Kalisto Pasuwa bemoans trio’s departure
FCB Nyasa Bullets Coach Kalisto Pasuwa has admitted that the departure of three players affected the performance of the team during the pre-season international bonanza at Kamuzu Stadium over the weekend.
The coach said he wants to replace the three players after his team fired blanks.
The players are strikers Babatunde Adepoju, Hassan Kajoke and midfielder Chimwemwe Idana.
Bullets anchored the four-team competition with two points, having failed to score in three matches.
They registered goalless draws against Ferroviário de Nampula and rivals Mighty Mukuru Wanderers, before losing 1-0 to eventual champions UD Songo of Mozambique.
Pasuwa said the competition helped him assess the team after the departure of some players.
“We need a player who can be scoring goals for us and we need a ball-player following Idana’s departure,” he said.
Babatunde joined South Africa’s National First Division side Venda Academy while Kajoke signed a pre-contract with Silver Strikers.
Idana has been loaned to Silver from Tanzanian outfit Mbeya FC.
However, the return of midfielder Mike Mkwate is a relief to the side, which struggled to create chances during the bonanza.
Pasuwa said Mkwate’s return would improve their attacking prowess.
“You start the build-up from the back and there is no way we can talk about strikers only; a midfielder can score as well. It is a combination that we need to rectify. We have Anthony Mfune and Maxwell Gasten [Phodo] who are scorers.
“I think the replacement for Idana is Mike. Idana was our playmaker; so, the coming in of Mike is a plus to us,” he said.
Songo became the second team from Mozambique to win the preseason tourney after Ferroviario de Nampula, who won the inaugural competition in 2019.
In this year’s competition, Nampula finished third behind second-placed Mighty Mukuru Wanderers.
