Kalisto Pasuwa spoke to club media ahead of FCB Nyasa Big Bullets’ trip to Lilongwe for our TNM Super League fixture against Kamuzu Barracks on Saturday.
Bullets return to Civo Stadium six days following another disappointing draw in the campaign, recording a 1-1 stalemate against newcomers Creck Sporting Club in a match the defending champions needed to win to bounce back from a 1-0 loss to league leaders Silver Strikers.
Among other issues discussed, the head coach spoke about how Bullets players need to be encouraged as the team is passing through a phase in which results are not coming despite creating plenty of goal-scoring opportunities.
Read on to find out what Pasuwa said.
On what is needed for the team to get out of the current situation
We need to be very patient enough with what is happening now. We are missing chances. It’s not like we are not creating them. The chances are there but we are missing them and if you can see some of our opponents, they can only score from their only one chance in the entire game and we get punished while we have plenty of chances, hitting the ball in search of goals but we can’t score.
I think as coaches, we need to encourage these boys more for us to have those goals coming. As you know, for one to be in those scoring positions is a technique which is good on them and it is part of the other side of technique that needs to be corrected. We will do our best and we have tried as much as we can working inside the box [focusing on] the finishing part of it in order for us to improve in whatever we are lacking.
On whether the players still have the zeal and desire to fight when things get tough
It’s the psychological part of it, as you know from some of the boys, they are young and they need to know that football is all about mistakes and you quickly correct yourself, you come to the next game with the correct mindset. As you can see, maybe we are taking the problems that we had in the last game to the next game, which is a little bit of putting pressure on ourselves, but if we can be relaxed in whatever we do and not make so many mistakes when playing, we will get the goals coming.
On facing a resilient opposition in Kamuzu Barracks
If you look at us, it’s not Kamuzu Barracks that we are meeting, that fights in everything they do against Bullets. It’s every team in the league. So, we wouldn’t say this team is supposed to be approached this way. Maybe tactically, of course, to say if the other team plays a 4-4-2 or the other team 4-3-3 that’s when we can change, but the approach and the mindset of it, the way we train is how we should be playing.
On injuries
As of now, we still have most of our strikers out although we had some who are just doing light training. And Clyde Senaji who picked up an injury in our last game against Creck a week ago [is not available this weekend].
