Malawi Under-17 National Football team coach Enos Chatama has turned back to his players after failing to book a semi-final slot in this year’s TotalEnergies CAF Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations.

Talking to Cosafa TV after a 4-1 defeat to South Africa, coach Chatama said his charges lacked quality, which hindered their progress.

Chatama said that, in football, there are three key aspects to consider: the technical, tactical, and physical aspects of the game.

“If you look at those areas, we are short. The team’s progress was largely down to one standout player, James Lumbe, who won two man-of-the-match awards.”

“But as they say, one tree cannot make a forest. One player cannot make a team or win the day. Sometimes you need teamwork to help other guys to complement and score goals and win games.”

“In such a situation, we have been telling them that there are certain things that are beyond their coaches’ ability, and sometimes, you cannot push players beyond their ability. A lot of players are not fit to play at the international level,” said Chatama.

Malawi’s performance was not as bad as it had been, as they achieved two wins over Madagascar, 3-1 and Zambia 2-1, with one 4-1 defeat to South Africa, compared to last season. Last year, Malawi finished bottom of their group without a win after recording one draw over Mozambique and a 3-2 defeat to Lesotho.

However, Chatama says they need to work hard to be like Zambia: “Our team has been winning, but technically we are not good enough. There are only three strong teams in this region, which are Angola, Zambia, and South Africa. If we want to go to another level, we have to be at par with those teams.”