Current FIFA Rank: 3
Copa America Record: Winners (2015)
Manager: Juan Antonio Pizzi
Overview:
Chile comes into this Copa America at the peak of its international standing since its establishment in 1895. Not only does Chile hold the number 3 ranking but the Chilean National team is also the reigning champion of the Copa America having won it in 2015 for the first time by defeating Argentina in the finals. Chile has been very consistently improving since a major drop in the rankings between 2000-2002 to 84 after being in or around the top 20 for a few years. Since 2002, Chile has put together an impressive resume which includes two Copa America quarter-finals and a championship, and two round of 16 exits at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups. The Chile hype has never been higher as the 2015 win over the currently 1 ranked Argentina has revealed them to be a force to be reckoned with in South America, especially with players from top teams in Spain, Germany and England.
In addition to their win over Argentina, 2015 also showed quality wins over Brazil and Uruguay with only three total losses on the year to Iran, Brazil and Uruguay. Despite the hype from 2015, there have been some changes in the Chilean National Team such as a new manager in January 2016 who has yet to impress as a manager at any level. In addition, of Chile’s last three international matches, they have lost two. One was this year to Argentina who they will have to face again in Copa America. Despite a somewhat lackluster start to the year, Chile should still have no problem advancing from Group D with only one threatening matchup against Argentina. Panama and Bolivia should be easy wins for them, especially since a 2015 matchup against Bolivia yielded a 5-0 victory in favor of Chile. It is worth noting that the 2015 Copa America win for Chile took place at home, so it will be interesting to note if they can recreate that magic without the home crowd advantage. The should be a lock to advance in at least second place from this group barring any major upsets and have a chance to defeat Argentina for first.
Players to Watch:
Arturo Vidal:
Arturo Vidal is one of the superstar players of the Chilean National Team and is one of the biggest factors in their recent success. As a club player he has played for some of the top teams in the world, enjoying massive success with Juventus as a vital starter and moving to Bayern Munich in 2015. With Juventus he was one of the key players in their record breaking 2013-2014 season where they recorded over 100 points in a season and where he scored 18 goals. He even faced off against Barcelona in the 2015 Champions League Final. Off the field he ran into some trouble with a drunk driving charge during Chile’s Copa America campaign. His importance on the field, scoring three goals in the first two matches, both of which resulted in man of the match, allowed him to avoid punishment from the national team and ultimately led to Chile’s Copa America victory against Argentina. Arturo Vidal is clearly one of Chile’s most valuable midfielders scoring 15 times in 74 appearances, and is amongst the best players in the world. He will be looking to do big things this summer in Chile’s quest for the repeat championship.
Eduardo Vargas:
When Chile’s stars are having an off night, former Chilean manager Jorge Sampaoli looked to Eduardo Vargas to step up. Vargas is something of an anomaly as a player in that his club career has yet to take off, but he has already started to solidify himself as a Chilean legend. Playing for poor clubs such as the recently relegated Queens Park Rangers Vargas has not had the same superstar club career as his compatriot Arturo Vidal, but as an international player the 26-year-old forward has 25 goals in 52 appearances, only six less than Alexis Sánchez who has 93 caps. If there is one breakout player from last year’s Copa America it is Vargas as he scored four goals, tied for the tournament high, and helped secure Chile’s win. Although it is unfair to classify Vargas as a recent breakout as even in the 2014 World Cup he scored a goal versus Spain to help get Chile to the knockout stage. Many attribute Vargas’ success to the coaching style of Jorge Sampaoli, so with a new manager it will be curious to see if Vargas can repeat his success. Look to see if Vargas can show similar performances under this new system, because if Chile can get Vargas going again this year, they are a very strong contender to upset Argentina.
Manager:
Recently appointed manager Juan Antonio Pizzi will have a lot of pressure on his shoulders as he takes a largely similar Chilean team to the same tournament they won under his predecessor without the advantage of playing in their home country. Similar success will pacify recently spoiled Chilean fans, but an early exit won’t look good early in his Chilean tour as he has agreed to coach through the 2018 World Cup. Coming from a largely unimpressive club coaching career where he was sacked from clubs such as Valencia after half a season for a record low 8th place finish in 16 years, he will have his work cut out for him right away with a tough group stage match against Argentina. If he can use the squad with a similar level of success as Sampaoli has in the past, similarly getting huge performances out of otherwise underwhelming players such as Eduardo Vargas, he should be able to take this team far into the tournament. It will be hard to live up to recent results, but Pizzi has the tools to make it happen.
Works Cited:
Beck, Tom. “Chile Appoint Juan Antonio Pizzi as Head Coach – Goal.com.” Goal.com. N.p., 30 Jan. 2016. Web. 01 May 2016. <http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/82/south-america/2016/01/30/19815082/chile-appoints-juan-antonio-pizzi-as-head-coach>.
Burrows, Ben. “Valencia Sack Juan Antonio Pizzi after Just Half a Season in Charge at the Mestalla – Mirror Online.” Mirror. N.p., 02 July 2014. Web. 01 May 2016. <http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/valencia-sack-juan-antonio-pizzi-3801231>.
“9. Arturo Vidal.” Goal.com. N.p., 28 July 2014. Web. 01 May 2016. <http://www.goal.com/en-us/slideshow/8441/42/title/goal-50-2014>.
Henke, Sebastian. “Arturo Vidal Short Biography.” History of Soccer. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2016. <http://www.history-of-soccer.org/arturo-vidal.html>.
Staunton, Peter. “Arturo Vidal Deemed Too Important to Be Disciplined by Chile.” Goal.com. N.p., 17 June 2015. Web. 01 May 2016. <http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/587/copa-america/2015/06/17/12826022/arturo-vidal-deemed-too-important-to-be-disciplined-by-chile>.
Staunton, Peter. “Vargas Steps Ahead of Alexis and Vidal to Become the Hero of Chile – Goal.com.” Goal.com. N.p., 29 June 2015. Web. 01 May 2016. <http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/587/copa-america/2015/06/29/13171952/vargas-steps-ahead-of-alexis-and-vidal-to-become-chiles-hero>.
How to Cite this page:
“Chile” Written by Arjun Jain (1 May 2016), Copa America Centenario 2016, Soccer Politics Blog, Duke University http://sites.duke.edu/wcwp/tournament-guides/copa-america-centenario-2016-guide/copa-america-centenario-2016-team-guide/chile/ (accessed on (date))