‘That’s bullsh*t’: Sundowns coach hits Back at ‘defensive’ claims

Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso launched a passionate defence of his tactical philosophy, vehemently rejecting claims that he is a “defensive” coach following the team’s 1-1 draw against Orlando Pirates at Loftus Versfeld Stadium.

The draw in the Betway Premiership ensured Sundowns maintained their three-point lead atop the Betway Premiership log, though Pirates still hold two games in hand. Despite Peter Shalulile opening the scoring for Masandawana, a stunning equaliser from 20-year-old Camren Dansin before the break forced the stalemate.

The Half-Time Demand

Addressing the result, Cardoso insisted that despite the external perception of his tactics, his only focus was securing a victory, especially given the significant player shortages he faced.

“Despite people say, you’re a defensive coach, that’s bullsh*t – so what I mean, it’s not true, we wanted to win the match,” Cardoso stated.

He revealed that he pushed his players intensely during the half-time interval, focusing on mindset and attitude after they conceded the equalizer.

“At half-time I was very hard on my players in terms of mindset, in terms of attitude, because for this match we had an expression all week. ‘Nobody kills an attitude,’ and at half-time I said, is that the attitude nobody is able to kill, the one we had when we conceded a goal, because I was a little bit of ‘what is in your mind guys’ after you suffer a goal.”

Character Over Complaints: Sundowns Coach

Cardoso challenged his team to demonstrate bravery in the second half, emphasising that fear leads to underperformance.

“Do you want to be brave or do you want to feel fear, because if you want to feel fear you won’t play at the level, you have to play – if you’re brave you can go for the match, to win it, and I think they were brave, they fought,” he affirmed.

The coach also pointed to a massive injury list, confirming that eight first-team players were unavailable for the high-stakes derby, including key figures like Themba Zwane, Teboho Mokoena, Thapelo Morena, and Mothobi Mvala.

However, rather than complaining, he praised the available squad members for their fighting spirit: “But I don’t complain because what I saw from my players was character… probably two of the best teams were on the pitch [of South Africa].”

Sundowns now turn their attention to a mid-week fixture, hosting TS Galaxy at Loftus Versfeld.

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