Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has expressed how emotional connections can prove vital in playing through mental and physical fatigue.
Sundowns are set to play their 41st match of the season in all competitions when they host Sekhukhune United this weekend in the Nedbank Cup quarter final.
With training schedules nearly non-existent, with Cardoso stating on more than one occasion, 20-minute tactical sessions have been used to prepare the squad in recent weeks as they have a game every three days between travelling and team camps.
Physical fatigue can be handled with rotating the squad he has at his disposal but several players, in the past, have noted the mental fatigue of the schedule, with Rivaldo Coetzee stating last week on the Pitchside Podcast that the games are not the issue, but rather everything in between games.
“There’s one thing from Steve Komphela that I share yesterday on my Instagram, that is so beautiful regarding the way you deal with football teams,” Cardoso said when asked how he handles the squad’s mental fatigue.
“Football performance has not only to have 11 when you play, but a group of players thinking the same things at the same time, under a good physical condition. It’s about uniting hearts, souls, making brotherhood.
“I also shared a photo with myself, Thapelo [Morena] and Tebza [Mokoena] after the match with Chiefs where we were embracing each other – those are the moments the glue football people in one team and that’s what we have strongly.
“It keeps us attached and committed. For me it’s about reminding them in certain moments about that, it’s what I did at half-time, please boys, look I have told them before but it was not clear that we were using the best emotions on the pitch.
“I just reminded to them what we need to overcome difficulties – to focus on what? On us or the others, let’s focus on what we control, myself as a coach, I focus on what I can control, that’s our work, creating a team that is balance but enough aggression.”
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While Cardoso went in on a practical example, he went more directly to answer the question by stating building strong relationships can help players go beyond their limits.
“We deal with the different risks in different moments of the game, try to bring variants to make the job more difficult for opponents, but I think it’s the most important thing to deal with this kind of schedule,” he continued.
“It’s to be united, be strong, be able to give your soul for the other one – I told them on the morning of the match – the ones I love are the ones I can give my life for. I would give my life for my mama, for my papa, for my son – if we have a strong connection.
“We can love each other, we are willing to get something more than just football aside of someone else when you are on the pitch, because sometimes you are tired, you are dying but you still need to run for something because there was a guy who lost a 1v1 and you need to compensate for him.
“If you have a strong relationship, you will run with whatever state of fatigue you are in. Maybe you don’t arrive on time but you will try and I just want them to try – it’s how I see the moment of this team.”
