tawandamusarurwa
Sports Reporter
VETERAN coach Kalisto Pasuwa has challenged his Nyasa Big Bullets to invest in and retain star players if the Malawian football kings are to make an impact in the CAF Champions League.
Pasuwa will today return to Champions League action, when Bullets visit El Dragons of Equatorial Guinea at Estadio La Libertad.
The Nyasa Big Bullets coach — who has previously taken charge of Zimbabwe’s Warriors after a trailblazing spell with Dynamos — is worried about the lack of depth in his squad as they plunge into Africa’s most prestigious inter-club competition.
Pasuwa told the media in Malawi shortly before their departure for Malabo that the mega bucks poured by CAF for the Champions League had resulted in many African clubs investing huge sums to beef up their squads.
He cited perennial giants like Mamelodi Sundowns, Al Ahly of Egypt and Morocco’s Wydad as some of the clubs that have invested heavily in their sides with a view to winning the Champions League.
Pasuwa made the sentiments after his Malawian champions were rocked by injuries ahead of today’s preliminary round, first leg assignment in Equatorial Guinea.
“So far so good except that we have some injuries. Precious Sambani (defender) has some discomfort kicking the ball and the doctors are assessing him. He has a knock and has to pass a late fitness test.
“I am also worried with the intense competition for places in the team. We have had to talk to players to calm each other down at training, things were getting rough,’’ Pasuwa said.
But it is the failure by Nyasa Big Bullets to retain key players that has left Pasuwa scratching his head as the Malawians head into their fourth crack at the Champions League.
Before the start of this Champions League campaign, Pasuwa had lost the influential pair of strikers Babatunde Adepoju and Chimwemwe Idana. The duo was central to Big Bullets securing their fourth straight championship but they were lured by Venda FC in the South African lower league and Malawian rivals, Silver Strikers, respectively.
“The problem we are having is that most of the time we are losing the spine of the team. By spine I mean the key players in the goalkeeping, defence, midfield and attack.
“Most of the guys we have are youngsters and, at times, they can’t. I am not saying they are not good, but we need experience,” he said.
He added that experienced players were key.
“One area needed for international matches is experience. For example, we sold Babatunde to Venda, but we are competing against Sundowns in the Champions League. You can easily see the need to beef up our team in order to compete.
“We also need to be tactically good.
“Yes, players are coming to the club, but one area we need to look at is retaining players . . . Baba wanted an improved contract and the same with Idana.
“I may even want to go to Zimbabwe and get players, but they would need to be paid well.
“So, we may say it is a question of the budget that we have, which is little’’.
He added that despite not having much information on Dragons, his travels around Africa on continental football duties had taught him not to underestimate any opposition.
“We need to be tactically good in order for us to come good. Despite our challenges, we are going there to try and do the best that we can,’’ Pasuwa said.
Online Reporter