Cameroon (the Indomitable Lions) in Brazil……..
Remember the corner flag dancer, Roger Milla? Well, that is an African teams in a nutshell.
Cameroon will be 1/5 of the CAF representatives in 2014 Fifa World Cup. The four time continental champions will enter the competition with some hope of causing an upset.
Despite being knocked out in the group stage in 5 of their 6 World Cup participation, their odds of getting results in this group more likely than those of the past.
Cameroon is the first team from Africa to advance into the Quarter Finals in a Fifa World Cup, a stage in the competition no other African team has been able to advance from.
They are entering the competition with a decent record on paper, but not necessarily of the quality of it portrays.
Cameroon walks into the competition with few hiccup. A 4-1-1 (W-D-L) record in their qualification group stage. The record would have been 3-1-2, after losing their away match to Togo.
The Togolese traded their 2-0 win for a 3-0 loss, when the team was found guilty by Fifa for fielding an ineligible player. The match was declared a forfeit and awarded in favor of Cameroon.
They went on to win in the knock-out stage by convincingly beating Tunisia 4-1 at home.
Outside the UEFA and CONMEBOL, other continental zones have entered the World Cup as underdogs. CAF is one of them.
The Venom
The former Olympic Gold winners will go into Brazil with a prominent name in their starting line-up.
Samuel Eto’o’s career seems to see no immediate end. All-time top scorer for Cameroon, he will be captaining this team from the front.
This world class striker with an amazing personal trophy cabinet is the talisman for this team. Heading into his mid 30’s, Eto’o’s maintains his clinicality in the 18-yard box. His form seems to have been revived on his return to play for Jose Mourinho at Chelsea.
There are fans who believe a Cameroon without Eto’o will just a guarantee flop. I can’t disagree, I am one. Eto’o on the Cameroonian team offer leadership on an off the field that can’t be replace yet.
Pierre Webó is another veteran that is as valuable to this team as Eto’o. He has spent majority of his career playing in the top European leagues. Like Eto’o, he is amongst the list of players who are changing our perception of aging strikers in futbol.
Cameroon will be hoping to build a the next generation of world class attacking talents with these youngsters. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Vincent Aboubakar and Jacques Zouawill.
The Control and Support
Samuel Eto’o will be supported by a midfield team that includes the likes of you will think there no one else on the team to support his work.
Alex Song will be a staple in the Cameroonian midfield. The Barcelona player will be controlling the central defensive midfield role. He will set the tone of the teams performance. A bad day in the office for Song is a bad day for the team.
Song’s midfield duties could do with the help of Jean Makoun from the french side Rennes and Stéphane Mbia, who plays for Queens Park Rangers. We can expect Edgar Salli (who playing on loan for Lens ), to boost the offensive pressure coming from the middle.
The Bouncers
With quite a number of defensive midfielders on board, Cameroon could have a decent defensive team in this tournament.
The Turkish league will bring the likes of Aurélien Chedjou, who plays for Galatasaray and Dany Nounkeu who is currently playing on loan with Beşiktaş. These two will be a noticeable figure to strikers in the back
From Ligue 1 comes a few more prominent player in the back line for Cameroon. Nicolas N’Koulou(Marseille), Henri Bedimo (Lyon) and Jean-Armel Kana-Biyik (Rennes).
Benoit Assou-Ekotto (Queens Park Rangers) will defensively and offensively cover the flanks.
…..So what is the deal?
Cameroon got a good hand by landing in Group A. Their odds of getting out of this group is more that 50%. It come down to how attentive and discipline the team will be during the course of the tournament.
The lack of discipline has usually cost African teams in the world cup. Booking and suspensions sometimes seems to bite them harder than others.
If Cameroonians avoid making rush decisions on the pitch, cutting down on unnecessary fouls and booking, and play strategically with their group in mind but not the current game they are playing, there is a good chance they will see results in their favor.
But this is futbol, there will be some drama, suspense and surprises, and that is why we will have to be watching to see if the Mexico will make their advantage count
