What Went Right? As with every other African side, a decidedly athletic and pacy side. Cameroon used a lot of young, hungry players who could run all day. Three front players did a good job of keeping their opponents on their heels, which more than anything kept teams from attacking Cameroon in waves and in turn kept them in every game. Did a good job of taking advantage of their opponent’s mistakes. When they put some of their veteran players on the pitch, Cameroon’s attack become a lot more organized, especially through the center. Their one talisman, Samuel Eto’o, was the offensive focal point, and all direct, successful excursions forward ran through him. Used their impressive ball skills to bring the ball into the final third and opposition penalty area as opposed to servicing the front.
What Went Wrong? A certain lack of experience led to a decided lack of organization – and it mattered a lot. Struggled to possess the ball and generate any rhythm up front, and even when they put a few passes together, the buildup usually was wasted by poor crosses, long balls and through balls. Lack of a midfield general made getting the ball to the front three players for Cameroon problematic. Their athleticism notwithstanding this was not a very physical side. Their aerial game was pretty damn bad, and they were just as bad at set pieces, corners and free kicks. Coupled with their backline’s inability to read the game, Cameroon’s defense lacked a certain cohesion and skill that teams were able to exploit. Because the backline played very shoddily, they failed to mark well and allowed other teams to operate far too freely in the box. Cameroon got behind in all of their three group fixtures, so the Indomitable Lions would then send players forward in waves, leaving an already fragile rearguard vulnerable to quick opposition counterattacks.
Who Stepped Up To The Plate? Whether orchestrating, linking up, playmaking or finishing, Samuel Eto’o was everywhere doing everything in the attacking end regardless of whether he was operating on the flanks roaming from flank to flank behind of the target man or he was the target man. He and his two running partners up front, Achille Emana and Pierre Webo, were the bulk of the offensive thrusts in the final third. Good attacking orchestration from Alex Song and Eyong Ehoh just behind the attacking triumvirate (with some decent help from Geremi in reserve). Decent attack down the flanks from fullbacks Stephane M’Bia and Denoit Assou-Ekotto.
Who Didn’t Show Up? As decent as M’Bia, Assou-Ekotto, Song, and Enoh were at direct attacking quality, they were just as disorganized and unproductive in defense. But they weren’t nearly as bad as center backs Sebastien Bassong and Nicolas N’Koulou, who looked like a couple of Keystone Kops bumping into each other in the back.
How Was The Coaching? I would have expected Paul Le Guen to be a little more tactically rigid defensively. Plus, I’m surprised he wasn’t able to find a midfield general, which has been the linchpin of his championships with Lyon in Ligue 1. Kudos for trying to make a more fluid 4-3-3 system work on short notice, because that isn’t what he used during qualifying.
Did They Finish Where They Were Expected? Pretty much. Even though Cameroon was the first team eliminated from this tournament and got no points, they looked good doing it. That said, this side has to stop living on reputation. Expecting them to always do well at the World Cup because of their quarterfinal appearance at Italia ’90 is just nonsense.
Now What? Keep Le Guen, find a midfield orchestrator or two, get some athletic players with backbone to man your defense, and make that 4-3-3 work with a little more refinement.