Chile Dreaming Of Salvation From Mundial
2010 WORLD CUP PREVIEW: CHILE Chile qualified for the World Cup in South Africa as runners up to Brazil in the South American qualifying zone. Such an achievement will not be expected come June however, as Chile do not represent one of the favourites for the title. The Chilean’s were notable for their attacking performances in qualifying, and they won many new fans across the continent because of it. Their finest result was a first competitive victory over neighbours Argentina. Their ability to complete the 18 game marathon in second place was an achievement in itself, as such an accomplishment was not expected at the outset. SCHEDULE Honduras: June 16 Switzerland: June 21 Spain: June 25 Such daring displays should aid their ability to progress from a group containing tournament favourites and European champions Spain, Switzerland and Central American minnows Honduras. The road is very much open for the Chileans to reach the second round. A win is a must in the opening fixture if progression is to be made. Honduras are one of the smallest nations in the tournament and have not reached a World Cup since 1982. If Chile have realistic hopes of getting through this group then anything other than a victory is unthinkable. Momentum will be key as their games get progressively harder. After Nelspruit, La Roja will move on to the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Port Elizabeth to face the Swiss. Switzerland comfortably qualified for these finals but they have been unimpressive in recent tournaments. In 2006 the Swiss exited to Ukraine in the last 16 without conceding a goal in the tournament, but they failed to spark any excitement along the way. The Chile team’s flair and pace will be a stark contrast to the disciplined, methodical Europeans. Finally Spain will be encountered in Loftus Versfield. If four or six points have not already been garnered by June 25th, the Chileans will surely be facing elimination in the face, as it is unlikely that Spain and their glittering array of talent can be overcome. Monumental distances will need to be negotiated between matches, but this applies to most teams. A distance of over 1,400 km’s lies between Nelspruit and Port Elizabeth, before facing another similarly long trip north to Pretoria for the final group fixture. The altitude of Loftus Versfeld may also prove a factor, but the conditions of the high veld are new to all competing nations, bar the hosts. KEY PLAYERS The success of the South Americans thus far has been down to a team effort which has been orchestrated by their veteran Argentinean manager Marcelo Bielsa. In his vision, all players are equal, but some are more equal than others. Many of the squads key players ply their trade across the Atlantic in Europe. Top scorer Humberto Suazo has spent this season in Spain with Real Zaragoza, with varying success. The club from north eastern Spain reside in the bottom half of La liga, but Suazo’s six goals have gone some way to keeping Zaragoza away from relegation. His goals have also been vital for the national team, as he registered ten in qualification, making him the top scorer in the South American zone. His presence will be vital come June. Captain Claudio Bravo is the side’s goalkeeper. He has played 41 times for his country and also plays his club football in northern Spain with Real Sociedad. His experience and inspiration will be essential to any success. Both players are currently injured however, but are expected to recover in time for the World Cup. Other notables members of Chile’s team are midfielders Matias Fernandez and Claudio Maldonado, as well as Udinese striker Alexis Sanchez. The pace of Mark Gonzalez will also be crucial to Chile’s counter attacking approach. The CSKA Moscow winger is lightning but his final pass can sometimes let him down, as was often witnessed in his time with Liverpool. Defender Arturo Vidal may be young at 22 but he has a lot of European experience in the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen. Marcelo Bielsa’s management skills have been the main reason the team has reached this point. Poor results had preceded his arrival in 2007, but a sudden upturn in fortunes has occurred since. His ability to inspire, organise, meticulously prepare and get the best out of his players will go a long way to deciding Chile’s fate in South Africa. Mark Gonzalez described the teams strengths well, “by the end of qualifying we were playing on instinct, with a well-structured system. What matters most is that we proved we’re a tough team to play and we always go out to try and win.” STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES Chile’s primary strength is their team spirit. That attribute will no doubt be stronger than ever following the disaster that struck the country on February 27th. The earthquake that rocked Concepcion and much of the south of the country brought the nation to the focus of the world’s media. Homes were destroyed and lives were lost. The motivation of this team to do well should be even stronger as a result. This may also prove to be a weakness, as no doubt emotions will be running high and pressure to succeed will be even greater than ever. Football is a religion in South America, meaning failure is rarely an option. While the players did performed well in qualifying, that competition ended in October. Many of Bielsa’s core players have only been playing sporadically or have been recently injured. Matias Fernandez is a creative influence but rarely gets game time in Lisbon with Sporting, while Maldonado has only recently returned to action with Flamengo after a serious knee injury. Suazo and Bravo have also been deprived of game time recently. Also, getting the squad together for friendlies has been a problem. Matches with North Korea and Costa Rica had to be cancelled because of the earthquake and it has been subsequently tough to arrange games, as a lot of the players are busy in Europe with their club teams. The players will not have seen a lot of each other by the time they meet up to go to Africa. IT WOULD BE A GREAT WORLD CUP IF…. The Chilean team will be hoping to restore some national pride and give the population back home a lift with some good results. To exit early would be nothing short of a disaster, but anything beyond the 2nd round would be greeted by wild celebrations in Santiago. IT WOULD BE A DISASTER IF… Failure to produce the kind of scintillating form that got them this far would be a catastrophe. Losing the opening game to little Honduras would be an embarrassment and the ultimate disaster would be if Chile proved to be the weakest of the five South American countries participating. MY PREDICTION With only Honduras, although developing, and Switzerland, an average European team, in their way, a last 16 berth is a distinct possibility. Their free flowing confident brand of attacking football, combined with the traditional South American trait of rugged physical defending should be enough to see them edge out the Swiss to second place, but their progress should stop there. Their reward will be a trip to Johannesburg to face Brazil in a repeat of the second round game from 1998, which eventual runners-up Brazil won 4-1. Brazil will prove too strong yet again in 2010.
