Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has revealed the two subjects he typically avoids discussing in public media settings.
Cardoso faced journalists for the first time in a post-match press conference after successfully guiding Sundowns to a 1-0 victory over Raja Casablanca in the CAF Champions League on Sunday afternoon.
Iqraam Rayners’ second-half goal at Loftus Versfeld Stadium was enough to ensure Cardoso started life at Sundowns on a positive note.
The win also ended a run of two consecutive draws against AS Maniema and AS FAR Rabat, marking Sundowns’ first victory in the Champions League group stages this season.
With this result, the Tshwane giants, placed second in the group, moved level with leaders FAR Rabat on five points after three games.
THE TWO THINGS MIGUEL CARDOSO DOESN’T SPEAK ABOUT
Following the Raja win, Cardoso emphasised his preference for avoiding certain topics in interviews. He stated that he generally refrains from commenting on refereeing decisions and individual performances of players.
Instead, the Portuguese coach prefers to focus on analysing his team’s performance and identifying areas for improvement.
Cardoso’s media approach shares similarities with that of Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro, who also typically avoids speaking about individual player performances.
“Most of my changes have to do with tactical analysis or managing the game,” said Cardoso when questioned about his decision to replace Sphelele Mkhulise with Kutlwano Letlhaku at halftime. Notably, Letlhaku subsequently provided the assist for Rayners’ goal.
“We have the players with commitment, so things will happen with the right emotional approach as well.
“So I’m happy that we made the changes according to the game situation and the players reacted well… but I need to go deeper into the analysis of the game to have a clear perception on individual things.
“Usually, there are two things I don’t speak about – the referees and individual performances of the players because I really like to watch the game in detail so I can be fair, and it is something I usually keep for them.
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