Head coach Wedson Nyirenda believes FCB Nyasa Big Bullets must adopt a different mindset as they prepare to face Ekhaya in Saturday’s Airtel Top 8 quarterfinal second leg, where a place in the semifinals is on the line.
FCB Nyasa Big Bullets head coach Wedson Nyirenda says his side must approach Saturday’s Airtel Top 8 quarterfinal second leg against Ekhaya with a different mentality from a league fixture as they bid to keep their Airtel Top 8 title defence alive.
The teams played out a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Lilongwe last month, leaving the tie finely poised ahead of the decisive return leg at Mpira Stadium. With a place in the semifinals at stake, Nyirenda believes knockout football demands a mindset centred solely on getting the result required to progress.
Speaking during his Thursday pre-match press conference, the Bullets coach explained that while the team’s preparations remain largely the same, the mentality going into a cup match is completely different.
“It has always been different. It will never be the same because a cup game is a cup game,” he said. “The result is needed there and then. You are not looking for a draw or anything else. If you want to progress, you simply have to win.”
For Nyirenda, that mentality shapes every aspect of the team’s approach. Against an Ekhaya side unbeaten in seven matches and full of confidence, Bullets will need clinical finishing, defensive discipline and intelligent game management if they are to secure a place in the Airtel Top 8 semifinals.
“So, we need to score the goals that are required, defend well and manage the game properly. I think that is all we need.”
Nyirenda expects another competitive contest, acknowledging Ekhaya’s impressive unbeaten run while expressing confidence in the progress his own side has made since the first leg.
“They have gone seven matches without losing, as you have said, and we have also gone several matches unbeaten. The difference is that over the past three games we have improved after those draws we had earlier in the season.
“Now we are scoring goals, managing games better and winning matches. It is going to be a very interesting contest because they are playing good football and I also believe we are playing good football.”
The Bullets coach also stressed the importance of remaining true to his team’s identity, insisting the focus will be on imposing their own game rather than becoming preoccupied with the opposition.
“We are not going to do much about the opponent. I think we need to prepare our team the way we want ourselves to play. We want to dictate and act so that the other team will be reacting to our actions.
“We want to do more of the things on the pitch, win the ball most of the time, manage the ball and spaces. That will be our target.”
Having taken charge just three days before the first leg, Nyirenda believes his team has made significant strides in the weeks since that encounter. Now, with the quarterfinal delicately poised, he wants his players to produce the performance needed to reach the Airtel Top 8 semifinals and continue the club’s defence of the trophy.
