The Road to South Africa

After two games in which they had picked up one point and failed to score a goal, the odds on Cameroon going through at all were lengthening by the day. The reaction was swift and decisive. The Cameroon FA sacked the veteran German, Otto Pfister and appointed Paul Le Guen, whose impact was immediate. Cameroon won their final four games, conceding just one goal and finished with emphatic victories over both Togo and Morocco. They may have possessed enough firepower in the shape of Eto’o and his young partner, Pierre Webo, but it was their defence that saw them through.

The Star Players

Alexandre Song (Arsenal) Since Patrick Vieira quit Highbury in 2005, Arsenal have been searching for a commanding central midfielder and this season Song suggested it would be him. His performances hinted that he would become a better footballer than his older cousin, Rigobert, and he enjoyed a highly-successful Africa Cup of Nations.

Geremi Njitap (Ankaragucu) He is 31 now and not the player he was but Geremi provided the midfield steel to protect Cameroon’s back four in qualification. He enjoyed his greatest success under Jose Mourinho at Chelsea but there are many who think his coach, Paul Le Guen, no longer trusts him.

Pierre Webo (Real Mallorca) He may not have the profile of his strike partner, Samuel Eto’o but Webo has forged a decent career in Spanish football, most notably with Osasuna, and lately Mallorca. The highlight of his international career was a hat-trick against Ivory Coast during Cameroon’s vain attempt to qualify for the 2006 tournament.

The Coach

Paul Le Guen The man who transformed Lyon into the machine that dominated French football is paid 71 million a month. In Cameroon francs that is slightly less than £100,000 but they have invested in a man not afraid to make radical changes. His decision to strip Rigobert Song of the captaincy and hand the armband to Eto’o reaped immediate rewards. By questioning whether Song and Geremi are the players they were, Le Guen may have offended the old guard but he is not being paid to take easy decisions.

Honours

World Cup: quarter-finals 1990.
Africa Cup of Nations: winners 1984, 1988, 2000, 2002.
Confederations Cup: Finalists 2003.

Analysis

The key to Cameroon’s success may lie in its geography which is similar to South Africa, with a big centre of population on the coast at Douala and one 750 metres above sea level at Yaounde. Acclimatisation should not be a problem. Le Guen was given a task of winning the Africa Cup of Nations and reaching the quarter-finals in South Africa. Their participation in Angola ended in the quarter-finals. If they are to reach the same stage in South Africa, finishing second throws them into some shark infested waters where they are likely to meet Italy in the round of 16 and then probably Spain in Cape Town.

Verdict

Squad (3/5)
Attack and defence look well balanced but the point of weakness may be in midfield, where Geremi and Rigobert Song are starting to show their age.

Coach (3.5/5)
Tough and uncompromising, Le Guen has come in to make some radical changes to Cameroon football and while the players may not like it, he seems to be succeeding.

Attack (3.5/5)
There is so much riding on the shoulders of Samuel Eto’o but if he wants to prove that he is the best footballer come out of Africa, this is his time.

Defence (3/5)
As they proved in qualification, this is a very solid unit, performing in front of someone who by African standards is a very high-class keeper indeed.