The celebrations were still ringing for Mamelodi Sundowns’ eighth consecutive league title when coach Miguel Cardoso drew parallels between his winning formula and the ideas championed by Paris Saint-Germain’s Luis Enrique.
Cardoso spoke to the media in East London at the Buffalo City Stadium, the same venue where he had watched his players secure the Betway Premiership title in impressive fashion with a 3-0 victory over Chippa United on Wednesday night.
Needing only a point to secure the title and mark nearly 10 years of league dominance, Cardoso’s troops delivered a decisive performance. Iqraam Rayners opened the scoring early in the 11th minute, his 14th goal of the season putting him level with Brazilian teammate Lucas Ribeiro at the Premiership’s summit.
Fellow Brazilian Arthur Sales then stole the show with a brace: his first in the 69th minute, followed by a stunning 89th-minute strike from an improbable angle on the right of the area.
CARDOSO DRAWS INSPIRATION FROM PSG COACH ON MANAGING FATIGUE
In discussing his approach to managing Sundowns through a congested fixture list, Miguel Cardoso cited the ideas of PSG coach Luis Enrique. He also explained his belief in leveraging game situations for training and prioritising player well-being.
“Today [Wednesday] I was listening to the coach of Paris Saint-Germain [PSG], Luis Enrique, he was saying that most of the teams when they have hectic schedules, they work more and they do it otherwise and we also did it otherwise,” said Cardoso.
“I know that some of you joked a little bit when I said that we were preparing matches in 20 minutes, but it was true because our concern is that if you play away, you can use the games as a training session and go from there. But of course, when you play badly, they give you nothing.”
Cardoso went on to highlight the importance of creating a positive and trusting environment for his players, echoing the sentiments of Enrique regarding the power of the changing room.
“The way we commit ourselves to playing well, the way we want it, the way we developed the team by playing, also was the best training sessions we should do,” he added.
“So from there, we just needed to highlight the tactical plans, the strategic approach on matches, recover the players, give them freedom, release their heads, make them feel happy when they go home, so that they feel happy when they come home, that is our Chloorkop training ground.
“…indeed Enrique is right, the way he also thinks, giving freedom with a level of responsibility. The locker room is the best thing you can do for these boys because we develop trust among ourselves…”
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