FCB Nyasa Big Bullets head coach Gilbert Chirwa addressed the media on Thursday morning as preparations continued for Sunday’s FDH Bank Premiership clash against Mighty Wanderers at Bingu National Stadium.
The contest will mark the 80th Blantyre derby and the second meeting between the two sides this season following the NBS Bank Charity Shield encounter played at the same venue three weeks ago.
With Bullets seeking a response after recent derby results, Chirwa spoke on the team’s preparations, mentality, injuries, goalkeeping competition and expectations heading into Malawi’s biggest fixture.
Below is the full press conference:
Coach, this will be the second meeting between the two sides this season following the Charity Shield clash three weeks ago. How has the build-up been within the camp ahead of Sunday’s encounter?
Indeed, this will be our second meeting with Wanderers. They beat us 1-0 in the Charity Shield match, and this time around, we started our training on Tuesday to try to correct some areas we feel we did not do well when we played them and the boys have responded very well, and I can also report that training is going on very well.
We come into the match after picking up four points from the opening two league matches. How do you assess the team’s start to the campaign so far?
Both matches, the one we played against Civil, and the recent one against MAFCO FC, we played well, and we created a lot of chances. I think the biggest problem has been that we were not very clinical in front of goal, and that’s what we have been working on, and the boys are responding quite well.
And again, as we are coming from pre-season, there is progress. As we are meeting Wanderers this weekend, we are expecting a tough match again, but the boys are ready, and this time around, we will change the results.
Big stage for big players. Looking at your squad, can we say this team can beat Mighty Wanderers as they have been dominant in the previous season and in the Charity Shield?
It’s very possible because in football, you don’t give up.
And in fact, if you look back, we were more dominant in the past, but from nowhere, Wanderers came in and started dominating.
So, this time around, we are not giving up. We are always encouraging our boys to believe in themselves, and to go out there, play to our best so that we can beat Wanderers.
If you look at what we lost, our performance was good especially in the first half, and we conceded the goal in the second half. We have been working hard with the boys so that we can try to rectify some of the problems that we encountered in that game.
How tough is managing FCB Nyasa Big Bullets dressing room as there are high expectations from the supporters following the Mighty Wanderers dominance?
Well, maybe if it were my first time managing a team like this one, it could have been very difficult.
However, I have been a coach for this team for a long period, and I have also coached so many teams in this league, and I know how it goes, and we are working so well with my colleagues, and we are doing well, and I believe everything will go on very well because this time around, we are not leaving anything behind, we are ready for the game and I believe we will put up a gallant fight.
Last season Mighty Wanderers dominated all the fixtures in the FDH Bank Cup, in the league and this season in the Charity Shield, are you under pressure? Last season you were the assistant coach to Peter Mponda, this season in the Charity Shield you were the head coach, are you under pressure as you’re facing Mighty Wanderers with high expectations from the supporters?
We are not under pressure, but there is pressure on both Wanderers and Bullets. This is a big game.
Yes, our friends won last time, but this is a new game, and we believe that anything can happen.
Wanderers have won the last four meetings between the two sides. Does that add extra motivation within the squad heading into Sunday’s match?
What I can say is that in most cases, we judge a team’s performance when the team is unable to create chances, unable to put up a gallant fight and unable to keep possession of the ball.
However, this team, if you can critically examine how we have performed, I am sure we performed very well and created lots of chances. We believe we stand a chance to win if we can come out with the same momentum.
How important would it be for the team psychologically to get a positive result in this fixture considering the recent meetings between the two sides?
It’s very possible because in football, you don’t give up. If you look back, we were more dominant in the past, but from nowhere, Wanderers came in and started dominating.
So, this time around, we are not giving up. We are always encouraging our boys to believe in themselves and to go out there and play to our best so that we can beat Wanderers.
If you look at the game we lost, our performance was good especially in the first half, and we conceded the goal in the second half. We have been working hard with the boys so that we can try to rectify some of the problems that we encountered in that game.
What lessons did the team take from the Charity Shield defeat that could be important going into this weekend’s encounter?
In fact, we learn from every game we play because when you create chances and you don’t score, at the end of the game, you have to cry.
But I think we have done a lot in training, and I think the boys will do better.
A number of the newer players have already experienced the derby atmosphere in the Charity Shield. How important is that experience as the team prepares for another meeting on Sunday?
It’s very important. When we brought in these new players, they never feared anything. They have always put up a gallant fight and fought for places in the team.
They even frustrated old players by playing ahead of them, and this shows that these players are ready to play. They are good players for us.
Derbies often require strong personalities on the pitch. Have you seen the kind of leadership and character within the squad that gives you confidence ahead of Sunday?
Yes, that’s very true. We have depth and experienced players in the team. We also have some young players who have just joined us. Some have just been promoted from the reserves, some bought from other teams, but I believe they are good players who are very experienced and can handle any pressure in the team.
Coach, from the last four meetings against Wanderers, Bullets haven’t scored a single goal and looking at the previous match, you won yes, but haven’t scored a single goal, as per your post-match interview you were worried about your players missing a lot of chances, failing to finish in the final third, how assured are you that players are going to take the chances in the next game?
We still believe in our players even though we haven’t been clinical enough from the chances that we have been creating.
Yes, we are struggling to find the back of the net, but in football, you don’t give up until you find the net, and that’s what we have been doing to correct these mistakes, and I believe it will improve this time around.
You played against Civil Service United at Civo Stadium which is a five-hour drive, you also played MAFCO FC in Mwanza which is a two-hour drive, in terms of fatigue, you’re playing all the games away despite Bullets having a high fanbase in the country
I don’t really think this has anything to do with playing away from Kamuzu Stadium.
You see, we created lots of goal-scoring chances, and I think it’s just a matter of having confidence, a belief in themselves, and I think that’s what we have been doing in our training to try to give them confidence, the belief so that we can be able to start scoring from all the chances we have been creating.
These fixtures are often decided by mentality as much as tactics. What mindset do you want to see from your players on Sunday?
I would like to see a change from our previous approach, and this time around, I want my players to show fighting spirit and resilience because this is a big match.
The concentration should be top-notch. This is what I want to see because it is a very important match for us and we would want to fight to the end to win the match.
The team showed attacking promise in the opening matches but also conceded goals against Civil Service United. How important has defensive organisation been in preparations this week?
That’s why after every match we go back to the drawing board by sitting down with the boys, reviewing the game and rectifying some of the mistakes encountered.
We believe we will do better than what we did last time.
What’s the situation around Madalitso Safuli? Some fans might be wondering he’s been missing from the matchday squads despite having a good run when he was on loan at Mzuzu City Hammers?
As coaches we look at the performance of players at training, they compete and we come up with a selection.
If he impresses coaches then we select him, if he doesn’t then we don’t. It also depends on the type of opposition we’re meeting, and they fight and if he impresses them surely that week we pick him, but if his friends have done better it means we chose those who have done better.
There are so many games, cup games and league games, surely he will appear.
Against Wanderers and in recent matches, controlling key moments has been crucial. How important will composure and game management be on Sunday?
Well, maybe if it were my first time managing a team like this one, it could have been very difficult.
However, I have been a coach for this team for a long period, and I have also coached so many teams in this league, and I know how it goes. We are working so well with my colleagues and I believe everything will go on very well because this time around, we are not leaving anything behind.
We are ready for the game and I believe we will put up a gallant fight.
Can Sunday’s match become an early statement moment for this Bullets side in the 2026/27 season?
For sure, I think the game between the two teams is always a big one.
If you win this game, the players can be motivated and start believing in themselves.
A big crowd is expected at Bingu National Stadium. What message do you have for the Bullets supporters ahead of the derby?
For our supporters, they should come and cheer the team. They should believe in the boys, and there will be no excuses from our part.
We have to put up a gallant fight because Wanderers are a good side, but we are ready for them.
Can you give us an update on the squad in terms of injuries, availability and overall condition heading into Sunday’s match
There is Ahamad Kung’unde, who is still nursing an injury, Mike Mkwate, Frank Willard and Chrispin Mapemba, they are all nursing injuries.
Ahead of the MAFCO match you spoke about Mike Mkwate coming back in the squad
Mkwate was back ahead of the MAFCO match, he trained twice, and he went back. The same injury, he started feeling pain.
Issues to do with goalkeeping has been the talk of the day among Bullets supporters, in the Charity Shield we saw Innocent Nyasulu being between the sticks, against Civil Service United was Pilirani Mapira, against MAFCO Nyasulu was back in goal, in terms of the assessment of the goalkeepers, you have Mclean Mwale, Mapira and Nyasulu, who is Bullets number one and how are you assessing the goalkeepers?
How are you assessing goalkeepers? Goalkeepers are assessed during training, and we have our goalkeepers trainer who also gives us his own reports about how they’re performing, and again I can assure you that they’re all good goalkeepers, and you know we have lots of games, closer to 40, I don’t think all those matches we can feature one goalkeeper.
Maybe way back we used to rely on one goalkeeper, but this time around we have brought in the three who are all good goalkeepers and we will be rotating them. But surely you’ll see who’s number one.
Why rotating the goalkeepers?
You change the goalkeepers sometimes because of injuries, sickness.
Always we tend to follow what is happening elsewhere but looking at the performance of our goalkeepers, we believe they’re all good and they can all do a better job, and for sure Pilirani also did well against Civil, and Innocent also performed well against MAFCO, so we will also give Mclean a chance to showcase his skills.
You experienced this fixture as a player in a different era. What differences do you see between the previous generation and the current generation when it comes to the Blantyre derby?
The difference is there. Every period, you experience different kinds of situations. Maybe in our situation, we were very loyal to the team and very disciplined, and I think that’s the difference between us and the current generation. In my time, despite being a defender, I used to score goals in derbies. I scored more than three goals, so that’s what I can say.
