Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has shared his stance on Lucas Suarez, whose error gifted Kaizer Chiefs a goal on Sunday ahead of the CAF Champions League semi-final against Al Ahly.
The Tshwane giants lost 2-1 to Chiefs at the weekend at a packed Loftus Stadium and were booted out of the Nedbank Cup in the semis.
Besides the blunder against Amakhosi, Suarez was also responsible for one of the goals scored by the Orlando Pirates in Sundowns’ 2-1 defeat in the Betway Premiership.
When asked if he was worried that Ahly might exploit Suarez’s weaknesses, the Portuguese coach offered his perspective on the matter. Cardoso shielded the Argentinian defender, saying he, as the coach, is the one who makes the most mistakes.
“Before any player makes a mistake, I may make many mistakes myself,” he responded. “The first mistake I make comes from my job of choosing players for the task. I have to select 11. So when I choose 11, there are over 20 who already think that I’ve made a mistake, along with many others who feel the same way.”
He further said “mistakes are part of the game”. “Of course, there are goals that come from something fantastic unrelated to an opponent’s mistake, but most of them result from small things that didn’t happen as they should have. I don’t dwell on the past regarding that. We work to improve. Everybody strives to get better.”
CARDOSO SAYS SUNDOWNS LOST DUE TO ANOTHER ERROR
The former Esperance coach said Sunday’s encounter was lost because of “another error”, not necessarily Suarez’s mistake. He is on record as questioning the referee’s judgment in Ashley Du Preez’s goal.
“We believe that the players we have in the group are the ones who can handle the difficulties that each match presents, along with the challenges that arise from there. But obviously, there’s always an emotional state. We need to elevate the players so that they can perform properly.
“As you understood, no matter what happened in the last match, there was still time to play, and we could not address the issue. And it’s not because of that mistake that we lost, but due to another error. I don’t want to discuss the last game because we should also focus on the future.”
Cardoso said he was the kind of coach who always “goes back to what I could have done better” rather than blaming a result on his players.
“So that’s exactly how we deal with the emotional setbacks that can happen with any player, any one in the structure. Because before a mistake, maybe there are many others that happen. That’s how we should really do the things.”
He concluded with an expression that says, “even if I don’t like all the players, I should love them all. And that’s how I relate as a coach with my players.”
It remains to be seen whether Cardoso will take a gamble and start Suarez on Saturday against the reigning African champions. Kick off is 15h00 at the Loftus Stadium.
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