Napoli and Cameroonian midfielder Frank Zambo Anguissa has become a topic of discussion hours after celebrating his birthday in the UAE. It would be quite realistic to say Zambo Anguissa who turned 27 yesterday, is in the form of his life for his club-side Napoli, even though the same cannot be said about his international career just yet.
Though he is one of those players that Cameroonian supporters are counting on to put up a show in Qatar; at least, he has been firing at all cylinders for the Serie A side who are currently at the pinnacle of the league.
While Napoli has only been beaten once this season by Liverpool in the Champions League, and still to lose in the Serie A, Zambo has been an integral part of that dominance bagging three goals in all competitions and managing a few assists as well. Most importantly, his resilience and work ethic in midfield this year has made a difference in the Napoli team, but the same can not be said about the national team just yet.
Anguissa has all of a sudden become a topic of discussion just moments after his birthday when a video of his teammates celebrating his birthday surfaced online. Going through the video, anyone would admit that the birthday boy wasn’t in his mood. Even though players like Ngamaleu have come out to say there’s no problem in the lion’s den, Anguissa’s stiff and unattractive energy doesn’t back that statement.
While we can’t be quick to conclude, we can only hope that what Samuel Eto’o and his staff have been fighting against, which is the internal dressing room feuds which have plagued the team and hindered progress over the years, does not repeat itself.
As a matter of fact, Cameroon’s team is not the strongest on paper, but could make a difference if they are a unit and one force. This can be seen with teams like Brazil during their training sessions. The playful and cheerful nature will normally make these players connect more and while this could be seen among many other players, Zambo seems to be the clove of mandarin fitting among garlic cloves.
Let’s be clear that it’s not about talent, because should that be the case, he deserves to be called up and deserves to be in the team, but his energy level must be rekindled if he doesn’t want an ill performance in Qatar to be blamed on him.
Even fans who are defending his mood, will admit that judging from the video trending, there is something fishy, but they’re choosing to be positive and just supporting the team.
In memorandum, one of the issues the team has also faced over the years, has been participation bonuses. But every participant of the 26 players called up including the coach this year, have received their bonuses in full.
Therefore, right now, whether Zambo is happy about something or not, he will have to fake it and put the team first. Any other thing can follow after the competition.
Up next, Cameroon plays Panama later today, and for a team that has only managed a single goal and no wins in their last three outings, it’s important for them to come alive against the South American opponents, especially after watching Ghana thrash group rivals Switzerland by 2:0. Although it’s a friendly match, it’s also an opportunity to build a rapport and team spirit.
The problem that led to a fight between Zambo and Ngadeu in June, created a loop and caused both players to miss out on both Cameroonian friendlies against Uzbekistan and South Korea, games in which both players were greatly missed. However, both deserved to be in Qatar after their efforts to qualify the team for the Jamboree, but that one was dropped and the others taken along shows that there needs to be purity in that midfield and Zambo must lead the chase.
My opinion is that Zambo isn’t always joyous and doesn’t always have that merry-look, but he cannot be all that serious, that he almost lacked words and a smile to share on his own birthday with his teammates.
