Copa America 2011

[Chileno]

Man, oh man...

Same old story as always. The team was just not there in the first half. It was the worst first half I've seen this team play since I've been watching them.

The worst 45 minutes of football I have ever watched form this generation. EVER.

[Chileno]

I hate to say this, but I told you guys so. The biggest asset Chile had was Bielsa, and without him Chile proved the point. And Alexis Sanchez? Pure hype, he's good, but theres way better players out there. It's hard to believe Barcelona wants him...and if they get him I'm sure he'll be a bench warmer.
Sorry guys if it sounds harsh, just being real.

Agree that Bielsa was an asset. But that is where my agreements with you end. We made it to quarters playing improvised football, which is Bichi's style and topped a group which included Peru and Uruguay. Playing improvised football in all three...we could have easily gone to semis...I mean c'mon...2 crossbars, 2 balls saved on the line! Shit like this does not happen every day.

What's more, I would be very surprised if we don't make it to 2014 again, without Bielsa.

[vamoscarajo]

Better team? ...hmm that is a bold statement, maybe if you had all your injured players in there. I think Colombians have you beat in defenders. Your biggest asset IMO is your coach.

You see, I was right. We do have a better team. While Colombia's offense faltered on and on, Vargas and Guerrero were able to make the difference in the end.

[vamoscarajo]

Agree that Bielsa was an asset. But that is where my agreements with you end. We made it to quarters playing improvised football, which is Bichi's style and topped a group which included Peru and Uruguay. Playing improvised football in all three...we could have easily gone to semis...I mean c'mon...2 crossbars, 2 balls saved on the line! Shit like this does not happen every day.

What's more, I would be very surprised if we don't make it to 2014 again, without Bielsa.

I think we were all not sure exactly how good Chile's team was. I personally don't like Borghi, but I do like chile's offensive style play. I think you guys hyped yourselves up a bit. A lot of my chilean friends said chile has the best team in America... something debatable, but after yesterdays game I think proven wrong. Chile's players are still very young though, and I'm sure they still have time to develop more. And it would be a huge surprise if they dont qualify to the next world cup. They sure have the potential to do so.

[~zero_signal~]

I can see Borghi's value, and I was obviously content that Chile topped their group, but I've been wanting to ask him a question for a while now: When exactly will the honeymoon period be over?

I've been waiting for him to deliver some objective critical analysis or, at the very least, a realistic account of the team's performance against Venezuela. I admire managers who can openly admit where the team went wrong after an ugly loss like this. He, like some of the players, seem to be in total denial about the performance, especially the no-show of the first half. They've pulled a get-out-of-jail-free card by reminding the public that they topped their group and reached the Quarter Finals when this is not the point.

Borghi, for me, was too unmoved and complacent in the first forty five minutes of the match against Venezuela. There was no walking along the touchline or giving out instructions. The team needed a spray, something that a more vocal manager would do, but it never came. His response to the shoddy performance was to bring on Valdivia, which was probably accompanied by a message like: "Mago, get us out of this."

Ideally, I would like a manager to come in and actually do something about one of the very worst backlines in the continent. The team's defensive issues have not been addressed for years, and instead, we've seen an improve-the-main-strengths-to-compensate-for-the-bad sort of approach. If you want to go far in tournaments, as we've seen in recent years, you have to have a backline (& keeper) that offers security. Chile is a long, long way away from that.

[Chileno]

Borghi, for me, was too unmoved and complacent in the first forty five minutes of the match against Venezuela. There was no walking along the touchline or giving out instructions. The team needed a spray, something that a more vocal manager would do, but it never came. His response to the shoddy performance was to bring on Valdivia, which was probably accompanied by a message like: "Mago, get us out of this."

Ideally, I would like a manager to come in and actually do something about one of the very worst backlines in the continent. The team's defensive issues have not been addressed for years, and instead, we've seen an improve-the-main-strengths-to-compensate-for-the-bad sort of approach. If you want to go far in tournaments, as we've seen in recent years, you have to have a backline (& keeper) that offers security. Chile is a long, long way away from that.

This defeat hurt so much dude...I think I have nailed down why this has disturbed me so much. Those first 45 minutes...it was like a Deja Vu of a time with 'El Pelado'. So..so..bad. It was as if with a brush...the whole era of Bielsa had been dismissed.

It was clear to me that Bichi's style is 'let the good ones play'. His main asset is that he picks the best 11 available...and he can make the right changes at the right time...or so I thought.

I think his 'buddies with the players' attitude prevents him from making changes in more critical moments. He should have removed Jimenez in the very first 15 minutes...like Bielsa did with Fierro in Argentina. Sometimes matches start so badly you have to make immediate changes, regardless of what the player or media say.

The match versus Venezuela was one of those matches. 15 minutes in I though...'keep this shit up and we will loose'. There was no dynamic...no movements...offensive triangulations. A few long balls...and a few memorized moves from Udinese by Alexis and Isla...but that was the end of our offensive abilities in the first half. ABSO***KINLUTELY SOUL WRENCHING.

I'll be honest with you, It will take some time for that wound to heal.

As for the defence. Well, I'm afraid that is a defect this generation will simply have to learn how to live with because that is all we got for now. With Bielsa or Bichi or Mou as a coach...the problem willl remain.

The one thing I think we could improve considerably is the defence from 'dead balls', free-kicks and corners. There were key members that helped Chile defend the air in the world cup, thanks to their height and jump, both were missing against Venezuela due to injury or suspension. These players are Mark Gonzalez and Jean Beausejour.

But I will add another one no one is expecting, not our rivals or our ourselves. Pinilla. I am confident that guy will make a killer comeback next season with Palermo. He already showed glimmers of his game last season before the injury. I don't think I'm deluding when I say his aerial game is comparable to Zamorano.

With Jean, Mark and Pinilla we should add considerable defensive capabilities to our team from the aerial threat of corners and free-kicks. We will also add considerable danger on the opposing side.

[vamoscarajo]

I can see Borghi's value, and I was obviously content that Chile topped their group, but I've been wanting to ask him a question for a while now: When exactly will the honeymoon period be over?

I've been waiting for him to deliver some objective critical analysis or, at the very least, a realistic account of the team's performance against Venezuela. I admire managers who can openly admit where the team went wrong after an ugly loss like this. He, like some of the players, seem to be in total denial about the performance, especially the no-show of the first half. They've pulled a get-out-of-jail-free card by reminding the public that they topped their group and reached the Quarter Finals when this is not the point.

Borghi, for me, was too unmoved and complacent in the first forty five minutes of the match against Venezuela. There was no walking along the touchline or giving out instructions. The team needed a spray, something that a more vocal manager would do, but it never came. His response to the shoddy performance was to bring on Valdivia, which was probably accompanied by a message like: "Mago, get us out of this."

Ideally, I would like a manager to come in and actually do something about one of the very worst backlines in the continent. The team's defensive issues have not been addressed for years, and instead, we've seen an improve-the-main-strengths-to-compensate-for-the-bad sort of approach. If you want to go far in tournaments, as we've seen in recent years, you have to have a backline (& keeper) that offers security. Chile is a long, long way away from that.

Nice post. I completley agree, and just conforming to being first in your group is not good enough.
Paraguay is in the semis without having won a single game. Do you think Borghi will stay?

[~zero_signal~]

This defeat hurt so much dude...I think I have nailed down why this has disturbed me so much. Those first 45 minutes...it was like a Deja Vu of a time with 'El Pelado'. So..so..bad. It was as if with a brush...the whole era of Bielsa had been dismissed.

I kept thinking, "If Bielsa was here, he would be letting the players have it from the touchline. He would be laying into every single one of them and ordering them to wake the f*** up."

It was clear to me that Bichi's style is 'let the good ones play'. His main asset is that he picks the best 11 available...and he can make the right changes at the right time...or so I thought.

I think his 'buddies with the players' attitude prevents him from making changes in more critical moments. He should have removed Jimenez in the very first 15 minutes...like Bielsa did with Fierro in Argentina. Sometimes matches start so badly you have to make immediate changes, regardless of what the player or media say.

The match versus Venezuela was one of those matches. 15 minutes in I though...'keep this shit up and we will loose'. There was no dynamic...no movements...offensive triangulations. A few long balls...and a few memorized moves from Udinese by Alexis and Isla...but that was the end of our offensive abilities in the first half. ABSO***KINLUTELY SOUL WRENCHING.

He is the wrong manager for Chile, in my opinion, which seems like a very unpopular thing to say at the moment I've noticed.

Don't get me wrong, man. I'm passionate when I have to be, but I have no problems being objective. Chilean football fanatics, in general, simply refuse to engage in open, critical discussion or thought about what their team has achieved. We avoid it. La Roja has been an official football team since 1895; that's one hundred and sixteen years, and in one hundred and sixteen years, what has it won? Nothing. If football was not a competitive sport, and there were no winners and losers, and at the end of every event all you had was a gigantic get-together, a gigantic asado, some music and maybe a wet t-shirt contest, then yeah; I would understand not giving a s*** about what's irrelevant. But, that's not the case; football is a very competitive game, with tournaments, trophies, winners and losers, and a past and present. I mean, seriously. It's not even just the senior team. What have Chile's U17 and U20 team's actually won since their establishment?

My belief is that, if we want to win something one day and actually move forward, we need a different manager. This is one of the most promising generations we've had in a while, and what do we do when Bielsa resigns? We bring in an old friend; someone who doesn't offer much in terms of discipline; a guy who has little to offer in the tactical sense. I guess the mafia (ANFP, Catolica, Colo Colo, La 'U', Segovia, Jadue, Nasur, etc.) is responsible for the direction we've taken.

I'll be honest with you, It will take some time for that wound to heal.

I think for people like you and me, absolutely. Others, I'm not so sure. The thrill of seeing Chile promise a lot and deliver little is enough for many.

Let me say this: if all I had in life was La Roja, my life would be f****** miserable. Other things fill that void for me.

As for the defence. Well, I'm afraid that is a defect this generation will simply have to learn how to live with because that is all we got for now. With Bielsa or Bichi or Mou as a coach...the problem willl remain.

The one thing I think we could improve considerably is the defence from 'dead balls', free-kicks and corners. There were key members that helped Chile defend the air in the world cup, thanks to their height and jump, both were missing against Venezuela due to injury or suspension. These players are Mark Gonzalez and Jean Beausejour.

But I will add another one no one is expecting, not our rivals or our ourselves. Pinilla. I am confident that guy will make a killer comeback next season with Palermo. He already showed glimmers of his game last season before the injury. I don't think I'm deluding when I say his aerial game is comparable to Zamorano.

With Jean, Mark and Pinilla we should add considerable defensive capabilities to our team from the aerial threat of corners and free-kicks. We will also add considerable danger on the opposing side.

I agree on Jean, Mark and Pinilla coming back and on the set pieces. What I don't understand is how it continues to be such a problem though, after all these years. It's an issue that simply has not been addressed, and it's not that difficult to sort it out either.

All Chile had to do to not concede that first Venezuelan goal was to get Ponce to mark Vizcarrondo and leave Chile's best in the air -- Contreras or Vidal -- free to go straight for the ball in order to clear it out. The other players would worry about marking and covering the posts. That's it.

Height shouldn't be an issue either. I'm about 178cm and when I went back to defend corners, I would rarely get beaten in the air by taller players (I'm talking 185cm and above). I would hold my own and clear the ball 90% of the time if involved in a one-on-one contest, and I would go for the ball and never worry about the player.

In the first goal, Bravo should have tried to cover his left post much better, given that that's where the ball was delivered. The back post was a non-issue. The marking was poor, but he was partly to blame there, as any good goal-keeping coach would tell us.

There can be no excuses for not fixing this problem in recent years.

[~zero_signal~]

Nice post. I completley agree, and just conforming to being first in your group is not good enough.
Paraguay is in the semis without having won a single game. Do you think Borghi will stay?

I think he'll stay. The association president has publicly stated that Chile's on the right track with Borghi, or something like that. It's not what I believe, but that's the news.

Hard luck by the way, with Peru being knocked out in the Semi Finals. At least you guys made it further than us and you still have the third place to fight for. Your football seems to be on the way up.

[Chileno]

I think he'll stay. The association president has publicly stated that Chile's on the right track with Borghi, or something like that. It's not what I believe, but that's the news.

Hard luck by the way, with Peru being knocked out in the Semi Finals. At least you guys made it further than us and you still have the third place to fight for. Your football seems to be on the way up.

To be fair...it can only go up.

[vamoscarajo]

Yeah, im very proud of peru, they managed to get to the semis with half the team missing due to injury. Peru lacked offensive power against uruguay. With pizarro and farfan it would have been a different story. Now let's wait and see how it goes in the qualifiers.