitness, analyst and medical departments. We brought our excitement and energy but we were well-received and things have gone smoothly from the first day.”