BY TAWANDA TAFIRENYIKA
Lloyd Chitembwe’s off-season shrewd transfer business is starting to pay off with Caps United now bossing the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League where they are yet to taste defeat.
On Sunday, the Green Machine recorded their fifth win of the season, having dropped just two points so far this season and with the win they, for the first time, climbed to the summit of the league table.
The match against Triangle was one of the most significant hurdles Caps faced after a bright start to the campaign. They went into the match against the background of suffering back-to-back defeats to the Lowveld side in league encounters last season.
However, the Green Machine fought hard and long to emerge 2-1 winners with Joel Ngodzo and Dominic Chungwa on target.
Caps have a game in hand against Chapungu on Thursday and hope to pile pressure on other title-chasers who include Chicken Inn, ZPC Kariba and FC Platinum.
After a difficult campaign last season which saw them finishing a distant eighth in the league, Caps have transformed from being pretenders to contenders.
Caps got rid of some of its older and slower players to inject pace into the squad.
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Chitembwe appears to have identified areas of need in his squad and responded with the right answers.
It looks like he might have done some of the best business deals after bringing in former Highlanders winger Gabriel Nyoni as well as Phineas Bhamusi, who was recalled from Triangle, with the gaffer deliberately going for pace.
The duo have proved a handful to the teams that Caps have faced so far and this squad is very much different from the one of last season.
The Green Machine also brought in defensive midfielder Blessing Sarupinda, who had been playing for army side Black Rhinos. The Caps defence which leaked like a sieve last year, has been solidified and has conceded just two goals, a performance that has helped galvanise the midfiled and frontline which has scored 11 goal.
It is not only Caps, however, who are enjoying fruits of a successful transfer season as Chicken Inn pursue the Green Machine after recovering from a mini blip where they lost two matches.
Chicken Inn also went on a spending spree, signing the trio of Clive Augusto, Donovan Bernard and Tichaona Chipunza from Ngezi Platinum Stars, while they robbed Dynamos of Brett Amidu and Valentine Kadonzvo. They also snapped Marlvin Gaki from Harare City.
On Saturday, the Joey Antipas-coached side brushed aside Highlanders 3-0 to make a huge statement.
