Esperance may have made changes twice to the coaching department since Miguel Cardoso left them last year, but the Mamelodi Sundowns head coach feels that the identity of the Tunisian club remains the same.
Cardoso will face off against the club he led to the CAF Champions League final last year when Sundowns host Esperance in the first leg of the quarter-finals at Loftus Stadium this afternoon. Laurentiu Reghecampf succeeded Cardoso in November 2004, but was replaced by Maher Kanzari before the international break.
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Despite the changes, Cardoso has an idea of what to expect from his former side.
"What I knew from Esperance was the starting point in terms of analysis, of course. The team changed since we left. It changed because different players entered in the team, so the team is different from the one Sundowns played last year, in terms of players and in terms of way of playing. The team has become different. Two coaches already after me coached Esperance. This new coach will bring something new to the team, but we expect them to be loyal to the identity of Esperance," Cardoso told media ahead of the game.
"We are here playing the first half (first leg), so we must clearly be under the mindset that whatever happens there will still be another 90 minutes to play. We are going to start from the first minute to search for the result we need."
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Cardoso feels that not going all the way to win the Champions League is not necessarily a failure. He believes there are teams that perform well, despite not going all the way. He does, however, promise that Sundowns will give it their best shot to finally win a second Champions League title.
"I think that it's important that people understand the Champions League is a competition that involves the best clubs on the continent. Obviously in the end there will be two teams competing in the final and only one winner. I don't feel that the teams that don't win the Champions League are teams that failed. Last year we didn't win the Champions League when I was coaching Esperance, but I didn't feel that the team failed. Obviously we know that we want to bring something more for this club and we know that everything has been done in order for us to succeed in this competition. That's the mindset we have. We will fight until the final minute, in the first and second match. And then we will fight again and again and again."
