'Obviously, it’s not the best thing to start the championship with a draw,”'said Cardoso.
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has called on his side to respond positively after their frustrating 1-1 draw with Chippa United in the Betway Premiership at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday.
Arthur Sales had given the Brazilians the lead in the first half before Khaya Mfecane’s goal after the restart proved to be enough to earn United a valuable point in what was a lively and physical encounter.
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The defending champions host AmaZulu at Loftus Versfeld on Tuesday, determined to kick-start their title defence after being held by the Chilli Boys in Port Elizabeth.
Sundowns’ Cardoso – ‘Not the best start’
Although Cardoso remains confident that his team will bounce back in the game against Usuthu, the 53-year-old conceded that dropping two points on the opening weekend was far from ideal in a campaign where Sundowns are chasing an unprecedented ninth successive league crown.
“Obviously, it’s not the best thing to start the championship with a draw,” said Cardoso.
“We need to arrive in the end with more points than our opponents and we have to fight in the next one. We need to think about the next game because after this one we need to look back, look at the mistakes and try to build a team.”
After facing AmaZulu, Sundowns will turn their attention to Saturday’s trip to Orlando Stadium for a mouth-watering MTN8 semifinal first leg clash with arch-rivals Orlando Pirates.
Despite the futures of key players Lucas Ribeiro and Khuliso Mudau still being up in the air, the Portuguese coach remains confident his players can cope with the demands of a congested early-season schedule.
“I’m used to that (tight PSL schedule) and the team is more used to it. We know we have 72 hours to prepare ourselves for the next match,” said the former Espérance boss.
‘We will be stronger in the next match’
“Obviously, the context of victory would have allowed us to be in a comfort zone, but it’s not where we are and we’ll deal with it in the right way. We will be stronger for sure in the next match and we’re going to fight to win.
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“There’s a lot to go with this team until the market is closed. Let’s see what will happen but in the meantime, let’s solve our issues and become stronger day after day and continue to work to develop our players because that’s what we need to do.”
