CHILE AT THE WORLD CUP 2010

Asociación Nacional de Fútbol Profesional (ANFP)
1895

Coach: Marcelo Bielsa

Confederation: Conmebol
FIFA Ranking (Dec 09): 17
Previous Appearances: 7 (1930, 1950, 1962, 1966, 1974, 1982, 1998)
          

Background

It’s somewhat surprising that Chile manages to qualify for the World Cup finals quite frequently, even though handicapped by shoddy administration by it Football Association. There have not been any serious attempts to build up a solid base for the game over the decades and Chile has not been in the top flight of Latin American football. Yet this will be the eighth appearance for Chile in the football jambori.

Road to South Africa

However, the Chilean team has shown signs of a change for the better under Argentine coach Marcelo Bielsa as evidenced by their performance in the qualifying campaign for the 2010 World Cup.

Chile first played Argentina at Buenos Aires and lost 2-0, both goals scored by Juan Roman Riquelme. They could bag only four points in their first four CONMEBOL qualifiers.

But that was in 2007 and they were relying on old war horses like Marcelo Salas, their star at the 1998 finals in France. The weary legs could not provide the expected results. Bielsa went into deep analysis of the situation and changed his strategy. He bestowed his faith in the young blood, a calculated risk. This turned out to be a master stroke and the fate of Chile took flight. The terrific run the team had after that landed them on the plane to South Africa, with one game to spare.

A very significant aspect of Chile's qualifying campaign was that they pocketed 16 points in away games. The five wins which came  their way on the road was the result of the new emphasis the team placed on attacking football and the reliance on youth. Chile can certainly spring a few surprises if they can continue to produce the same quality and also improve on it in South Africa.

Chile had finished ninth and seventh in the CONMEBOL qualifying campaigns for South Korea/Japan 2002 and Germany 2006. those disappointments have been put away and the team and the nation is on a very high confidence level.

World Cup History

Best Result: 1962, Semifinals

Chile's World Cup campaign history goes back to the very first World Cup. They played in the inaugural tournament, held in neighbouring Uruguay in 1930. La Roja had a very optimistic start, beating Mexico 3-0 and France 1-0. The format of the tournament was different from the present one and a 3-1 loss to Argentina in the final group match ended Chile's first World Cup.

It took another 20 years for Chile to return to the World Cup arena in Brazil in 1950. The squad could not make it beyond the group stage. The Great Chilean earthquake in 1960, which recorded at 9.5 on the Richter scale, the highest ever, erased to ground the country’s infrastructure. There was great apprehension that Chile may not be in a position to host the 1962 World Cup. But the nation rose to the occasion, put the tragedy back and the show went on. For the first and only time, Chile reached the semi-finals. The Chilean football team did not let the people down and a crowd of over 76,000 saw the La Roja going down 4-2 to Brazil, battling all the way.

There were four more appearances in the World Cup for Chile; 1966, '74, '82 and '98. But nothing of note was achieved, the best being a second round exit at France 1998. after a lapse of 12 years, Chile is again at the World Cup in 2010 to test their fortunes.

Strengths

A team that attacks from the first whistle and till the last whistle. High-powered offence is their greatest asset. The old cliché “offence is the best defense” is their guiding strategy and even when the team is winning, they don’t let off the pressure. It is a pleasure to watch their movements which appear to be synchronized to the beats of music.

Weaknesses

There are weak links in the defence. Even as they build up pressure in the opponent’s half a run away move can break their defense lines. Not being very tall, they often fail to get the high ball.

THE COACH

Marcelo Bielsa carries with him the full trust of the team. He is a coach with his own uniquw identity in football. He is always learning and always planning and always trying out new ideas. No wonder his nick name is ‘El Loco’ or ‘crazy’. Bielsa is a faithful follower of the ‘Coerver’ method and has pre planned practically every move of his players through the game. He has a fixed lineup for his team, whether at home or away. It is always 3-3-1-3.

Star Men

Humberto Suazo;

 Playing for Monterrey in Mexico, this will be the first ever appearance for Humberto Suazo in a World Cup. With 17 goals in 39 appearances at international level, he has become an integral part of the Chilean squad. 10 of those goals were struck in the qualifying matches and he was South America’s top goal scorer.. Suazo is one of the inform strikers in Latin America right now. He, along with the young and fleet footed Alexis Sanchez, seems to be a deadly duo upfront for Chile. But performance on the big stage is altogether a different matter and that holds the key to Chile’s progress in the tournament.

Alexis Sanchez;

 Sanchez is known as the ‘wonder boy’ in Chile and finds a place in the list of the top 50 of the most exciting youngsters in the game.  But the wonder kid from the Udinese hasn’t been as prolific as a lot of fans may have hoped in the qualifying rounds, scoring just three goals in 11 games. Yet, he is only 20 and the World Cup could be the perfect setting where Sanchez comes of age and shows the rest of the world what potential he has.

Matias Fernandez ;

The mid fielder playing for Sporting CP was the Best South American Player in 2006. He is held in high esteem in the Chilean team. He and Jorge Valdivia have a running competition for being the playmaker of the team and this might propel him to greater heights in South Africa.

Best Footballing Moment

Undoubtedly it was the podium finish in 1962 when Chile came out in third place in the World Cup that was played in their own country. They lost to Brazil in the semi-finals, but had the measure of Yugoslavia 1-0 in the match for the third place.

World Cup Objective