Le Guen calls on lions to roar against Danes

CAMEROON coach Paul Le Guen has called on his team to live up to their nickname and produce a lion-hearted performance against Denmark today in a World Cup encounter that is crucial for both sides.

Neither nation were able to pick up anything from their opening Group E matches, with Cameroon going down 1-0 to Japan and Denmark suffering a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Holland.

That means another loss for either side at Pretoria’s Loftus Versfeld stadium tonight could spell the end of the road for the losers, depending on what happens in the earlier match between the two group leaders.

For Cameroon, with group favourites Holland to come in their final match, today’s game is potentially decisive and Le Guen wants his team – nicknamed the Indomitable Lions – to stand up and be counted.

“I think they (the players) need to face up to their responsibilities.

“I assume my own responsibilities 100% without any reservations, I put the team together, I decide on tactics, but the players also have their responsibilities and they have to find a spirit,” said Frenchman Le Guen.

“We often talk about them being lions and having a leonine spirit, and I hope very much that they find this spirit in the match tomorrow.

“That’s something we’ve been discussing since we played Japan because there were certain players who underperformed, especially compared to how they played in previous matches, but I think we need to find this very specific spirit, this leonine spirit, which I hope will enable us to get a result.

“I think we had it in the autumn, there was a dynamic and an atmosphere in the team, and we need to make sure the same atmosphere prevails tomorrow.”

Le Guen also revealed he would be making at least three changes to the team that took the field against Japan. He opted for an attacking 4-3-3 formation against Japan but then saw Cameroon struggle to create many opportunities.

“We weren’t good enough. We’re disappointed, and quite legitimately so, and we need to take stock of that,” he said. “I will make a few changes, there will be three new players in the starting line-up, and there will perhaps be one or two changes elsewhere.

“I do my job as a coach and as a selector and I’m fully aware of the responsibilities that I have. I obviously have some guidelines but I’m not going to be stubborn and if I think if things need to be changed, then I’m going to change them.”

Regarding opponents Denmark, Le Guen said: “We’ve looked at them several times in the qualifying matches and also in the warm-up matches.

“They are evolving and players who are coming on board, and I’m obviously interested to see what their line-up is going to be because there are some players we don’t know about.

“I think they will be in same state of mind as us, they have to win.”