Cardoso Praises Mailula Impact head coach Fernando Da Cruz has explained the tactical approach behind his side’s surprise set-up in Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Mamelodi Sundowns, while admitting Amakhosi are still some way from matching the reigning African champions pound for pound.
Chiefs adopted a cautious structure against Sundowns at FNB Stadium, prioritising control of the spaces in front of their defence while also ensuring they were not exposed in behind.
However, Da Cruz stressed that the system was not designed simply to sit deep, with Chiefs also preparing to attack whenever opportunities presented themselves.
“First of all, we set up the structure because we have injured players, so in two days [of preparation] we needed to find a solution,” he said.
The French coach explained that the quality of Sundowns’ attacking players meant Chiefs could not afford to give them excessive space, particularly between the lines or behind the defensive structure.
“So as I said before, if you give too much space to Sundowns, they can kill us, so we needed to control the spaces in front of us, but also behind us – but in this system we prepared our team to be able to attack.”
The approach appeared to frustrate Sundowns at times, with Chiefs remaining competitive despite seeing less of the ball during large portions of the match.
Da Cruz conceded that his side struggled to impose themselves in possession during the opening 45 minutes, but felt there was a noticeable improvement after the break.
“We weren’t very good in possession in the first half but improved in the second half,” he added.
The draw also prompted a broader question over how close Chiefs are to being able to challenge Sundowns on an equal footing, particularly given the gulf in experience between the two squads and technical projects.
Da Cruz was realistic in his assessment.
“And the last thing, if we wanna compare Sundowns and Chiefs, for the moment we cannot compare,” he explained.
“One side you have Sundowns, with players who have played together for six or seven years. And for us [as technical team], we arrived a month ago.”
Rather than making bold claims about immediately closing the gap, Da Cruz called for patience as he continues to implement his ideas at Chiefs.
“So give us time and we will improve step by step,” he said.
Chiefs have made an encouraging start to the 2026/27 Betway Premiership campaign, but Da Cruz believes the early results should not disguise the amount of work still required, particularly in the attacking phase.
“We made a good start in the PSL, but we need to stay calm and quiet, because we need to work again a lot in our offensive part.”