Chile 2010 World Cup Roster: Bielsa Sticks By Qualifying Heroes

Chile coach Marcelo Bielsa has named his 30-man preliminary roster for the World Cup finals in South Africa, and has chosen to stick by the players who have gotten the team there, bar one exception.

The roster’s of some high profile nations have contained surprises, as Karim Benzema, Francesco Totti, and Pato have been all left out, while Jamie Carragher has been called up for England. That tradition has continued in Chile, as Flamengo midfielder Claudio Maldonado has been omitted.

"El Loco" Bielsa has stuck by the majority of the players who performed so spectacularly for him in the South American qualifying zone. Chile managed to finish in second position behind Brazil in securing their place at this years Mundial.

Maldonado’s absence has been a shock to all in Chile however, as he has been regarded as one of the countries top midfielders over the last few years. His recent injury worries have ultimately caused Bielsa to exclude him, but that rule has not applied to other stars.

Top scorer and undoubted star of the Chilean team is Humberto Suazo. On his shoulders lie the hopes of a nation. The Real Zaragoza striker scored 10 goals during qualification for La Roja, and his name was surely the first on the Chilean roster list, despite currently suffering with a shoulder injury.

Captain Claudio Bravo is also sidelined through injury at the moment, although he was also selected as one of the goalkeepers along side Luis Marin and Miguel Pinto of Union Espanola and Universidad de Chile respectively. T

he Real Sociedad 'keeper is expected to recover from his knee injury and take his place in the starting lineup for the first game with Honduras in Nelspruit on June 16. Bravo is the undoubted No. 1 but all three will make the plane to South Africa.

In defense, there will be fierce competition for places as only eight have been named in the preliminary roster, with potentially only six to make the final cut. La Roja only play with three at the back so there are limited places available.

Some players are assured of their place due to outstanding defensive displays during qualifying, such as Pablo Contreras, who is the most capped defender named by Bielsa. Gary Medel, Arturo Vidal of Germany’s Bayer Leverkusen, and Waldo Ponce were also stellar performers over the past three years and have earned their places in the squad.

One defender who will not have a chance to stake a claim for a place in the final 23 is Hans Martinez. The Universidad Catholica player has made nine appearances for his country in the past two seasons but he has been left out in favour of more experienced defenders.

Midfield is an area where Chile have a dearth of talent, as they possess many experienced players playing for competitive clubs across Europe. Matias Fernandez is the fulcrum of the team, dictating play from the centre of midfield. He is one of Bielsa’s favourites, yet he only makes sporadic appearances for Sporting Lisbon in Portugal.

Carlos Carmona also played an important role in qualification, and one was of the stars of Chile’s historic win over Argentina in Santiago.

Charles Aranguiz can consider himself fortunate to have made the final 30, however, as he hasn’t featured in a competitive game under Bielsa, but at the age of 21, he is surely one for the future and the potential experience of a world cup would serve him well.

‘El Loco’ is a firm believer in having two wingers in his teams. He tried it with Argentina in 2002 with Ariel Ortega and Claudio Lopez, and has done it again with Chile. Unlike those two Argentine legends, the Chilean wide men are natural wingers who patrol the flanks.

Mark Gonzalez has the pace to scare any full back in the world, but often his final ball lets him down. The much travelled South African born star currently plays in Moscow with CSKA and reached this season’s Champions League quarterfinals. On the other side is 21-year-old Alexis Sanchez of Udinese in Italy. Both players are assured of their starting places in the Mundial but others are not.

The final 23 man squad will not be named until June 1, therefore seven players will have to be cut following La Roja’s friendlies with Mexico in the Azteca stadium, and Zambia, Northern Ireland, and Israel in Santiago in the coming weeks.

While some players have already established their credentials, others haven’t. Hector Mancilla of Toluco will surely say goodbye on June 1, as will Jaime Valdes of recently relegated Atalanta. One gets the impression that Bielsa already knows his final selection, but with so many friendlies on the horizon, legs are needed to fill voids left by the stragglers returning from Europe.