‘Sundowns Is Not A Mickey Mouse Club’

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso.

Former Mamelodi Sundowns defender Clayton Daniels feels there is a lot more pressure on the coaching staff at the club after their Nedbank Cup exit, with two trophies left to compete for this season.

Sundowns have made it a habit to win the Premiership title, but have struggled over the last few years to consistently win knockout competitions, despite the heavy investment into their squad. All the domestic knockout competitions are out of reach this season and the only one left to compete for is the CAF Champions League.

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They made it to the quarterfinals of the continental club competition in the final group match and will next face Stade Malien with the hope of edging closer to the title they last won in 2016. And with the club not cruising in the league title race like previous seasons, there is a lot of pressure on the technical team led by Miguel Cardoso to deliver.

Speaking to Soccer Laduma, Daniels said he feels there will be more pressure on the technical team to deliver success this season.

“Sundowns is a big club in South Africa and in Africa, so every cup is important. Every player knows how important it is to win silverware and to compete at the highest level in every game. I feel the coaches are now under pressure and, of course, it comes with the job. Sundowns is not a Mickey Mouse club that is happy to be knocked out of the Nedbank Cup. I am sure the coaches and players know the responsibility of putting Sundowns back to where it belongs,” Daniels said.

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“Unfortunately, they are out of the Nedbank Cup and they have the league title race which is tight. Going into all these games, the quality has to come through and their big match temparament has to come through. The experience of the coach has to come through. At Sundowns, there is no time. You have to compete and win games. You have to play every game like it’s your last. But I know with the experience they have, they can overcome.”

Currently top of the Betway Premiership standings, Sundowns will host Sekhukhune United at Loftus Stadium on Sunday.

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