As FCB Nyasa Big Bullets prepare to return to TNM Super League action against Ekhaya on Wednesday, head coach Peter Mponda addressed the media to share his thoughts on the upcoming fixture, team news, the title race, and his assessment of both his squad and the opposition.
The Bullets boss also commented on tactical decisions made in recent matches and weighed in on broader football topics, including lessons from the ongoing FIFA Club World Cup.
On facing Ekhaya FC
Mponda anticipates a challenging contest against an Ekhaya side full of confidence.
“It will be a very difficult game because Ekhaya are playing with confidence. The positive thing from our last match [against Silver Strikers] was Paul Master’s revelation. The way he played in Lilongwe gives him a chance to feature, although it might be too early for him to start a competitive match.”
Team news
The coach confirmed near full fitness in the squad, with only two players uncertain for the match.
“We have everyone on board apart from Crispin Mapemba, who is still out with a long-term injury, and Andrew Jovinala, who is 50-50. He picked up a knock, and the doctors are assessing him. He’s a key player, but we’ve got others who can step in.”
On the title race and current standings
Despite being top of the table, Mponda played down any early talk of pressure or title favourites.
“It’s too early to talk about the title or pressure. We have 21 games to go. Even teams at the bottom have a lot of points to fight for. After 10 to 15 more games, we can start discussing who’s leading and who’s under pressure. For now, it’s just too soon.”
On the opposition
Mponda praised Ekhaya’s structure, defensive discipline, and coaching staff.
“They’re playing very well and are coached by a very good coach in Enos Chatama. His young players are energetic and organized. They don’t concede much, and while they don’t score a lot, they play smart football for a newly promoted team. They know what they’re doing.”
Are Ekhaya title contenders?
“No, not yet. They’re playing nice football without pressure and are well-coached, but we can’t say they’re title contenders now. Let’s wait until 15 games have been played and then assess.”
On Oscar Petro’s involvement
“Oscar is from our Reserves. We invited him to have a look, and we were happy with what we saw. If opportunities arise, he’ll continue training or even feature in the team.”
On making early substitutions
“It’s better to ‘waste’ a substitution than lose a game. If we see something’s not working, we’ll make quick changes. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but we have to take those risks.”
On whether they backfired against Silver Strikers
“It didn’t backfire. We were a man down and still didn’t concede. The two goals came when we had all 11 on the field. Even when we went two men down, Silver didn’t score. So the decision was fine.”
On lessons from the FIFA Club World Cup
“We’re watching, yes, but my full focus is on our team—where to improve, where we’re strong, and what we need to fix. We’ll learn a thing or two, but our focus is on us.”
On the team’s current level
“From midfield going forward, we’re strong. Defensively, we’re not at our best, but encouragingly, we’re not conceding much. We’ve scored the most goals and conceded the fewest, so we’re finding balance.”
On the strength of opponents faced so far
“We’ve played good sides—Wanderers, who were excellent that day, only scored once. Silver Strikers didn’t score at all. So we can’t say we’ve had it easy. I credit our ability to control possession and keep the ball away from our opponents.”
On struggles coming from behind
“It’s happened only twice, but we’re working on it. Just as it’s hard for others to come back when we score first, we need to improve our response when we go behind. The coaches and players are both working on that.”
On Wednesday’s game being a derby
“No, I don’t think so. We only have one derby in Malawi—and that’s Bullets vs Mighty Wanderers. The media may call this a derby to hype the game, but to me, there’s only one [Blantyre] derby.”
