Malawi national football team coach Kalisto Pasuwa has hit back at supporters questioning his team selection for the Flames’ Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against South Sudan.
The Flames beat South Sudan 2-1 at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe on Friday to collect three points, despite calls from some supporters for changes to the team.
Pasuwa said his selection decisions were based on what the technical team had seen in training and the limited time available to assess some players.
The Flames made a bright start at home, creating several chances before Babatunde Adepoju put them ahead in the 19th minute after following up on his initial effort which had been saved.
However, South Sudan levelled shortly after the restart through Dhata Joseph, exposing the lapse in concentration Pasuwa later identified as one of the areas the Flames need to improve.
Lloyd Njaliwa restored Malawi’s lead in the 65th minute, powering home from a long throw-in by Macdonald Lameck to secure the three points.
Despite the win, some supporters called for changes during the match, but Pasuwa said his decisions were based on what he had seen in training and the circumstances surrounding the players’ arrival in camp.
“The coach will have to choose players that he thinks can do the job for him. Yes, supporters may be thinking they need their own players, but there is a reason why we do so,” Pasuwa said.
The coach explained that some of the players supporters wanted to see had only joined the squad a day before the match, making it difficult for his technical team to properly assess their readiness.
“Some of the players, they didn’t train with us. They only came maybe day minus one. And you can’t see someone to say whether he is fit or not in a day minus one,” he said.
Pasuwa also acknowledged that the Flames’ performance was not at the level he wanted, particularly in terms of maintaining possession and controlling the game after taking the lead.
He said the team became jittery at times, while dropping too deep allowed South Sudan to gain possession and eventually equalise.
The victory, however, gives Pasuwa’s new-look squad three important points as he continues to build a team that was missing several regular players through injuries and other reasons.
The Flames will now turn their attention to their next qualifier, with Pasuwa insisting that the team still has work to do despite beginning the campaign with a victory.
The Flames beat South Sudan 2-1 at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe on Friday to collect three points, despite calls from some supporters for changes to the team.
Pasuwa said his selection decisions were based on what the technical team had seen in training and the limited time available to assess some players.
The Flames made a bright start at home, creating several chances before Babatunde Adepoju put them ahead in the 19th minute after following up on his initial effort which had been saved.
However, South Sudan levelled shortly after the restart through Dhata Joseph, exposing the lapse in concentration Pasuwa later identified as one of the areas the Flames need to improve.
Lloyd Njaliwa restored Malawi’s lead in the 65th minute, powering home from a long throw-in by Macdonald Lameck to secure the three points.
Despite the win, some supporters called for changes during the match, but Pasuwa said his decisions were based on what he had seen in training and the circumstances surrounding the players’ arrival in camp.
“The coach will have to choose players that he thinks can do the job for him. Yes, supporters may be thinking they need their own players, but there is a reason why we do so,” Pasuwa said.
The coach explained that some of the players supporters wanted to see had only joined the squad a day before the match, making it difficult for his technical team to properly assess their readiness.
“Some of the players, they didn’t train with us. They only came maybe day minus one. And you can’t see someone to say whether he is fit or not in a day minus one,” he said.
Pasuwa also acknowledged that the Flames’ performance was not at the level he wanted, particularly in terms of maintaining possession and controlling the game after taking the lead.
He said the team became jittery at times, while dropping too deep allowed South Sudan to gain possession and eventually equalise.
The victory, however, gives Pasuwa’s new-look squad three important points as he continues to build a team that was missing several regular players through injuries and other reasons.
The Flames will now turn their attention to their next qualifier, with Pasuwa insisting that the team still has work to do despite beginning the campaign with a victory.
