Miguel Cardoso was delighted with making a winning start to his tenure as the new coach of Mamelodi Sundowns, but he was honest enough to admit that the performance was far from what was expected.
Sundowns kicked off the Cardoso-era on Sunday with a 1-0 win over Morocco's Raja Casablanca in a CAF Champions League clash at Loftus Versfeld.
Sundowns dominated the match but managed to secure only one goal, with match statistics reflecting performances that echoed the previous coach Manqoba Mngqithi's last games. Despite a significant possession advantage, Sundowns recorded 10 shots at goal, leaving them with slim pickings — just a solitary goal to show for their efforts.
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This may explain why Cardoso expressed mixed feelings about the game, acknowledging the commitment of his players was commendable, yet the standard of play fell short of his expectations.
"I believe we are far from the level we want to achieve," Cardoso said.
"Mainly, we should be able to control the game much more with the ball. We need to find the right spaces, but the commitment and going through victories will help us arrive at that point quicker."
He added, "The energy can multiply when you win.
“It was important to multiply that energy and commitment. I think it's obvious we believe in each other, so now let's continue to work."
Cardoso is grappling with the challenges of managing a large squad, an unfamiliar situation for him. He explained this poses a problem during training sessions as he strives to keep all players engaged.
“It’s different from the teams I coached before because I must put in extra work on preparation. It’s tougher and takes more time. It requires more attention,” he stated.
“I worry when I create situations like 10 vs 10 in training, as there is often a large group of players not involved. At the same time, I need to design similar training activities for those who are not part of the matchday squad.”
Regardless of these challenges, Cardoso assured that players would recover and continue training after their match against Raja Casablanca on Sunday, which would help streamline their efforts going forward.
"We'll go through the game, recover, and study it and show it to everybody," he said.
"The group is big because we have a lot of players, and all of them are committed. You saw the players on the bench celebrating, and the players not on the team list came inside the pitch and joined. I feel happy because of that; the whole club and all the fans, it's a pleasure to be here."
Cardoso added, "When you have a good game, I believe the players are better and the players believe their coaches are even better."
A second-half goal by Iqraam Rayners proved to be the winner at a packed Loftus. While the unity that Cardoso sought from his players was evident on the pitch, the game remained cagey, particularly in the first half, with both sides striving to break the deadlock.
Rayners will return to his hometown to face his former team as Sundowns shift their focus back to the Premiership, where they are set to play Stellenbosch FC on Wednesday evening at the Cape Town Stadium.