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Chile have never won an international tournament. Yet they go into 2015 Copa America as one of the favourites with one of the strongest and well-balanced squads in the tournament.
Their last semi-final appearance in this tournament was when they last hosted it in 1991 and Jorge Sampaoli's side will be hoping to do better than that when they kick off their campaign on June 11 against Ecuador. With a boisterous home crowd behind them La Roja will be looking to make history. In Sampaoli and the squad of players that he has chosen, they have all the necessary ingredients to do just that.
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Squad
If Chile are to break their duck in international tournaments and claim their maiden piece of silverware, there isn't a better time than this tournament. While they earned plenty of admirers in the World Cup last year, their lack of strength in depth was always going to stop them from winning the tournament.
But on home soil, hosting the Copa America, they have the perfect opportunity thanks to their squad. It is quite rare for a side to be so well-balanced so as that have one of the best goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders and forwards in the tournament. But that is precisely what Chile have.
In Claudio Bravo they have a treble-winning shot-stopper who is in the form of his life. In front of him, they have Gary Medel, the tough as nails centre back, who will be looking to end a disappointing season on a high. In midfield, Arturo Vidal is a standout performer and is fresh from almost winning the treble with Juventus and is completely fit and ready to go.
Up front, they have Alexis Sanchez. A player who scored a goal in the FA Cup final in his debut season with Arsenal in which he finished with his career-best goal return in a season.
With able support provided by the likes of Marcelo Diaz, Eduardo Vargas and Mauricio Isla, Chile are strong favourites. With almost all of the squad in or nearing the prime of their careers, the stage is set for them to make history and become Chile's first squad to win a trophy.
Goalkeepers: Claudio Bravo (Barcelona), Paulo Garces (Colo-Colo), Johnny Herrera (Universidad de Chile)
Defenders: Miiko Albornoz (Hannover), Mauricio Isla (QPR), Gonzalo Jara (Mainz), Gary Medel (Inter), Eugenio Mena (Cruzeiro), Jose Rojas (Universidad de Chile)
Midfielders: Charles Aranguiz (Internacional), Jean Beausejour (Colo-Colo), Carlos Carmona (Atalanta), Marcelo Diaz (Hamburg), Matias Fernandez (Fiorentina), Felipe Gutierrez (Twente), Arturo Vidal (Juventus), David Pizarro (Fiorentina), Jorge Valdivia (Palmeiras)
Forwards: Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal), Eduardo Vargas (QPR), Angelo Henriquez (Dinamo Zagreb), Mauricio Pinilla (Atalanta), Edson Puch (Huracan)
Best Starting XI (4-3-1-2): Claudio Bravo; Mauricio Isla, Gonzalo Jara, Gary Medel, Eugenio Mena; Charles Aranguiz, Marcelo Diaz, Arturo Vidal, Jorge Valdivia; Alexis Sanchez, Eduardo Vargas
Coach
If Marcelo Bielsa put Chile on the map and made everyone take notice at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, his disciple Jorge Sampaoli continued that good work last summer when the Argentinean won plenty of plaudits for his selections and his approach to the game. Few sides are as intense and exhilarating as Chile are at the moment and that style of play, high in emotion is in keeping with how the players and fans alike see the game.
Meticulous in his planning and organised in his approach, Sampaoli's side will not only be difficult to break down but incredibly difficult to play against.
Whether it is playing with a back three and trying to crowd the midfield and attack at pace or switching to a back four and being more pro-active against the lesser sides, the 55-year-old manager is flexible with his tactics and has the personnel to approach different teams differently.
With the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal orchestrating the attacks, La Roja will be entertaining to watch and have a great chance of not only getting out of the group, but also winning the whole tournament.
Formation and Tactics
One of the reasons why Chile are the side to watch out for in the tournament is because of their tactics. While their intensity and attacking play will please the fans, their tactics and formations are sure to keep the pundits happy.
One of Sampaoli's biggest strengths is his flexibility and his teams can change from 4-3-1-2 to 3-4-3 or 3-5-2 depending on the players available. The former is more likely against the lesser sides and the latter two will mostly be reserved for the big sides.
Whatever formation Chile employ, their tactics are simple, play a high intensity game and force the opponents into making mistakes. Press their opponents, defend from the front and attack with plenty of pace, both through the middle and on the flanks.
4-3-1-2 formation
This formation is likely to be the one employed in the group stages and will see Palmeiras playmaker Jorge Valdivia operate at the tip of the midfield behind the pace and relentless energy of Eduardo Vargas and Alexis Sanchez.
This formation allows the Argentinean to play three central midfielders, strangle the opposition by not giving them any space in the centre of the park and forcing them to play out wide, which not many sides are extremely good at. The three-man midfield that provides cover defensively also allows more players to be pushed forward, including the two full backs Isla and Mena who are likely to have plenty of joy down both flanks.
3-4-3 formation
Should Sampaoli wish to go with three at the back and play with wing backs, then Beausejour who is a better wingback than Mena will slot on the left and Hannover's Miiko Albornoz slots in as the third centre back. This formation allows both wingbacks, Isla and Beausejour, and the central midfielders a lot more freedom to express themselves.
Because of the three-man defence, they can also play without a recognised defensive midfielder and be more attacking by pairing Vidal with Aranguiz and having Valdivia playing in front of them. If the Argentinean chooses to be more defensive, this formation affords him that luxury as well as he can play Vidal, Aranguiz and Diaz and push Vidal slightly further up the field.
While the former formation is likely to be used in the group stages, the latter will almost certainly be employed when they come up against the big guns in Argentina and Brazil as it affords them both the safety in numbers and ability to break quickly.
History at the Copa America
Despite being the second-oldest federation in South America, Chile are yet to win the continent's biggest prize. They have come second four times in 1955, 1956, 1979 and 1987. But the last time they finished runners-up was so long ago that most of this squad was either not born or still toddlers at the time.
Despite being one of the most consistent South American sides, in terms of qualifying for major tournaments, Chile have always found it difficult to find a way anything. While their performances over the last few tournaments have improved, it was less than two decades ago when they failed to get past the first round of the Copa America in three successive tournaments.
Sampaoli will be keen to stress to his squad that history exists to be re-written and he will take some solace from the fact that the last time Chile reached the semi-final of the tournament was in 1991, when they last hosted the competition. With the quality at their disposal, reaching the semi-final is a minimum requirement this time around.
| YEAR | RESULT |
|---|---|
| 1975 | Round 1 |
| 1979 | Runners-up |
| 1983 | Round 1 |
| 1987 | Runners-up |
| 1989 | Round 1 |
| 1991 | Third place |
| 1993 | Round 1 |
| 1995 | Round 1 |
| 1997 | Round 1 |
| 1999 | Fourth place |
| 2001 | Quarter-finals |
| 2004 | Round 1 |
| 2007 | Quarter-finals |
| 2011 | Quarter-finals |
Prediction
Given the strength of their squad and the quality of some of their key players, they should easily top Group A. While Ecuador are a tough proposition to start off with, they are unlikely to have enough to stop the hosts from starting off with a win and finishing as group winners.
Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay will be their biggest threats as they proceed further into the tournament. If Vidal and Sanchez are on song and the goalkeeper can continue his brilliant form from the season, then there is no doubt that this Chile side have what it takes to win their maiden international trophy.
Alexis Sanchez to score in the final before Claudio Bravo pulls off a miraculous save to give Chile their first Copa America title in front of their home fans.
