Online Reporter
Tadious Manyepo-Zimpapers Sports Hub
CAPS United coach Ian Bakala has commended his players for quickly adjusting to his philosophy and believes the team is now ready to pick up momentum in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League race.
Despite being one of the league’s giants, CAPS United have failed to live up to their billing with poor shows characterising their game in the first 14 games of the term.
Instead of being title contenders for which pundits and bookmakers had installed them, CAPS United have been battling to steer away from the lower end of the log standings.
Resultantly, the club chiefs wielded the axe on Lloyd Chitembwe’s coaching department and lured former midfielder Bakala to return to Zimbabwe and take over the reins.
Although the former Zambian international did not have an ideal start to life in charge of CAPS United, he seems to have struck the chord when winning his first game via an away victory over Manica Diamonds at Sakubva a fortnight ago.
Having also utilised the FIFA international break to spend more time with his charges, Bakala feels his players now have the full picture of his training and playing methodology.
Bakala’s dream at the end of it all, is to see the current crop of Makepekepe players coming up and being able to exceed the heights his class of 2004. The Zambian was a key part of a trailblazing squad that won the league title after conceding just one defeat and picked a record points haul of 79 in 30 games.
It is for this reason that he has surrounded himself with his ex-colleagues from that crop including goalkeepers’ trainer Witness Munkuli and team manager Limited Chikafa.
“I was here before as a player back in 2004. I was playing alongside Lloyd Chitembwe, the current technical director, Witness Munkuli, the goalkeepers’ coach and manager Limited Chikafa. But we are no longer players. We are now technical people in charge of the team and the qualities that we should possess right now should be different.
“As the CAPS United coach, I wish to see these players, the current crop surpassing what we did when we were still players.
“That’s my wish, as the coach and that’s what motivates me to work with the players every day,” said Bakala.
“The whole team has changed. The players have adjusted and it’s now my style of play they have adopted.”
And Bakala wants to see his players implementing what he has been imparting to them when they host Chicken Inn at Rufaro this afternoon.
Makepekepe will be looking to make it two in a row by collecting the maximum points, which will see them crawl towards mid-table.
“I think the players should take a strong mentality going into this match against Chicken Inn. We are all coming from international break and a lot is still expected from us,” he added.
“CAPS United is a big team and the mentality should also correspond to this fact. That’s for a fact. And I would like to see them literally bouncing in the field of play, collecting points week in and week out.
“But we should take it one game at a time. We know Chicken Inn are not easy opponents, just like every team. But we definitely have to fight our hearts out as CAPS United to get the result. We need to start collecting points and start our ascendency.”
He does not doubt the technical and tactical capabilities of his players whom he has backed to succeed, but he was always concerned about their fitness, both physically and mentally.
“At first, we were working more on fitness because when I arrived the players couldn’t really last for the whole 90 minutes. But they have improved a lot in this regard.
“I am quite impressed with their fitness levels now and you can pick it even at training.
“We are almost mid-way through the season and players should be very fit for the demands of what the second phase of the season will bring.”
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