Kalisto Pasuwa reiterates that he will continue with his squad rotation, saying every FCB Nyasa Big Bullets player must play his part amid a fixture pile-up.
The People’s Team, who exited from the CAF Champions League last weekend, look to defend the TNM Super League and the FDH Bank Cup, with the Airtel Top 8 and Castel Challenge Cup also awaiting the Malawi Champions.
Bullets beat Bangwe All Stars 1-0 in the league midweek and will be travelling to Lilongwe to face MAFCO in the FDH Bank Cup on Sunday, before taking on Civil Service United in the Airtel Top 8 on Wednesday then proceed to Rumphi for two Super League fixtures against Ekwendeni Hammers on Saturday and Moyale Barracks on Tuesday.
“We need to manage our squad. We have played so many games, and we are having so many injuries, and we mustn’t be afraid to play anyone who is around in the squad because if we don’t do this, we will end up losing out on all the competitions that we are in,” Pasuwa said this following the team’s midweek home game against Bangwe.
“We need as much as we can to be very careful, and the recovery part of it will be a priority than the actual training sessions so that we avoid losing more players to injuries. I expect every player on board to play his part. He was registered to play for Bullets, and this is the right time to step up so that we succeed together,” he stated.
Commenting on how Bullets struggled to beat the TNM Super League rookies through Patrick Mwaungulu’s 79th-minute goal, Pasuwa admitted that his side had a terrible start to the match, but he was very happy with the response in the second half where his substitutions made the difference.
“A very bad start to the match because we are loading these players too much than expected. We travelled to [the Democratic of Congo], and we only rested for a day before playing Bangwe All Stars. We tried to manage the squad, but again, we couldn’t pick up very quickly because our opponents were coming very quickly on us, and you saw how they pressed.
“In the second half, we picked up, and we started attacking. Well done to the opposition, they gave us a torrid time. We share energy levels. We tell each one of them to play the minutes he is comfortable with, and if one of them is tired, we take him out and bring in fresh legs.
“The players who came in as substitutes did well, [they] played with intensity unlike the first half which we were all very slow, but when we made changes, things changed and we got the goal,” explained the Bullets head coach.
Bullets are just three points behind log leaders Mighty Mukuru Wanderers following Wednesday’s victory but with three more games left to play due to their CAF Champions League involvement.
