The Road to South Africa

It was thrilling and a little dangerous at times. Even though Chile finished second in the South American group, won more games than anyone else and scored more goals than any side bar Brazil, after four matches it seemed this campaign would go the forlorn way of the last two. Chile had won just one match and lost at home to Paraguay. It was facing Bolivia on their own ground in La Paz, whose altitude gives the home side a considerable advantage, that the road began to turn with two goals from their defensive midfielder, Gary Medel, who was to enjoy a fine campaign. Thereafter, they won eight of their remaining 12 fixtures, including a 1-0 win over Argentina in Santiago, which must have given Bielsa a sense of strange satisfaction.

The Star Players

Alexis Sanchez (Udinese) He is just 21 and the boy from the far north of Chile is already considered one of the great midfield talents of the world game. He has some of Cristiano Ronaldo’s trickery, which may be why Manchester United showed some interest in signing him, although Udinese are likely to resist selling him for as long as they can

Gary Medel (Boca Juniors) His nickname of El Pitbull tells you all you need to know about this aggressive, hard-tackling midfielder. He has proved to be more than a merely destructive midfielder since moving to Boca Juniors and, but for his goals in La Paz, Chile’s World Cup campaign might never have kicked into life.

Arturo Vidal (Bayer Leverkusen) Like many of Bielsa’s squad, Vidal came to prominence in the Under 20 World Cup in Canada three years ago in which Chile finished third. By then he had already agreed a move from Colo-Colo, one of Chile’s two big clubs, to Bayer Leverkusen, where he has sometimes shifted from midfield to defence.

The Coach

Marcelo Bielsa The scars of Argentina’s failure to qualify from the group stages in Japan eight years ago have evidently not healed. It was a campaign Bielsa was in charge of and, asked if this World Cup would provide redemption, the Argentinian shook his head: “Nothing I will ever achieve in the future will make that sadness go away.” Nevertheless, he has taken Chile to South Africa with rather more style than Argentina managed under Diego Maradona. From a family of lawyers and politicians, Bielsa’s passion for football and his obsession with detail is such that he is known as ‘El Loco’ or ‘The Madman’.

Honours

World Cup: Semi-finalists 1962. Round of 16 1998.
Copa America: Finalists 1979. Semi-finalists 1999.

Analysis

Chile’s World Cup record in the 48 years since they hosted the tournament is frankly embarrassing. To have played 13 matches in four campaigns and not to have recorded a single victory is a record this Chile side are capable of consigning to history. Given their final group game at the Loftus Versfeld stadium in Pretoria is against the clear favourites, Spain, whom they have never beaten, Chile will have to hit the ground running. In this they are helped by the fact that their opener in Nelspruit is their most winnable, against Honduras. Then they travel south to Port Elizabeth for what will almost certainly be the critical match of their whole campaign, against Switzerland. However, finishing second would almost certainly see them face Brazil in Johannesburg. They beat Chile twice in qualifying and are likely to beat them again.

Verdict

Squad (3/5)
Young enough to want to win and tough enough and good enough to maintain the momentum from qualification.

Coach (3/5)
Marcelo Bielsa’s attention to detail is such that he has been known to measure the pitch himself. He deserves some kind of recompense for all the pain of 2002.

Attack (3/5)
The number of goals scored in qualification is testament to what the forward line led by Fernandez, Sanchez and Suazo are capable of.

Defence (3/5)
They are unlikely ever to plumb the depth of the Battle of Santiago but they can be an uncompromising bunch.