With a squad valued at over R820 million, Miguel Cardoso admits that keeping everyone happy is his toughest task. Photo: Backpagepix
Image: Backpagepix
Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has lifted the lid on the less visible battle behind the champions’ title defence — keeping a star-studded squad united as competition for places intensifies.
For a team built on dominance, recent weeks have tested rhythm and resolve. The Brazilians briefly surrendered momentum to Orlando Pirates in the Betway Premiership race, while an early Nedbank Cup exit amplified whispers of internal unease.
Yet, quietly, the champions have recalibrated. Three successive league wins have steadied the ship, with Sunday’s 3–1 victory over Sekhukhune United at Loftus Versfeld Stadium offering another reminder of their depth.
For Cardoso, however, the challenge runs deeper than formations or substitutions.
“Working with high quality players also brings problems that are different from the ones that don’t have such quality. It’s very difficult to manage a locker room that has players of high quality that are not in the line-up,” he said.
Sunday’s team sheet underlined that complexity. Bathusi Aubaas, Sphelele Mkhulise and Miguel Reisinho were left out altogether, while Nuno Santos and Themba Zwane started on the bench — names that would command starting roles almost anywhere else in the league.
“Managing a team that has this kind of level is very difficult because the expectations from all of them is that they have to play because they have the quality,” Cardoso added.
The Portuguese coach believes the real work happens away from the spotlight.
“How you create the commitment from the ones that are outside is even more important from the commitment you create from the ones that are inside,” he explained.
As the season enters its decisive phase, the margins are unforgiving. With 12 league matches remaining, Sundowns and Pirates are locked on 41 points after 18 games, separated only by goal difference.
Cardoso is cautious about narrowing the race too early, warning that consistency — not statements — will decide the title.
“There are a lot of championship matches to play and some of them are very tricky,” he said, referencing venue changes and tactical traps designed to disrupt Sundowns’ rhythm.
That warning will resonate when Mamelodi Sundowns return to Loftus on Wednesday night to host Golden Arrows. Arrows remain the only side to have beaten Sundowns in the league this season, claiming a shock 1–0 win in the reverse fixture.
In a title race shaped by fine margins, Sundowns know talent alone will not suffice. Harmony, patience and collective buy-in may yet prove the difference between defending the crown and watching it slip away.
* Smiso Msomi is a senior football reporter for Independent Media and senior contributor for our YouTube channel The Clutch