Malawi national football team Coach, Meck Mwase, has taken a leaf from his predecessor Ronny van Geneugden’s book by proposing off-season break camping for local-based players.
During his two-year tenure which ended in March this year, van Geneugden used to call players for camp training periodically as a way of maintaining their fitness.
Mwase said the camping would help in keeping the players fit ahead of international assignments in March.
He said the players would train within their regions in readiness for residential camping for World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) assignments.
“If all goes well, we will start having some sessions with some of the players during the offseason break in January so that the players are fit before the March assignments. We believe this arrangement can help us a lot as we will be trying new formations and systems during the sessions. In addition, it will also give me a chance to have a closer look at some of the players,” Mwase said.
The 2019 season is expected to conclude at the end of next month with the off-season break running up to April.
A local football analyst, George Chiusiwa, advised Mwase to cast his net wide on team selection.
“Mwase should put more focus on the goalkeeping position so that his team concedes less goals. The striking force also needs attention, as well the left back position. There is need for stiff competition in the team so that every player is ready to feature in any match,” Chiusiwa said.
The Flames are third in Group B of the Afcon qualifiers with three points from two games.
Malawi beat South Sudan 1-0 in the opening game at Kamuzu Stadium but lost 0-2 to Uganda in the second.
The Cranes lead the group with four points.