Cameroon head coach David Pagou says Bryan Mbeumo is one of the driving forces of the team and they are confident they can exploit the weaknesses of hosts Morocco in the quarterfinals of the Africa Cup of Nations.
Mbeumo, 26, has featured in all four games en-route to the last eight but has yet to open his account for the team which Pagou says is not an issue as a player that remains integral to their pursuit of glory in North Africa.
“Mbeumo is the kind of player who sometimes needs a push to express himself, especially in the locker room. When I took over, I called him to tell him he was my technical director and that I wanted him to be one of the driving forces of this team,” Pagou said.
The Atlas Lions have come under immense pressure despite coming unbeaten into the tie against the Indomitable Lions, the second most successful nation in the AFCON, with five titles to their name.
And Pagou is aware they remain favourites, with a formidable squad, but notes they won’t be able to dominate the full game, much as how they soaked the pressure against Bafana Bafana in the 2-1 win on Sunday.
“A team cannot be consistent from the first to the 90th minute. There are what we call periods of strength and periods of weakness. It’s up to each player to know how to manage those moments. Inevitably, Morocco will have a period of weakness.”
The two sides will do battle on Friday evening at the Prince Moulay Abdallah Stadium at 20h00 (GMT+1).
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