iDiski TV analyst Benedict Vilakazi has admitted that he’s humbled by how Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has turned things around at the club, after calling for the coach’s head earlier on in the season.
Cardoso’s side defeated his former club ES Tunis 1-0 in the second leg of their semi-final tie at home on Saturday, to win the two legged affair 2-0 on aggregate following a 1-0 victory in the first leg.
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This is the third time in as many successive seasons that the Portuguese mentor has qualified for the Champions League final and now twice with Sundowns, but lost last season to Pyramids FC. He has an opportunity to lift the trophy if he beats ASFAR in the final next month.
‘Tso’, who earlier in the season especially after Sundowns’ elimination from the Carling Knockout Cup said Cardoso should be fired, now says he respects Cardoso for listening to alternative voices and turning things around at the club.
“Before getting to the game I want to say this, I was among the first group of people, if not the first one, who said Cardoso must go,” admitted Tso on iDiski TV.
“I said after the [FIFA] Club World Cup that Cardoso must go. I respect the coach. I respect the coach and this is one thing that I always say, there’s nothing wrong if you’re doing certain drills well, and I can take them and use them in my team and win. There’s nothing wrong because the reason why we wanted him to go was because we were not enjoying Mamelodi Sundowns football.
“Yes, Sundowns they were winning, getting those points, but we were not enjoying. It was not Sundowns that we all know. So, that’s why we were like, no, he must go. So, now, because he’s a very good listener, and I really, really respect him for that, he turned things around.
“I enjoy watching Mamelodi Sundowns now, okay, I enjoy them. They play the ball. That’s why they’ve got this nickname of Bafana ba Style is because of the football that they are displaying. And again, he brought an element of a huge experience in these boys. If you know Sundowns, as I know Sundowns, that’s been playing in the Champions League and the Sundowns that played today [Saturday], they in another level.
“Now, I understand why Sundowns management they want a coach that has won the Champions League, because that coach understands how to win it. You’re counting now 2024, 2025, 2026, same coach is going to the final. That means he knows how to get there. You look at all these other games, how Sundowns have been playing, you could see that they’ve turned the corner, these boys have grown. I’ve never seen Sundowns so matured.”
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