Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso expects another tough test against Pyramids of Egypt in Sunday’s second leg of the African Champions League final in Cairo.
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He spoke on Saturday at the pre-match press conference at the June 30 Stadium:
On Sunday’s second leg and the chances for his side
“Playing the second match of the Champions League final, it's a decisive moment for everybody regarding the outcome of the game. But I think that it's also a moment for us to celebrate not only football in general, because it should be a great moment to highlight the quality of African football.
Also, the teams that are playing this final and for the referees that are going to referee the final understand that they should perform at the highest level, the highest standard this season in African football. And that should be taken as a very positive responsibility.
For me as head coach of Mamelodi Sundowns obviously, it's a great achievement and a great feeling that I have with the chance to lead a wonderful group of players into a game that they fought all their lives to get to. And this is the sense that we should feel in the last moments before the game and then throughout the game.
We should feel the pleasure of playing this match, and most of all release the unimportant emotions in order to allow us to perform in the best way. That's my wish for the game – to see the boys performing at the level that they can perform.”
On whether winning the league in South Africa is not as big a deal as Champions League success would be
“It's not because you won seven championships that you should not value winning the eighth one or think that it is easy. And when you see our opponents celebrating the cups that they were able to win in the last years, you understand how big your achievements regarding the championship are.
The way we won the championship in South Africa this season is something that will stay in history, because we beat the best Orlando Pirates team in their club history by 12 points. We broke almost all the records in history. So it's not a thing that is repeated year after year, but that has nothing to do with what is going to happen tomorrow. That is another thing.”
On the first leg draw in Pretoria and Pyramids’ dangerous counter-attack capability
“Obviously, we understand we didn't achieve the result we would like to have after the first match. Obviously, we think that we could have played better than we did. But we stand now understanding that we can be better, understanding that we have the will, the intention, and the quality to make good things tomorrow, but we also understand we are playing football against one of the two teams that were the best in Africa this season.
We need to take care of all key moments in the game to answer your question. It's not that you don't only worry about the counter-attacks from Pyramids, we worry about their organisation at the back, about their set pieces because they can score at any moment.
Usually, in these games, the goals that are scored come from small details and you saw how the detail in the last seconds of the first leg saw us give away one goal that was not expected at that moment. This final or the second leg that we're going to play tomorrow is basically like a final played in Europe where they play one match to win it. Tomorrow is one game, whoever wins is champion.”
On whether Pyramids might play conservatively with the away goal in their favour?
“I think the way Pyramids play is quite clear, quite understandable, not always controllable. It’s a team with a clear way of playing both in attack and defence, but it's not easy to play against. We know how they can harm us, we know what we need to do.
We need to focus a lot on our behaviours and, as I said before, in the key moments of the game to avoid any problems, but most of all to play and to find the right moment to score. We know that even a goal from Pyramids doesn't take us out of the game, but what can put us more in the game is a goal from us.
So both teams will play a balanced game, understanding that even in attack, the teams need to be organised at the back. I think the approach from both coaches will be very similar, because both coaches have experience and understand that playing to not suffer usually doesn't give you the best result.”
On Pyramids having to play an Egyptian league match on Wednesday
“After the first leg, someone asked me about Pyramids having a game this week and I predicted that their line-up would be very different. It was not exactly like that, but only their (first choice) defenders basically played the game.
The other ones came on as substitutes and for them it was like making a training session. And obviously, despite the effort made by the defenders, the demand on those players was not very high. What their coach did, for sure, was to provide as much rest as possible on the other days. I don't see how that match brings any kind of changes to their game. I don't think so.”
On his mood before Sunday’s second leg
“I was speaking this afternoon with the chairman of the club. And he was looking at me and saying, ‘You are so relaxed, what’s happened to you?’ And my answer to him was very, very, very simple. It's when you realise there are much more important things for you as a human being than winning a cup, then you get the release for your state of mind, and the freedom to be in peace.
Today, my brother went to receive an award for me in Portugal from the National Association of Football Coaches of Portugal. And one of the things I wrote for him to read was about the values that you constantly have in your life.
The fact that you understand that the people that you love are the ones that are really meaningful for you and will be with you whatever happens tomorrow. And that gives me such a sense of peace that if my players could feel it, they would make a wonderful game tomorrow.
A cup is important for a coach, but not for a man. And the guy who is going to live with me until the end of my days will be not the coach, but rather the man.”
On Pyramids being unlikely to attract much support in the stands
“Well, I think that will not really affect us or Pyramids. First of all, I think there will be people in stands who are, more or less, neutral. I don't know. Pyramids are used to playing without fans and they still contend for their championship. So they are used to that, and it's not because of that that they didn't perform.
We are used to performing with fans and also without them, because our stadiums sometimes have lots of fans and sometimes not that many. But the team is mentally strong enough to cope with both. Obviously, we’d like to play with fans, we like to feel the vibration from the stands, even when it is not from our fans but is coming from supporters of the opposition.
Everybody wants to play in stadiums that are full. When we play in South Africa with a full stadium, that excites us a lot. I think that I would prefer to have a full stadium, a big stadium full of people for this final, because I know they can thrive, they can excel themselves, they can be better when they perform in the excitement of these kinds of matches. But tomorrow, I don't know, if it’s full or not, but the people at home will give us the energy to take the game to the level we need in order to win.”