Cameroon, have had some trouble forming competitive teams as of late. In the 90s and the 2000s they were surely one of the most consistent and competitive of all the African nations. Led by Roger Milla in the 90s and then by Samuel Eto’o in the 2000s they were consistently able to field tough teams. This particular generation again features some players that play in top European leagues, but the team has had trouble finding consistent results.
The team recently lost to Uzbekistan in a friendly for example, although Cameroon did not field its best 11 the result was still a surprise. They are going to hold friendly games against Panama, and Jamaica a couple of days before the World Cup to try and find their best form ahead of the tournament, but they’re not exactly going in as favorites to win their group or anything like that.
Key Players For Cameroon At The World Cup
Cameroon’s goal is defended by Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana. He’s certainly one of the stars of the team. It’s actually his time with the Cameroon national team in those games outside of the regular international break that the African Federation loves to have that haven’t allowed him to be perhaps as consistent a presence at the club level as he’d like to be. However, he’s going to need to have a great tournament for the team to be able to succeed.
From there most of the other key players are offensive pieces. Vincent Aboubakar is probably going to be the starting number 9 for the national team. Aboubakar had decent seasons at Porto, but he’s since moved on to play at Al-Nassr FC. The team is hoping that this drop in the level of competition that he’s facing won’t hurt him in the tournament.
Without a doubt the player that’s in the best form for Cameroon heading into the tournament is Bayern Munich’s Eric Maxim Choupo Moting. He hasn’t been a part of the squad for the last couple of games, but he is projected to be part of the team in the World Cup of course. The striker duo that Cameroon features is not one that other teams can afford to take lightly.
What Cameroon Is Going To Rely On During The Tournament
For many generations Cameroon teams have shown that they can be fast, strong teams that will cause a lot of trouble to opposing teams if they get into open space. What they’ve usually lacked is discipline and order on the defensive end. This current squad looks to be suffering from some of the same ailments that other teams from Cameroon have suffered before them. They need to make sure that they can secure up the defensive third. If they do that they may be able to overpower some of the teams in the group to be able to make it to the next round.
Our Prediction
Other than the defensive issues that Cameroon has to contend with they also have another problem. They were dealt a very bad hand in the draw that decided the World Cup groups. Brazil is looking like a team that can overpower virtually any squad that gets in their way. The Swiss team is also one that’s known for consistency, and for being a very disciplined squad. Maybe Cameroon is looking at Serbia as the weakest team from the group.
Even in that matchup though it would be hard to outright say that Cameroon is favored to win. The fact of the matter is, with such a tight group we’re essentially splitting hairs here. It wouldn’t be surprising if Cameroon advanced to the next round. At the same time we wouldn’t be surprising either if they came in fourth in the group!
