Online Reporter
Tadious Manyepo
Zimpapers Sports Hub
PREMIERSHIP games are coming thick and fast, with CAPS United coach Ian Bakala expecting enhanced mental aptitude from his charges as they prepare to navigate their way up the log standings.
The Castle Lager Premier Soccer League championship marathon reached its halfway stage at the weekend with CAPS United still perched in the lower end of the table.
By the time Bakala returned to the CAPS United setup, the Premiership giants had already been enduring an underwhelming start to the season.
CAPS United sit in 11th place on the log, with 20 points to their name, 17 below debutants and leaders MWOS after 18 games into the race.
After dabbling with the drop zone for long periods, the Makepekepe management replaced long-serving coach Lloyd Chitembwe with Bakala.
The former Zambian international, however, hasn’t fared excellently but there has been some air of confidence swirling around the dressing room since his arrival.
More important for Bakala, who starred for a trailblazing CAPS United in the early 2 000s, is a change in their mental application in order to augment what he says are gains he has realised since taking over the torch from Chitembwe last month.
“I believe the team is playing very well. The boys are always doing the right things but at times results are not forthcoming which is very disappointing,” said Bakala.
“You look at how we defend, play it around in midfield and how we do our things upfront, you get impressed but sometimes, we fail or forget to be decisive at the right time.
“We have posted good results sometimes but at times we fail to do the right thing. I think it is a matter of mental fitness which we need to work on going forward.
“We have made good progress by changing a bit of tactics and also the team’s physical fitness has improved.
“I think the players were not very fit physically and now they are up there and you can notice with the way they are playing the game and carrying themselves.
“The tactics, we changed a bit and it looks like it’s working. We have changed a bit in terms of personnel as well and it’s all looking good.
“But mentally, I think we need to work very hard if we are to make the required progress. We are working every day to improve in all aspects of our play. We hope everything just starts to work the way we want them to.”
With a busy July ahead, where five games are lined up for each of the 18 clubs in the top-tier, Bakala knows just know how decisive the month could be.
Crucially, the Green Machine will play four of those five games at Rufaro Stadium starting with their away tie to title aspirants Scottland this Sunday.
They will host Triangle, TelOne and Highlanders while they will also make the 150km trip to Mhondoro for a date against Ngezi Platinum Stars at Baobab.
“Playing games at Rufaro comes with both relief and pressure. The only way we need to do our business is by improving our mentality.
“We are a team that has shown a lot of improvement in terms of everything across the field of play. You even look at the way we carried ourselves in the second half in our drawn match against GreenFuel (last Sunday). It was a good display from the boys but we were not up to scratch at the end of the day and we could only pick a point,” added Bakala.
“That’s why I am saying we need to improve our attitude, how we imagine things and try to play well.”
But before they can look at the four games pencilled for July, Bakala will have to scheme a way to take down Scottland on Sunday.
Scottland won the reverse tie 2-0 at the same venue when the Green Machine were still under the tutelage of Chitembwe.
“We are preparing for that game and we know it won’t be easy. Like I have always said, every game that comes now is like a final for us,” he said.
“We are taking it game by game and preparing to play well in all other remaining games.”
CAPS United will welcome back their talismanic midfielder Kundai Benyu who missed last Sunday’s match against GreenFuel as he was battling a flu bug.
The former Celtic star has been in phenomenal form for CAPS United of late, scoring three goals last month and his absence was felt in his team’s duel against the Chisumbanje visitors.
Makepekepe have also made some new signings that include the return of striker Ishmael Wadi.
