Kalisto Pasuwa provided his reaction after Nyasa Big Bullets recorded a second successive goalless draw with a 0-0 stalemate against Mighty Mukuru Wanderers in the TNM Super League at Kamuzu Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The head coach admitted he was not satisfied by Bullets’ performance in the highly-billed Blantyre derby played in front of the biggest crowd in the TNM Super League in recent seasons.
Bullets, who also dropped points away to Kamuzu Barracks in Lilongwe last week, had one shot at goal in the entire 90 minutes and were second on the ball to the Nomads, who dominated the match, especially in the midfield where Bullets struggled for possession.
In his post-match reaction, the Zimbabwean conceded that his charges were second best on the day as Wanderers took charge of the match in every aspect.
“We were below par. Our opponents were better in possession and creating chances. They played very well and well done to them,” reacted our head coach.
“We normally build from the back going forward, and we didn’t do that today. We were hesitant, and I saw our centre-backs losing the ball anyhow, hence failing to build up. We were second best and very disappointing on our part.”
He also admitted that Bullets lacked confidence in facing our rivals, who went into the match third in the standings with three points behind The People’s Team.
“The confidence was also out of sight. This is one game that we need to forget. A game that we didn’t even attack, we were not very offensive the way we are and most of the time we were trying to manage the ball, something which we failed to do because we ended up losing possession to the opponents then we were caught on the transition from attack to defence. It was a performance to forget,” he explained.
Sharing his thoughts on why the team struggled in the derby, the first time Bullets failed to score at Kamuzu Stadium this season, the gaffer said “It’s part of football and it happens in football where one day you are okay and the next day you are flat.
“So, this was one of the days where we slept and we need to go and do our homework, to regain the confidence. As I said, we mostly build from the back, but we couldn’t because we lost the ball when in possession. We need to work on this problem before our next fixture.”
Precious Sambani, a natural left-back, was moved into midfield, and when asked as to why he made such a decision, Pasuwa said injuries to several players forced him to improvise the player into the holding position.
“If you can look, we are having so many injuries in the team, and we had to move him into that position because of the situation at hand. He was moving from the central position going outside to the left position and not where he was supposed to play and, unfortunately, he couldn’t click, but he is one person who can fit into that position when we have injuries the way things are at the moment,” he clarified.
On the other hand, Pasuwa dismissed the suggestion that Bullets struggled in the derby due to injuries.
“Not to say due to injuries. I am one person who says everyone who plays [for Bullets] should perfect himself and for the badge. We didn’t come to the party, were second on the ball, couldn’t hold on to the ball, couldn’t attack, and were stagnant in whatever we were doing.
“I need to talk to the guys to come back stronger. It’s a marathon, and we still have plenty of games to play for. We move on from this result and focus on the next game.”
Up next for Bullets is an arranged friendly match on Thursday against Tanzanian champions Yanga S..C as part of Malawi’s 59th Independence Celebrations at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe.
