FCB Nyasa Big Bullets head coach Kalisto Pasuwa faced the media in Lusaka this morning ahead of our TotalEnergies CAF Champions League first preliminary round return leg against Red Arrows at the Heroes Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Malawi champions go into this match with a slender 2-1 lead over the Zambian champions, and a draw or a win will be enough for Pasuwa’s men to advance to the second preliminary stage, where TP Mazembe from the Democratic Republic of Congo await.
Pasuwa spoke about his anticipation for the game, the opposition, injuries, and what needs to be done to come out of Heroes Stadium with a positive result.
Read on to find out what Pasuwa discussed ahead of the tie.
On Bullets’ preparedness
We travelled from Malawi on Thursday with the boys, who are ready for the match. And yes, we have some knocks to one or two [players] in the team, but again, I think the doctors will certify them to be prepared for the match, and we hope that by tomorrow, we will be okay.
On his approach to the game
We played the first half of the 90 minutes in Lilongwe and we’re here for the second half of it. We are playing a well-structured team, very experienced, and we know what we are expecting from these guys. We know they will come hard on us and I think we have a plan B for it.
On the recent positive results amid unimpressive form in the domestic league
In terms of the performance last year, we had so many injuries in our camp and when we started the season, we had some youngsters whom we promoted from the reserves to join the senior side. Most of those players who were playing last year were new players and we suffered what we call a second-year syndrome where maybe when we started the season, everything wasn’t going very well.
Yes, we played Red Arrows [in Lilongwe last Sunday], and we had experienced players; some of them played the Champions League before. They pushed themselves against this [Zambian] experienced side, and we got a win, and it motivated them. If you saw the way they played on Wednesday [against Moyale Barracks in the FDH Bank Cup semi-finals], it was a high-intensity game, and they managed through and again now [we have to undergo] the recovery part of it [before Saturday’s match]. But again, since I talked about some of the players who are around, we will see how we will manage it so that we play this game [and get a positive result].
On playing Red Arrows at Heroes Stadium
Red Arrows, like I said, is an experienced side. If you saw the way they played in the first leg, they are a structured team and we need to be very compact for us to match them. We can’t be running everywhere. When the spaces allow us to go to them, we will go to them.
On the media reports quoting him saying the team is not ready for Red Arrows
I think it’s the media. As you said, it’s the media guys, and I don’t know how they reported. I am talking to you [right now and am saying] we are ready, and you are telling me ‘they said’, which is something else. I am here, I am telling you we are ready.
On players’ complacency going into the return leg
I think we have experienced players in the team and as a coach, we have been talking about this. In Lilongwe, we were complacent and conceded a goal first. It’s in the players; if you tell them something else, they will go the other way, but we talked to them, and we agreed to be positive in our approach and in everything that we do. We are carrying a 2-1 lead, and as I said, it’s only the first half, and we are going into the second half of the game [tomorrow].
On how Bullets came from behind to win the first leg
We talked about the game at halftime for the players to raise their tempo, and in the second half, as you saw, we increased the intensity in terms of attack, and we had some of the players whom we took out, and we brought in fresh legs, and we had a better of it.
On the reception in Zambia since arrival on Thursday
So far so good. We can’t complain about anything. I think the players are doing as if they are at home.
