We welcome Mzuzu City Hammers for TNM Super League action at Kamuzu Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Club media spoke to head coach Kalisto Pasuwa ahead of the tie, our fourth home fixture this campaign.
He spoke about the preparations following the team’s return from Dwangwa where we drew 1-1 against MAFCO last Saturday, the opposition, starting the season on a low note and the defensive errors that have seen his team concede similar goals.
Read on to find out what Pasuwa said before meeting the second-placed Hammers.
On what is needed for Bullets to win against a team enjoying a rich form
In our team, this week, we [have been] training very well. We had some of the boys who were still out due to injuries. One player who returned is Ernest Petro, but the other guys are still out. Again, like I always preach, it’s our mind that will make us win games. If we treat Mzuzu City Hammers as a small team, then we will end up losing points because we underestimated them from the beginning. We need to be positive in our approach, we need to be positive in whatever we do and then talk after the game after collecting points. There is no smaller team in the league and for Mzuzu to be in the second position, it means something else this year. They have been playing good football and also, we need to treat them with respect for us to come up with points on Saturday.
On whether he is worried about the eight points already dropped in the title race
We are starting off the season. We wouldn’t talk much about the points dropped. We have been saying the season will end after playing game number 30. So as a coach, looking at how we have fared so far, yes of course we need to push up for us to be on par with others, but we mustn’t look much at what other teams are doing in their camps. That’s how we are. So, for one to play very well at the start of the season it depends on how he prepared during the pre-season. If you had injuries to your team or anything that was affecting you, then you consider all these factors for one to talk about the performance of the team.
On conceding similar goals in the last three matches
It’s a lack of concentration in terms of what we do. A set piece is played, the defenders see it coming, you need to track your man in the box and those are simple basics of defending that we are failing. I think we need to work on this. Like I said, it’s the mentality part of it. Not to say they cannot defend, they can defend, but, that zeal of saying maybe it’s him who will clear the ball then he leaves it to someone else and then we are punished. So, we need to work on this to avoid leaking goals and bring stability to the games that are coming.
