Cardoso asks for consistency from Sundowns' players as season gains momentum

Such are the high standards at Mamelodi Sundowns that coach Miguel Cardoso is unhappy even when they have a three-point lead at the top of the Betway Premiership. The Brazilians registered their seventh win of the season by narrowly beating TS Galaxy 1-0 at Loftus on Wednesday to move to 25 points from 12 matches, but Cardoso believes their tally could have been more. Probably some of the discomfort for Cardoso stems from the knowledge that second-placed Orlando Pirates (22 from 10) are three points adrift but have two matches in hand. Even long-ailing Kaizer Chiefs (22 from 11) are three points behind with a game in hand. Pirates are one of the form teams in the league with four wins and a draw from their last five matches, and coach Abdeslam Ouaddou and his troops are on a high. "I am not happy with the points we have now," said Cardoso after the narrow win over TS Galaxy, going on to explain what led to their slow start to the season. "That is something that comes from the beginning of the season, where we lost points we should not have lost. I also understand that at the beginning of the season our start was not normal. "This is because we went to the Fifa Club World Cup, and we did not have enough time to prepare like we should have. We have got over that, and the reality is no-one is happy in Mamelodi Sundowns. "We know why this is happening. We managed to put things on a proper path and are working strong. We have managed to accumulate as many points as possible." The top bracket on the Premiership standings includes Sundowns, Pirates, Chiefs, Sekhukhune United and Polokwane City in what is shaping up as one of the tightest title contests in many years. Cardoso recognised the season is going to be competitive. "We knew from the beginning of the season the league was going to be tough because competition has become much better. What we want is to shape our character by being strong and having an attitude that no-one can destroy." The Carling Knockout semifinals take centre stage this weekend in Durban without Sundowns, followed by the Fifa international window. The Brazilians only return to official action when they visit Saint-Éloi Lupopo in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the group stages of the Champions League on November 21.