Confederations Cup 2017: Chile looking to make history this summer by avoiding burnout
Chile are looking to add a Confederations Cup to their back-to-back Copa America titles, but their run of dominance may be over after the summer.
Chile have been in great form the past few years. They won the Copa America on home soil in 2015 against Argentina and replicated the effort a year later in the United States by winning the special edition Copa America Centenario, again defeating Argentina in the final via a penalty shootout.
At the Confederations Cup in Russia this month, Chile have the chance to win a third consecutive international tournament in as many years, an unprecedented feat for a national team that also participated at the 2014 World Cup. Will a fourth straight end-of-season tournament finally take a toll on the players?
That question was one of the storylines on the eve of the Confederations Cup. Chile’s fast-paced play, diagonal passing and overall entertaining style have been a delight to watch, but also a major cause of possible burnout with each passing game.
Whether Chile can maintain their winning ways will be tested this week. In many ways, this team has been the model of consistency. After all, you don’t win two major tournaments without some very special talent. Staying consistent, however, will be the hard part. Some cracks appeared to show during the 1-1 draw versus Australia in their final group game at the Confederations Cup.
The Aussies came close to pulling off a major upset in Moscow, taking the lead with a James Troisi chip after 42 minutes. The South American champions looked unable to keep up with the pace of a game they should have won handily. For nearly two-thirds of the game, it looked as if Otkrytiye Stadium would be the site of the biggest upset in the tournament since the United States defeated Spain 2-0 in the semifinals of the 2009 edition.
Unable to maintain possession, Chile struggled to create chances. The few passes they did string together were easily broken up by the Socceroos, effectively employing a physical style throughout much of the match. The Chileans, however, found the equalizer in the 67th minute through substitute Martin Rodriguez, ensuring their passage to the semifinals and setting up a meeting Wednesday against Portugal.
“This match was at the level of a World Cup quarterfinal,” Chile coach Juan Antonio Pizzi told reporters after the game. “Our opponent didn’t allow us to play the way we usually do, they were very good at pressing.”
Following last summer’s Copa victory, the question was how Lionel Messi, who had achieved so much success at club level with Barcelona, could fail in three straight championship games (if you include the loss to Germany in the 2014 World Cup final). The better question was how Chile could become South America’s best national team.
It was no fluke. The Chileans have a rich soccer past and hosted a World Cup in 1962. Nonetheless, they’ve cemented their legacy as one of South America’s better teams with their success and brand of entertaining soccer. This is the same team that forced Messi last year into temporary retirement from the national team.
After Brazil and Uruguay saw a drop in form following the 2010 World Cup, Chile were able to quickly fill the void thanks to a new generation of extremely talented players. This golden generation includes a number of players who ply their trade in Europe. The most successful have been midfielder Arturo Vidal, who plays with Bayern Munich and has been the linchpin of this Chilean side, and Alexis Sanchez, the Arsenal striker who has been with the Premier League club since 2014.
For a team known for their attack, La Roja have shown some limitations up front at this Confederations Cup. Fatigue could very well be the main reason. After a 10-month club season loaded with games every weekend (and for some also competing in the Champions League), trying to remain competitive this late into June for a fourth straight summer could be a problem.
The second reason is tactical. Sanchez is as good as they come, but he’s a winger. He’s amazing at passing the ball, but rarely in position to score himself. It was his pass that set up the goal that allowed Chile to score the tying goal against Australia. While Pizzi complained that Australia “closed every door and were physical,” they also revealed one of Chile’s vulnerabilities. With no real finisher, the team have struggled to score at this tournament. Four goals in three games isn’t enough to win a first-round group at the World Cup next year, let alone be competitive in the knockout stages against tougher teams.
When Argentina failed to create offense in the two finals they lost, the Chileans were able to impose their style for long stretches of the game, even though both those matches had to be settled on penalties. When Chile trounced Mexico 7-0 in the quarterfinals of the Copa America Centenario last year, Pizzi used a 4-4-2 formation with emphasis on man-to-man marking. It would have been interesting to see whether Chile could have replicated that against Mexico. By virtue of their draw with Australia, Chile failed to get Mexico in the semifinals. Instead, they face Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo. Not only will Chile need to rediscover their form, they will also be looking to avoid being burned out by another summer tournament.