Tomorrow kicks off the African Cup O’ Nations for the Indomitable Lions when they’re given the unenviable task of opening play against the defending champions, Egypt. The Lions go into the game headstrong, buoyed by the presence of (recently) oft-injured Samuel Eto’o. If recent club form is any indication, the Lions are in optimal hands, as Papa Eto’o has scored 6 goals in his last 6 games, including 2 braces. In short: he’s en fuego. You could say that he’s peaking, but that’d be grossly misleading. He’s just that good.

Egypt heads into the tournament missing two of its better players in Hossam Ghaly, who is putting imminent relegation with Derby before country, and Mido, who is busy being a bitch somewhere else. (Roma fan here.) And honestly, I can’t decide whether this is good or bad. Neither are known for being “team” players, and to me, that’s what international tournaments are all about. So for my money, Egypt may be better off without them.

The Lions Lineup:

Superstud Idriss Kameni will patrol the pipes, and he’s easily one of the best keepers at the games. I’d be willing to bet a scout or two from The Artist Formerly Known As G14 will be in the stands.

The backline is headed emotionally by Rigobert Song, captain of well over 100 caps, and uncle to teammate and Arsenal phenom Alexandre Song. Steady hand Geremi will prolly take the RB spot. Thimothee Atouba finds himself at LB while Andre Bikey (who has been increasingly impressive from what I’ve seen at Reading) and Andre Binya will likely round out the back 4 (Bikey being the heavy favorite). Unfortunately, 2 of those names, Atouba and Binya, have recently been known for savage challenges (Binya’s was plain inexcusable) than anything else. For a position which doesn’t boast a ton of depth, that’s a worry in case they find themselves in trouble.

In midfield it’s all about the French-based players. Jean Makoun is going to do some work in front of the back, while Marseille fella Modeste M’bami will team up to direct the orchestra. Achille Emana will probably add another body to form a ‘take no prisoners’ midfield approach with Makoun, while Stephane Mbia, Alexandre Song, Joel Epalle, Alain Nkong and even Geremi can slot in somewhere. This one, without having seen Cameroon play in a couple years, is tough to say.

Up top it’s all about the man, the myth, the legend, Samuel Eto’o. It’s tough to say as he goes this team goes, because there’s a lot of talent around him, but he is capable of bringing any team in the world – club or international – to an entirely different level. He’ll score some goals during the tournament, that’s for sure.

Keys

To start off the tournament, it’s pretty much about getting into form quickly and setting the tone. There are two ways to do that, emotionally and physically. Two men do the former, while a pairing can do the latter.

Emotionally: Rigobert Song & Samuel Eto’o.

Song is the undisputed leader of the team, the captain, and a guy who can play a bit too, having been voted the best defender in Turkey last season. Andre Bikey sums it up:

“He constantly talks and advises. And the younger guys grew up watching him playing in the World Cup and lifting trophies on TV, so playing with him gives us unbelievable confidence.”

He will lead on and off the field; and during a tournament, that can never be emphasized enough.

Everyone knows what Eto’o is going to bring to the table: goals. And there is absolutely nothing, not even Song’s words, which can uplift a team like the scoreboard. Yes, he is a great talent with the ball, but he also has the power to make this team believe in destiny.

Physical: Jean Makoun and Achille Emana.

I’m always a fan of commanding the midfield, especially with physical bruisers who make getting into the backfield a task all in itself. While Cameroon is no Mali, with Mahamouda Diarra and Momo Sissoko, they still have two guys who can take command of the area and rough up a dude or two. Both bring more, much more, to the equation, but they can set the tone and that’s crucial.

Prediction.:. 1-0 Cameroon (Eto’o 57′)

I think Cameroon has a little to much on the physical side, and Eto’o is just a difference maker. And a stud. Just a big stud.

Check the front page where a Liveblog will be up and a lot of commentary.

ALLEZ LES LIONS

The reason why I decided to jump on board is that there are too many teams left open on this site and damnit, it’s a helluva tournament that doesn’t get enough love in the mainstream media. More often the subject line has to do more with what big team is losing what players for the tournament (I’m looking at you, Chelsea), instead of focusing on a damn awesome tournament. I love some of the footballers that Africa has provided to the rest of the world over the past however many years and think that if Africa can greatly improve infrastructure and scouting (no, I’m not expecting to wake up tomorrow to a pipeline of highly developed prospects to Europe), we’re looking at a European takeover. They deserve a spotlight. Ergo…

As far as this team goes, they’re usually one of the better teams on the continent, and this team is no different. They have some highly skilled youngsters at least knocking on the door of some European powerhouses, some seasoned, quality veterans and one standout guy who I hear is pretty decent. Think his name is Eto’o or something. (I went an entire first two paragraphs in a Cameroonian national football team blog without talking about Samuel Eto’o. Is that a world record?)

Still have a long way to go, but I wanted to get some stuff out of the way early. A basic little overview of important info before we go head on into full preparation mode.

Expectations.: Well, it’s hard to call them a “favorite”, per say, at this point. That tag is being reserved for Ghana, Nigeria and Cote D’Ivoire. But the Indomitable Lions have both history and talent on their side, so anything can happen.

I’m not a fan of the FIFA ranking, therefore I use the World ELO ranking, which is usually 800 billion times more accurate to the naked eye. The African nations and their rankings:

21. Cote d’Ivoire
27. Ghana
30. Nigeria
34. Cameroon
39. Egypt

The personal favorite to finish second is Ghana (behind Cameroon, of course). That whole tournament hosting thing can’t be accentuated enough. (That and Drogba’s gimpy.)

I’ll go ahead and say that the Indomitable Lions can, and probably should, advance through to the knockouts. After that it almost always depends on the draw unless there’s a clear favorite, which there doesn’t seem to be. Do I think Cameroon can go on and win their 3rd Cup of this decade? Absolutely.

The Group/Schedule.:

1/22 Egypt
1/26 Sudan
1/30 Zambia

It’s a tough group, but far from a “Group of Death” (helllllooooo Group B: Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, Benin). The first game on the 22nd is going to be one of the most anticipated games of the group stage, as Egypt is not only good, but also the defending champs. The toughness in this group doesn’t lie with them necessarily (losing to the defending champs is a tough pill to swallow, but not the end of the world), but in Zambia. Sudan is by far the easiest game of the early round, but Zambia, while no powerhouse, presents a mental challenge of preparedness. Take them lightly and you may pay – big time. Especially if it’s a deciding game.

The Coach.: There is going to be a whole 5,000 word post about this, but Otto Pfister is the coach, and people (some important ones) weren’t exactly doing cartwheels when he was appointed.

* – I was lying about that 5000 word thing. Please lower expectations accordingly.

The Superstar.: This guy’s decent and sorta important. After suffering major injuries the past 12+ months, he’s returned in spectacular form. Since returning on the 9th he’s played 5 games and scored 4 goals. Methinks he’s gonna be alright. And there has been an accord allowing him to stay in Spain for an extra week, which is probably ideal from both sides. Barca has two games, including a midweek cup encounter with fellow decent team Sevilla; Eto’o has been playing for less than a month, and while training camp is all kinds of wonderful, game time is better for form and fitness (kinda – see below). Everybody’s scratching everybody else’s back here. Barca’s happy because they get Eto’o for an extra week, Cameroon and Eto’o are happy because this means a better prepared Samuel will likely show up (considering the time spent in the stands). I’m happy because I get to watch Samuel twice more before the 22nd. Happiness all around. (Bobby McFerrin is somewhere beaming a grin of justification right now.)

The Kit.: They’re a lightning rod for controversy here. Puma, their official sponsor, seems to have used them as their real-life mannequins as they try to radically alter footballing fashion. They’ve gone with the onezie, literally shirt plus shorts in one, and a sleeveless jersey (which I think rocked – not a fan of the onezie unless it’s in an aerobics class). The Kings of No Fun (FIFA) didn’t like this and it wound up in court. Talk about killjoys. So Puma has bowed down to the man and gone with classic (read: safe) on the AFCON editions. Personally, I love em. Simple and elegant.

Home

Away

Training.: They’re holding camp at altitude in Kenya. Hooray for smart decision making. This should give them at least a bit of a fitness edge and help out with those late game legs.

The fellas are leaving for camp today, where they’ll set up shop and do the important stuff until the cup commences on the 20th. So only 13 days and change left (countdown here for those who can’t stand not knowing exactly how much time down to the second).

Roster stuffs tomorrow. Thanks for hanging out, and I’m stoked to be on board here with Cameroon.