Kalisto Pasuwa says he will focus on Nyasa Big Bullets defending the TNM Super League and not what fellow title contenders are doing or saying.
He was reacting during his post-match interview after The People’s Team recorded an away 3-2 victory over Moyale Barracks at Rumphi Stadium on Tuesday afternoon.
Pasuwa was prompted to comment on sentiments made by Silver Strikers coach Peiter de Jhong and rivals Mighty Mukuru Wanderers’ Mark Harrison that the two teams will be hoping to see Bullets dropping more points in the race for them to get their hands on the championship.
He responded: “You’ve got your own house and then you want to see what your neighbour is doing will make you lose concentration in what you’re doing. As Bullets, we have our own way of doing things. We can drop points, but what matters is what we will get at the end of the season. We can’t be focusing on what they are doing. We will focus on Bullets.”
Bullets moved top of the table following Tuesday’s victory through Ephraim Kondowe’s brace and a strike from Lanjesi Nkhoma.
Pasuwa’s men are tied at 47 points with Wanderers but top the standings with a better goal difference from 22 games while the Nomads have played 25.
Silver Strikers, who registered a 1-0 victory over Wanderers at home on Monday, come third with 43 points from 24 games.
The defending champions had an opportunity to open a two-point gap at the top had they won against Ekwendeni Hammers on Saturday, but dropped points following a 1-1 stalemate in our first game of the Northern Region outing.
Commenting on Bullets’ journey from the Central to the Northern Region, where we played four games in three competitions, Pasuwa stated that his side has had a successful schedule away from home.
Before collecting four TNM Super League points up North, The People’s Team started the outing with a 3-0 triumph over Mafco to defend the FDH Bank Cup before recording a 2-0 win over Civil Service United in the Airtel Top 8 quarterfinal first leg.
In his post-match interview on Tuesday, Pasuwa further lauded his Bullets for rising to the occasion with important wins despite playing more games within a short period.
“[It has been a] very successful outing for us. Remember, we have been playing more games and we have been traveling a lot. I didn’t expect my boys to rise to the occasion because I thought they would lower their intensity, but they did well.
“We have been playing in different environments where we traveled outside the country [for the CAF Champions League], played in Blantyre, Lilongwe, and then here [in four different competitions], and you could see that my boys were tired because they haven’t recovered. However, they have done it, winning important matches and enduring a very difficult period, I salute them for the gallant fight,” he explained.
The tactician continued to describe Tuesday’s victory over Moyale Barracks as very vital in the TNM Super League title race, which he seeks to win for a fifth consecutive year.
“A vital win indeed to us in terms of motivation to the boys because we drew against Ekwendeni Hammers and everyone looked down on us as they expected us to win every game, something which is impossible because we are human beings.
“We also need to recover and also have time to sit down and train these boys for us to win. But the circumstances are beyond us as we keep playing more games in a short period,” he expressed.
Bullets will be heading back to Blantyre on Wednesday after 10 days on the road and shift focus on Saturday’s home fixture against Chitipa United in the TNM Super League.
