Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso says the team is not at the level where he would like while also expressing that managing emotions is something very important to him.
Miguel has a perfect record so far as Sundowns coach having won three out three matches he has been in charge of including in the CAF Champions League.
In the side’s last league game against AmaZulu, they finished the clash with 10 men after goalkeeper Ronwen Williams received a straight red card but they went on to win the match.
The Portuguese mentor believes that right emotions dictate how a team plays and was pleased that his charges didn’t let emotions get the better of them with the numerical disadvantage while adding the subject is one he talks to his players mostly about.
Cardoso remains confident the defending champions will get to the level that he wants.
“I believe that when you are playing football you need to manage your emotions very well,” said Cardoso.
“Emotions have to do with what’s happening in every moment in the pitch because if you live the right emotions probably or for sure your behaviours will be the right ones in what will happen after in terms of behaviours on the pitch, the results that you get from behaviours will be better. So this very important chain reaction.
“What I think about, is what is happening because if today my players were thinking we were going to lose because we lost one player, probably they had lost. It’s important what we think because we will organise ourselves, and probably at the right moment we can reach a goal and win the game.
“That will probably leave more comfortable emotions, and they’ll probably be calmer and help each other more. So being in the right emotions so that you also focus on what you have to do in each moment on the pitch”.
“So the chain of reaction is very important and it’s something that we speak a lot [about]. That’s why sometimes I need to make them calm, make them focus so that we can go back to our way of playing because basically the team is not where I would like to be.
“Today was a third match in a row in a short period of time and usually it’s not the second one where you feel the level of fatigue, it’s usually the third one.”
