Coach Kalisto Pasuwa spoke to club media ahead of Friday’s TNM Super League tie against Sable Farming at Kamuzu Stadium.
Nyasa Big Bullets will welcome the Chiradzulu-based side in their final fixture of the first round in the 2022 campaign.
Pasuwa spoke about how his charges have to be cautious facing the rookies as the two clubs lock horns in their first-ever top-flight meeting.
The People’s Team will be looking for a 13th win this season going into Friday’s clash, having registered twelve victories with only two ending in draws and no defeat.
But, the tactician believes Sable Farming, a side that defeated Bullets 2-1 in a pre-season friendly, will give them a tough run for their money especially considering that some of the players that are playing for the club are Bullets’ Reserves products.
Below is the full transcript of Pasuwa’s interview…
On first ever competitive meeting between the two sides…
“A very good side. I have seen them playing and it’s a team not to underrate. Sable Farming have most of the guys who once played for Bullets and their average age is almost similar to ours, full of energy in terms of what they do and we believe a better team on Friday will carry the day.”
On finishing the first round on top with a game to spare…
That’s a young side and we are still learning. As I said sometime back that we are still rebuilding, having laid off several senior players before kicking off the new season, that’s one thing we need to keep on talking to the boys to avoid complacency just because they are topping the standings.
“A lot still needs to be done and we need to keep on pushing because at times we have been struggling and you saw how we played against Kamuzu Barracks last week in which we kept on losing possession to them, but the positive thing to take from the boys is the ability to hold on to a lead until the final whistle and this shows how mentally strong these guys are as they keep on learning.”
On maintaining the current unbeaten run going into the final match of the first round…
“Normally as coaches when you are rebuilding we don’t look much at that. All that we look for is what we are training these boys. Remember we have the champions league to play, so we look into a lot of things, especially in transitions, keeping possession, attacking and defending, particularly set pieces and it’s coming out [good]; very soon we will see the best out of these boys. [That said], they need two to three years for them to be able to compete at the international level because we are not only preparing them for local football but also the CAF Champions League.”
On injuries ahead of the match…
“We will still play this match without John Lanjesi, Alick Lungu, who is coming from injury, though he had light training. We have picked 20 players and we hope they will deliver for us tomorrow.”
