Malawi National Team head coach Kalisto Pasuwa has dismissed any suggestions that his team will sit back and defend their 2-0 advantage when they face Comoros in the second leg of their African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifier at Bingu National Stadium on Saturday.
Despite the comfortable lead from the first leg, Pasuwa insists the Flames will maintain an offensive approach, stressing that they cannot afford to become complacent.
“No! We are not [going to defend],” says Kalisto Pasuwa. “Attacking is another way of defending. We are going to play the same way we did in the first leg.
“Like the first leg that we played, we need to be compact, we need to defend in numbers, be positive, in terms of going forward. I mean, we are not going to be seating back, we are going to attack, as you know that attacking in another way of defending, definitely, we will attack also.”
Pasuwa also acknowledged that his side had fitness concerns in the first leg, particularly after the 55th minute. He revealed that the technical team has been working on improving the players’ endurance to ensure they can maintain intensity throughout the match.
“We noticed some fitness issues in the first game, especially in the second half, so we’ve been addressing that,” he explained. “We haven’t pushed the players too hard, but we’ve made sure they are in better shape to sustain their energy levels until the final whistle.”
The coach further highlighted ball control as another area they have been working on, hoping for a more composed and disciplined performance on Saturday.
The Flames will be without defender Washali Jaziya and left-back Timothy Silwimba, who have both been ruled out due to injuries. However, forward Chikumbutso Salima, who was a minor doubt, has recovered and is in contention for selection.
“From the 25 players we had in camp, only two are out—Silwimba and Jaziya. The rest are fit and ready, including Salima,” Pasuwa confirmed.
Paipi: ‘We need to finish the job’
Team captain Maxwell Paipi echoed his coach’s sentiments, warning that Comoros will come out fighting with nothing to lose.
However, he is confident that the Flames can finish the job and advance to the next round.
“It’s an opportunity for us to make history,” says Maxwell Paipi ahead of the game against Comoros. “As players, we know that we won the first game, but the game has gone, we are focussing on the game which is ahead of us.
“Comoros will definitely come hard on us to score goals because they have nothing to lose.
“As a team, led by our coaches, we are ready for the challenge. In football, everything can happen, if we managed to score two goals [in the first leg], they can also score three goals [in the second leg]. We are doing everything possible to win again on Saturday, the morale is high among the players.
“We will need Malawians, we are always thankful for their support, but we will need them again tomorrow.
“We know where we want to be in this competition, and we need the win. Every player knows our history in this competition, it is the opportunity for us players to make history, we want to know where we are going.”
With goals from Binwell Katinji and Zebron Kalima securing Malawi’s win in the first leg, the Flames will be looking to build on that momentum and seal their qualification in front of their home crowd.
