World Cup Preview - Group E - Cameroon
Nickname: "Les Lions Indomptables(The Indomitable Lions)"
FIFA ranking: 19th
Coach: Former Rangers boss Paul Le Guen
Game Schedule:
June 14 – Cameroon vs. Japan (Bloemfontein, 10 a.m. EST, ESPN)
June 19 – Cameroon vs. Denmark (Pretoria, 2:30 p.m., ABC)
June 22 – Cameroon vs. Netherlands (Cape Town, 2:30 p.m., ESPN2)
Prospects: Cameroon have qualified for the World Cup Finals on six occasions - more than any other African nation. And they've got bags of European-based quality throughout the side. The squad is aging a bit, but the Lions should easily eclipse Denmark and Japan and might even push Holland for top spot in Group E.
Key Player: Arsenal's Alexandre Song will anchor the midfield for Cameroon this summer as he does for his club side.
Youngster to watch: Shalke teenager Joel Matip was a surprise call up by Le Guen.
Who Will Get the Goals: Inter Milan's Samuel Eto'o - one of world football's purest goalscorers. He doesn't do a lot else but bulge the net.
Who Will Get the Cards: Madman Rigobert Song is now 33 and in his fourth World Cup - he's good for a rash XXX challenge.
Prediction: Second in Group E; just edged out by the cannier Italians in one of the most intriguing Round of 16 match-ups.
posted by The Blue Devil @ 7:31 PM
3 Comments:
You're probably right that the Italians will go through top. But I wouldn't be so sure that the Lions will go through at the expense of the Dynamite.
Eto'o for one is causing a big ruckus in the camp, even threatening to boycott the tournament. That can't be good for moral.
And as you rightly point out, the Danes are respected, but not overly tipped to go through. They'll revel as the underdogs and they'll all be pulling the same direction. An intriguing one is right.
Yeah, I just got wind of Eto'o's throwing the toys out of the pram in today's Times Sports section. Apparently even Roger Milla has started to have a go at the guy. As we saw in yesterday's match, Cameroon have little bite up front without an Eto'o with his mind on the task at hand.
Cameroon are in grave danger of imploding before the tournament has even started. As the comments above suggest, their star player Samuel Eto'o has been threatening to leave the camp.
I'm writing this on Tuesday afternoon as Eto'o has just been controversially sent off in a friendly with Portugal. At first look it seemed as if the Portugeezer had made a meal of it, but on the replay it looks very similar to the stamp in the ghoulies that Maradona laid on a Brazilian in the 1982 round robin game. Nasty.
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