Coach Miguel Cardoso of Mamelodi Sundowns says that since he selects the players, he will support them even if they make mistakes because that is a part of the game.
Cardoso made the remarks prior to Saturday’s much-anticipated match at Loftus Stadium against the Egyptian giants and Africa’s Club of the Century, Al Ahly, in the first leg of the CAF Champions League semifinal.
The second leg will be played in Cairo next week.
Sundowns go into the game after losing to Kaizer Chiefs in a heartbreaking manner in the Nedbank Cup last Sunday, thanks in part to some of defender Lucas Suarez’s mistakes in key areas of the field.
Sundowns was in control of the match and ahead 1-0 when the lanky Argentine rolled the ball onto the path of the lethal Wandile Duba, who was grateful enough to put the ball in the net to tie the score.
Ashley du Preez’s late goal gave Chiefs the victory.
“I am the one who makes the most mistakes. I make the mistakes before the players do,” Cardoso said.
“My job is to select players for a task, and I might make a mistake if I select the first 11 players out of a group of 20-something.
“Mistakes are part of the game, and as a team, we work to become better — everyone wants to become better.”
Cardoso sets sights on Champions League final
The Portuguese coach continued: “Whatever happened in the last match, there was still some time to play, and we were unable to handle the pressure, and it was not because of that mistake but rather another one in the game.”
“I don’t want to talk about the last game. I am that kind of coach who wants to focus on the future and not on what I could have done or should have done. We can only get better when we work with what we can control.
“That’s how we deal with emotional setbacks — because that can happen to any player. I am here to support the players, and there’s an expression in football: ‘Even if I don’t like all the players, I should love them all.’ That’s how I react as a coach.”
The former Esperance coach went on to say that Saturday’s game is significant and that they hope to advance to the final.
“It’s an important moment, and we want to play in the final. We know that to beat a team like Al Ahly, we have to have two good games [in the first and second legs], and all the players must know how to play those games.
“The results in this first game can be very important for the second leg, and we hope to win both games.
“We know who we are going to meet on the other side, and we also know what we have on our side. We hope to play with the right strategy and approach.”
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