Cardoso anticipates Chiefs counterpart Nabi to bring his best game against Sundowns

Miguel Cardoso has kept it real since his arrival at Mamelodi Sundowns. As such, he didn’t hold back yesterday afternoon, lauding his counterpart Nasreddine Nabi.

Cardoso arrived at Sundowns late last year under heavy scrutiny, thanks to his underwhelming CV and inability to last at his previous gigs.

But the Portuguese has been quick to make his naysayers eat humble pie, having his blemish been three losses and one draw across all competitions.

That run, which has seen them climb to the top of the Premiership log and reach the CAF Champions League and Nedbank Cup quarter-finals, has shown a fighting side of Cardoso.

He has spoken out on issues such as players resting on their laurels, the poor pitch conditions of the stadiums and the congested schedule, among other things.

It may seem the bald-headed coach is starting to be arrogant, but if anything, it seems he’s cutting a confident figure who’s stamping his authority.

Cardoso was back at it ahead of his team’s league clash against rivals Kaizer Chiefs at the Lucas Moripe Stadium tomorrow (3.30pm kick-off), praising his opposite number Nabi.

The Tunisian mentor has struggled in his new gig this season. As such, many believe that his porous defence could be in for a serious hiding against the Brazilians, who’ve been ruthless in front of goal.

And so, to try and curb another embarrassing loss in a space of a week, many assume Nabi will adopt a defensive approach in Atteridgeville. But not Cardoso.

“No, he’ll change nothing in his general approach, but he can strategically adapt certain principles, like ourselves,” Cardoso reasoned yesterday.

“He’s not any kid that’s coaching football for the first time. I have big respect for him. He knows what he’s doing, and wants to develop his team as much as he can.

“He’s preparing the future of the club and team. But obviously, these games bring something different. They highlight the best of the team or players.

“That’s why there’s always excitement. But sometimes, these types of games are not the best or technically played games.”

The discerning Chiefs supporter or external observer might think Cardoso was either being modest or playing mind games in his praises for Nabi’s work this season.

After all, Sundowns have scored 28 goals in 11 league games since he took over – the same number of goals Orlando Pirates have scored in 15 league games.

Cardoso is against getting carried away, saying they needed to win by small margins, even though they are still not a well-oiled machine.

“I think football has momentums – different ones that you come across throughout the season,” Cardoso explained.

“When you are in a good momentum, you want to make them last as long as possible. And when you are in the opposite direction, you want to break them quickly.

“We worked from the beginning in the understanding of several principles that we want in the team. If you ask me if I am happy about some of the things I see, I am not happy.

“But that has nothing to do with the numbers, but behaviours. Yesterday on the bus, I watched the game (against Sekhukhune United) and started working on the next one.”

Sure, Cardoso expects a tightly contested clash against Chiefs, but he’ll also be motivated by the fact that his troops have shown they have big-match temperament.

Sundowns have already hammered Soweto giants Orlando Pirates in the nation’s capital as they tightened their grip on top of the log this month, albeit with Pirates having games in hand.

As such, Cardoso expects his team to come out and play the game, and not the occasion when Amakhosi come to town tomorrow afternoon.

“The game will bring extra excitement and concentration from the players. It’s like playing a Champions League match, but there’ll be no extra pressure,” Cardoso said.

“In the end, it’s three points. The last three points against Sekhukhune were as important as the previous ones against (TS) Galaxy or Marumo (Gallants).

“It’s all about the next match, and the next one is the most important one of our lives. This is how we have been living.”