Leemisa Thuseho
DESPITE failing to defend the title last season, Matlama coach Charles Manda says he will not put his squad under any pressure.
Matlama have won all four of their opening 2020/21 Vodacom Premier League games. They beat Swallows 1-2 in their first game, beat Manonyane 1-4, edged LMPS 1-0 and Liphakkoe by a similar score line.
Manda said this 100 percent winning record in the opening matches was a huge motivation to both the squad and the technical team. He however, said they are still building the team having brought on board new faces during the off-season.
“We won our first four encounters and it was not easy but it is good to win four games consecutively at the beginning of the season,” Manda said.
“It is a motivation to the team but we are not yet where we want the team be. We are still building after getting new players and we are now trying to ensure they jell and come up with good combinations.”
Manda hailed the recent performance of young striker Teboho Pita signed from A Division side, Machokha. Pita has so far registered three goals.
“He is a good player but we must give him more time to adjust and adapt to top flight football.”
The Malawian coach joined Matlama at the beginning of the 2019/20 season and helped the side win the Independence Cup and finish second in the league last season. The side also reached the finals of the 2020 Matekane Group of Companies Cup.
For now, he said they do not have any clear target and are taking one game at a time.
“I can’t say we have a specific target in the league because we do not want to put the players under unnecessary pressure. What we will do is to take one game at a time and we will be taking each and every one of them seriously. Whether we win, lose or draw, we will still focus on the next game,” Manda said.
In their next game, Matlama were to play Likhopo on Saturday at Setsoto Stadium but the leagues game are now suspended for two weeks and Manda said since the team returned from the Christmas holiday on 3 January 2021, all the players are injury free and were available for selection.
