This Chilean project started in 2010 under the stewardship of Bielsa, the high-octane Argentine maestro. At the World Cup in South Africa, Chile were playing a brand of energetic attacking football that had never been seen before. It wasn't a case of two or three superstars, but an entire team that worked together in harmony and were all intertwined with one another. So there was no relying on the Serie A powerhouses of Zamorano and Salas, but they were more of a team where every individual was important...and they were pretty damn good team.
As the team grew, so did their players for their teams. Vidal became the heart and core of Juve's midfield, and Sanchez finally found a club that appreciated his talents and he delivered the goods for them in return. But this wasn't going to change their ethos. When Sampaoli came in to coach, it was the same exact ideology. To attack as a unit, keep the ball on the ground and have unbelievable trust in your fellow man with the ball at their feet. Despite the now superstar status Vidal and Sanchez had obtained, nobody was made to be bigger than the team. Perhaps a lesson Argentina could take a lesson from with their hero-worship of Messi.
It was at the world cup in Brazil that you saw Chile take that next big step to finally being a big team. Spain had been rehashed by Holland, and many thought they would get back on track as the defending champions and defeat Chile. What we saw instead was a superb performance by Sampaoli's boys, who wanted the win more and got it done with Spain not having any answers for their intensity. Then came second round match against Brazil where Chile were INCHES away from knocking out the hosts. It was not to be, and this time, the lottery of penalties went against them.
Now, a Copa America in their country, all the pressure in the world. Don't be fooled. Playing before your home crowd is a gift and a curse. Ask Brazil, who had no proper tactical answers to Germany who scored too many goals, too early and too quickly. Emotions can get the better of you and make you act before thinking about the right choice to be made. Chile however fell on the good side of this situation, and throughout the tournament, they dominated their matches and were the better team. In fact, their toughest match may have been against the very stubborn Peruvians, and that's with having a man up as well.
What I have to tip my hat to, is for their performance in the final. They may have been playing at home, but they were still going up against a team with the "best player in the world" and a supremely talented Argentine team. No shame in saying they were the inferior team...ON PAPER. But this is why we love football. It's never about what's on paper or any of that. Once you cross the white line and the referee blows the whistle, it's now men versus men on that pitch. Who the hell is Valdivia compared to Messi? But he showed up in the final, and did everything and was everywhere and simply stood out head and shoulders above everyone else on the pitch.
Chile are deserving champions. They played football the right way, and their ideology that began five years ago has paid off. Bravo's fellow men are Copa America champions and yes, they can now become legends and be put in folklore when Chileans tell their kids and grandkids of being in the stadium when they won their very first Copa America trophy.
Well done to Chile and this isn't over, there is a World Cup in Russia to compete for.
HH
Sent from the Hut
