Mpote Upbeat Despite Malawi Stalemate

Chakalisa Dube | Monday September 9, 2019 10:51

Mpote was fielding questions from the media after the Zebras played to a goalless draw against Malawi on Saturday at the Francistown Sports Complex.

The Zebras were very wasteful on Saturday in the first leg of the qualifiers. The second leg is billed for tomorrow at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre.

The draw left the Zebras with a mammoth task of having to beat Malawi away in order to advance to the next round of the qualifiers. The Zebras could also advance with a draw that produces goals.

Malawi have in recent times earned a reputation of being good at home, something that should worry the Zebras.  “ What is needed in Malawi is to motivate the boys. I have never had a problem motivating the players when playing away.

When we play away I always instil believe on the players and they respond positively. I will do that working with the new coach and the rest of the technical team and am optimistic that they (players) will respond positively which will enable us to get good results,” said Mpote.

Mpote added that the only challenge the players might have in Malawi was that they were still trying to adapt to the method and philosophy of the new coach, Adel Amrouche.

The Orapa United mentor also said he was happy with the way the Zebras fared against the Flames although they failed to convert.

“We played well. I can’t complain. We missed some chances, which is part of the game. We will rectify that. We expect a very tough game in Malawi. The technical team and the players will double their efforts in preparation for the game. ”

He added, “ We could have created more chances than the ones we had. We played so many long balls. This meant that we could not create spaces. When you create spaces you have strong chances of penetrating the opponents and creating scoring opportunities.”