Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has made an assessment of his side’s level following their exit from the FIFA Club World Cup tournament.
Masandawana had a rollercoaster run in the global tournament, winning their first match against Ulsan HD, losing to Borussia Dortmund, and drawing against Fluminense in the group stages.
They couldn’t go through to the next round after finishing third in the Group F table, having accumulated four points from three matches.
Cardoso has highly praised his troops, expressing satisfaction with their current level after being tested against the world’s best clubs.
The Portuguese coach, Cardoso, says he has been receiving commendations for the Tshwane giants from coaches worldwide.
CARDOSO ON SUNDOWNS’ PERFORMANCES AT CLUB WORLD CUP
“I think yes [Sundowns are where they should be with the level],” said Cardoso during the interview with Sundowns’ The Pitchside Podcast.
“You know why I’m saying that? It’s not because of my evaluation, but because of the feedback I got from people.
“People have been coming from everywhere in the world. You know I worked in Spain, France, and I have people in England.
“A lot of coaches in Portugal and everywhere around the world, feedback has been coming, one after another.
“They have been sending messages like, ‘Wow, what a team!’ They are saying, how can you come here and state yourself like that as an identity? You look at the quality of the players and the structure we have.
“So, what we need is to feel this power in this capacity. We mustn’t remain where we are but understand where we can get to another level with our development.”
Cardoso says the key now is to maintain their high standard after showcasing their capabilities to the world.
“There are always things to do, and we can be better. That’s the challenge for ourselves. We felt that we competed, but we need to create sustainability of what we did,” Cardoso added.
RELATED STORY: Cardoso addresses Williams’ costly error in Dortmund clash