Kalisto Pasuwa says there is no reason for FCB Nyasa Big Bullets to panic as the TNM Super League defending champions gear up to face Silver Strikers.
Bullets, currently fourth in the standings, welcome the league leaders at Kamuzu Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Three points secured by Pasuwa’s men on Sunday will reduce the eight-point gap against the Area 47 side, which is why it’s a game in which Bullets must win to keep pace with the Central Bankers.
Unbeaten at home since 2021, The People’s Team will be going into the next fixture having dropped four points at Kamuzu Stadium after drawing 0-0 and 1-1 against Mighty Tigers and Mighty Mukuru Wanderers, respectively. Bullets have registered five draws and three wins in eight games this campaign.
Speaking before facing Silver, a team coached by his 2023 first assistant, Peter Mponda, our head coach said he doesn’t need any special approach facing last campaign’s runners-up in our eighth fixture this term.
“[Facing] Silver Strikers, one of the [teams] that we are supposed to play in 30 league matches in a season. We can’t panic and say we will try to approach it differently. Remember, it’s Bullets; every game we play is difficult and teams come hard on us. So, a positive mind in every person who is in our camp, [and we need to need to be] positive in whatever we do for us to have points coming.
“We are a team that must not underrate anyone who comes in front of us. We need to be positive and then we will see what happens by the end of the day,” he commented.
In our last encounter, we created several chances against Moyale Barracks on Monday, despite the tie ending in a stalemate as we lacked the finishing composure in the goal area.
Pasuwa believes that this phase will pass.
“It’s a phase and it will pass. It will come good. Remember, we had some of the guys who were playing last year and most of them are now injured and we have been affected in terms of combinations. Technically, in front of a goal, we still need to work on this and do good for us to be scoring. And scoring is not about strikers only, scoring is about everyone in the team. A goalkeeper can even score, so it’s the offensive part of it that we need to be working on so that we come out good,” he went on.
The last meeting between us and Silver at Kamuzu Stadium ended 1-all and it was the day that Bullets were officially crowned league champions on 3 December last season. This time, Pasuwa is facing a team that is in good form. Our opponents have won seven out of their eight league games.
But Pasuwa believes it is of no use to focus on what contenders are doing.
“We are Bullets. We play with the mind of getting positive results and we must not be looking at how others are doing their business. My boys, let’s go with a positive mindset and see what will happen at the end of the day.”
In the second meeting between Bullets and Silver this year, Pasuwa has already recorded a win over Mponda’s men 7-6 on post-match penalties to retain the NBS Bank Charity Shield in March.
