Ricky Zililo Senior Sports Reporter
ARE champions Chicken Inn losing their wings in the title defence race following two successive 1-0 defeats in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League?
The champions first fell 0-1 to ZPC Kariba and not much fuss was made of it, but the weekend’s loss to Bulawayo City has suddenly raised alarm bells despite their captain Danny Phiri saying nothing much should be read into their successive losses.
Chicken Inn dropped from the top of the league table about two weeks ago to ninth place with seven points after the past weekend’s games, but Phiri refuses to accept that their wings are being clipped.
Their flight seems to somehow have been disturbed by the announcement of the imminent departure of coach Joey Antipas and his trusted assistant Prince Matore.
Antipas and Matore will be joining South African National First Division side AmaZulu in Durban at the end of June.
The champions are also set to lose Phiri to Absa Premiership side Golden Arrows, while Mitchelle Katsvairo and Edmore Chirambadare are reportedly working on deals to join giants, Kaizer Chiefs.
Defender Lawrence Mhlanga, goalkeeper Elvis Chipezeze, midfielder Tafadzwa Kutinyu and striker Moses Demera are also some of the players believed to be on their way out of the club in search of greener pastures.
After a good start to the 2016 season which they opened with a thumping 3-0 win over former champions Dynamos, bookmakers and neutrals tipped them as favourites to retain the league title.
Their next match was a laboured 1-0 win over newly promoted Border Strikers before being held to a goalless draw by How Mine in a Bulawayo derby.
Disaster then struck in Week Four when the champions stumbled 0-1 away to ZPC Kariba. Nyamhunga Stadium in Kariba is a difficult place to visit for any team and not many people read much into that loss.
However, the loss to new boys Bulawayo City has left people asking what has really gone wrong in the champions’ camp.
Phiri said they need to regroup and focus on the job at hand.
“Everything is in the mind my brother. What we’ve to work on is attitude. Everyone needs to come to the party and understand that we can’t rely on history and keep referring to last year’s fine run. We’ve to sit down, be frank with each other, work on our attitude and give the best on the field of play. We know that every team we play wants to beat us and we’ve to be prepared for that,” said Phiri.
He also thinks that news of Antipas’ departure could have shocked his teammates.
“Obviously when news is dropped just like that, it surprises people, but that doesn’t mean one mustn’t work. The coach is the centre of the team and holds everyone together, but still we’ve no reason not to have a positive attitude and deliver because we’re professionals,” Phiri said.
He admitted that the departure of players could also be destabilising their camp.
“People leaving may also have an effect on how one performs, but if you’re a player, you need to be committed and do the job at hand. What if you think you’re going and they make a sudden u-turn; what will you do? What I’m trying to point out is that commitment and attitude go hand in hand and it’s about time we find a solution before things get worse,” said Phiri.
Caps United and FC Platinum are on a roll and Chicken Inn will have to work harder to close the widening gap.
Caps United beat newcomers Border Strikers 1-0, while FC Platinum dropped points for the first time when they were held to a 0-0 draw by Harare City.
Highlanders moved up the ladder courtesy of a 1-0 win over Chapungu at Barbourfields Stadium on Sunday.
So for Chicken Inn to keep their title defence hopes alive, they have to start collecting points and pray that in the process teams above them stumble.
Chicken Inn will also have to beat top teams on their own if they are to keep their slipping title hopes alive. They must avoid the same mistake former English Premiership champions Chelsea made when they dropped lots of points in the first half of the season.
Chicken Inn’s next game is a home tie against Triangle United, who were held to a 2-2 draw by ZPC Kariba, and should the champions falter again, they might just find themselves fighting for only a top eight finish .