Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has opened up on Nuno Santos’ recent form, hailing the Portuguese midfielder as an ‘extraordinary player’.
Santos enjoyed an impressive campaign last season, particularly in the CAF Champions League, but has not consistently reached the same levels during the opening stages of the new campaign.
Cardoso, however, suggested that the Portuguese playmaker’s situation should not be viewed in isolation, pointing to the impact of the transfer window and the uncertainty it can create within squads.
“Sometimes there are those things that you can’t expose completely, sometimes there are things that happen inside the team that coaches cannot speak freely about them, not only to do with Nuno but a lot of things,” Cardoso said.
“You should understand there’s some capacity to keep some of the things that happen, stable inside our walls. I’m not speaking about Nuno but in general, the stability comes when the moment the market closes and things start to go from there.
“You see how teams in South Africa for the moment start to struggle with these kinds of situations. It happens everywhere in the world, it’s clear the market touches people, it touches the connections and that stability helps settle down everybody so we can move forward with a clear understanding for everybody.”
The Portuguese coach believes the closure of the transfer window allows players and coaches to gain greater clarity over their roles and responsibilities, something he feels is crucial to building consistency.
“Where we are and who we can count with, and how much we need to be committed every day in order to be part and important to the building process we want,” he added.
Despite Santos’ inconsistent start, Cardoso was quick to remind supporters of the quality the midfielder possesses, highlighting his performances in the Champions League last season.
“Nuno is an extraordinary player – you know that,” he said.
“How he performed in the Champions League, especially throughout the group stage, he was absolutely amazing. He gave us a lot of things – that is the Nuno that we saw and when the players smile, when the players are happy, it brings flow and energy.”
For Cardoso, restoring that happiness and togetherness within the squad is just as important as the tactical work being done on the training pitch.
“That is what we need to find in everybody so that the connections happen well,” he explained.
“This week you saw images that came out in the press, the players put on social media from our locker rooms. You saw the players dancing, enjoying, laughing together.
“I think today I also addressed that to the players, that energy we need to have, and should sustain in terms of relations, so we can play football like brothers.”
Cardoso believes that stronger relationships between his players can ultimately translate into better performances on the pitch as Sundowns look to build momentum across their various competitions.
“Because I always fight more for my brother than I would fight for anyone else, besides my mother, father, my son and wife,” he said.
“The continuous growth of this group is important to achieve the results we want to achieve.”
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