FCB Nyasa Big Bullets head coach Wedson Nyirenda spoke to the media on Thursday ahead of Sunday’s FDH Bank Premiership encounter against Kamuzu Barracks at Civo Stadium in Lilongwe.
The Bullets boss discussed his first week at the club, preparations for his first FDH Bank Premiership match in charge, his assessment of the squad, progress on the training ground, the latest injury update and much more.
Below is the full transcript of the press conference.
Coach, you have now had your first match in charge and a full week on the training ground. How would you assess your first few days at Bullets?
My first week with Bullets has been very positive. What I have seen is that we have very good players and one of the best things about this group is that they adapt very quickly.
In the game against Ekhaya, I had only been with the team for two days, but I was able to observe a few things. At times, we were a bit negative in our play. Whenever we had the ball, we wanted to come back instead of being brave enough to go forward, and we were not tracking our opponents closely enough.
We gave Ekhaya a lot of room to play and, if you are a big brand like Bullets, you have to step up your game because every team wants to raise their level against you.
We looked a bit lenient in some situations and did not punish them when we had the chance. We created opportunities in the first half and could have wrapped up the game within the opening 30 minutes, but we were wasteful in front of goal.
Those are some of the areas we have been working on. As a big team, we need to change gears and impose ourselves on our opponents.
This will be your first FDH Bank Premiership match in charge. What are your expectations going into Sunday’s encounter against Kamuzu Barracks?
It is not going to be an easy game. I have always said that every team is big in football and you cannot afford to look down on anyone.
When you are playing for a club like Bullets, every match is a final because opponents always want to give their best against you.
Kamuzu Barracks have their own ambitions and it will be a difficult contest, but we have to step up our game and impose ourselves on them.
If what we have been seeing in training is anything to go by, then I believe we can look forward to a good result.
Bullets remain unbeaten in the league but have drawn four matches in a row. How important is it for the team to start turning those draws into victories?
Like I said last time, we need to start picking up points now, otherwise we will regret it later.
What we need is to build confidence, especially in the attacking areas. When we score goals, we must also learn how to defend our lead.
Right now, all we need is a win. Once we get that win, we can start flowing. Confidence comes with winning games. The more games you draw, the more players begin to doubt themselves, excuses start coming in and, eventually, you lose confidence.
But from what I have seen in training from Monday up to today, I think things are getting better.
Having watched Bullets play a competitive match for the first time and then trained the team throughout the week, you must now have a clearer picture of the squad. What team have you inherited and which areas would you like to strengthen?
We have players who are doing well and there is a lot of talent in this squad.
If we are looking at areas to strengthen, I think we need to improve the striking department and bring in an enterprising midfielder, somebody who can control the midfield area.
I also think we may need to strengthen the defence with one or two additions.
That does not mean what we have is not good enough. I have seen great talent and very good young players who are doing well. But for competition and depth, I think there are some positions we may need to strengthen.
Coach, you talked about quality and the positions you would like to strengthen. If the club is unable to bring in players for those areas, what are Bullets’ chances in the league and cup competitions, and how long would it take to elevate the current squad to the level you want?
If we cannot get those players, I always say that as a coach you work with what you have. There are many ways to kill a rat.
I think the players we have are good enough. We only talked about strengthening certain areas, but if that does not happen then we know how to tweak the systems and other aspects of our game so that the players can still give us what we want.
Last time you mentioned the importance of adapting to your players. Have you managed to do that?
I am a very good adapter. I have already adapted to Nyasa and I am feeling at home.
My players are also very good at adapting to systems and new ideas. Throughout my coaching career, I have worked with many teams and one thing I have not seen in many places, which I have seen here, is how quickly these players learn.
The learning rate is just too quick. The things I have taught them in a short period of time are not easy, but they have picked them up very quickly.
Some of the drills are things you normally have to repeat week after week, but they have understood them in a very short space of time.
If we continue pushing them and the conditions allow, I think we can achieve something great.
We have already seen some encouraging signs in terms of the team’s attacking play. How close is the squad to implementing the style of football you want to see?
It depends on how they continue learning. As I have said, they are fast learners.
It is one thing to learn something and understand it, but football is also about being competitive. You can learn the concepts, but if you do not apply them competitively, then we will keep talking about the same things.
Against Ekhaya, I saw a lot of negative football, especially in midfield and in attack. We kept bringing the ball back and making the opposition comfortable.
Over the last two days of training, I have seen a shift in mentality. The players are now looking to go forward more often.
Today, I saw something huge. Everyone wanted to move forward and be positive.
I am particularly very impressed with young Yamikani Mologeni. He is a big machine. Somebody can see a small man in him, but that is a big player.
He goes on his own without being told, he comes back in time, so I think he is holding on to that position very well.
These are the things we need from the players, adapting quickly so that we can move forward together as a team.
Have you done any research on Kamuzu Barracks? What do you know about them and what will be your approach on Sunday?
My research shows that they are an aggressive team. They are physical, they play direct football and they have strong wingers who are quick going forward.
They also depend a lot on crosses and those are some of the things we have been working on throughout the week.
In the game we played last week, my team started to drop off after about 38 minutes, which suggested the endurance levels were not where they needed to be.
We have worked on that this week. We added more intensity, did some good conditioning work and the players are looking good.
We want them to go punch for punch with Kamuzu Barracks and then add our own flair to the game. I am also told the pitch is playable, which should suit our style.
From your words, the team collapsed after 38 minutes in the game against Ekhaya, which suggests fitness levels were not where they needed to be. You also mentioned bringing in a fitness trainer. When should we expect him to arrive?
That is being worked on. The club is handling that process and very soon the gentleman will be coming in.
I think that will help address some of those areas.
Having been with the team for around 10 days, can you give us an update on the players who were sidelined through injury?
Maclean Mwale is back and training with us.
Dastan Banda and Edward Thengo are also back and have been doing rehabilitation training this week. As things stand, it is a full house, but we need to be careful in how we manage these players and their return to action.
With Banda, I spoke to him this morning and he told me he is completely healed from his ankle problem.
We just need to be cautious in how we bring him back. We do not want to rush him into the thick of things because the intensity has gone up and the pitch is not so smooth, so there is always a risk of him twisting his ankle again.
The rest of the players are ready for the match and they are looking good.
The supporters are eager to see the team climb the table. What message would you like to send to them ahead of Sunday’s trip to Lilongwe?
The supporters are an integral part of this football team. The team can never do without them.
We are promising them that things are going to change for the better. The players are looking ready and we want to encourage our supporters to continue backing us.
From what I saw during the Ekhaya game, the support was fantastic. This is a massively supported club.
I can only compare it to Nkana Football Club in Zambia. We are in that category and we need to give the people what they expect from us.
We will do our part and we ask them to continue doing theirs.
Finally, what would constitute a successful afternoon for Bullets on Sunday?
I think a successful afternoon would be one where we play good football and, most importantly, come back with a victory and a good scoreline.
That would be very good for us.
