FCB Nyasa Big Bullets head coach Kalisto Pasuwa spoke to the media ahead of our Castel Challenge Cup quarter-final match against MMF Marine at Dedza Stadium on Saturday.
He talked about the challenges of playing two games within the shortest period, travelling long distances, injuries, facing another lower-division side, and overall preparations for the game.
Below is the full transcript of Pasuwa’s media briefing.
On the fixture congestion
My main worry is travelling and playing games within the shortest period. Now I think we have so many injuries in the team, and if you saw the last game we played [against Hilltop United], we had three players [missing due to injuries]. We had Chikumbutso Salima, Yamikani Mologeni and Maxwell Phodo all injured, and they didn’t take part in the game. We also added another number to the injury list because the pitches we are using are not good. We [have] lost several players, but I think the remaining ones will do the duty, and we know we are playing these so-called ‘smaller’ teams. It’s when you play football that you can say it was a small team. For one to win any game, you need to be very positive to get the results.
On lessons drawn from the hard-earned 1-0 win against Hilltop United
We have learnt something from the last game that we played. They took us tall to tall, and we couldn’t even score a goal in the second half because they closed down all the spaces, but that’s what football is all about. We need to have a positive mindset against the Marines so that we win the game. To every player and everyone in the house, you can’t win without putting in more effort. We need more effort to have a positive result, and that is what we have been doing even though we do not have enough time to do our normal training sessions.
On Bullets’ preparations
On Monday, we travelled [to Mzuzu], and after playing Hilltop United [on Wednesday we were on the road on Thursday]. As I said, we have only trained today [Friday], where we were trying to see how their minds are and an overall insight of the players in terms of injuries, hence making it clear that some of them won’t take part in this game [against Marines]. I have also discovered that they have learnt something from the last game. They have perked up, and I think when we go to Dedza Stadium, they will do the job because they are showing a positive mindset.
On Bullets’ winless run at Dedza Stadium
It’s the mindset that counts to say we can’t win at this stadium and the moment you report this to your senses, you can’t win indeed, but we have been psyching them. Unfortunately, we couldn’t train at the match venue today, so we will just go and play the match but they know what’s at stake here. Yes, we might complain about the pitch if it’s bad, but that is where we are playing football in Malawi, and we need to get used to these types of football pitches in Malawi.
On Babatunde’s fitness
Yes, I saw him struggling, and he couldn’t continue the training session. I haven’t been updated by the doctors as of now, but I will be able to know his levels of fitness once I have been updated.
