Chile – World Cup Preview

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Chile play attractive football and they also have a manager nicknamed ‘El Loco’: The Madman. They sound like a fiery outfit then, and they are also little unpredictable with that.

This is their first World Cup since 1998 and Chile look determined to make it count. After netting 32 goals in qualifying, La Roja (the Red) have proven themselves a team with considerable venom.

They finished just a point behind Brazil in the South American qualifiers and are typified by their hefty goal count, when they win they do it by shooting the opposition to pieces and when they lose they tend to get ripped apart themselves.

Beating Bolivia and Columbia 4-0 and even Argentina 1-0 they also lost 3-0 to Brazil and Paraguay.

Behind this attacking style is coach Marcelo Bielsa, the aforementioned madman. The manager apparently spends lots of time analysing every detail of each match played. He also uses a system which involves furious wing play and a 3 man forward line.

All the better for the neutral then but perhaps a little nerve-racking for Chile fans. As to be expected most of the focus is on the forward line up. Alexis Sanchez will start on the wing, probably opposite former Liverpool man Mark Gonzalez. Sanchez in particular is currently taking the world by storm, his charging, trick filled style will mean plenty of goals and balls in the box. He has 11 already in 28 matches for the national team, and at only 21 too.

In between them is Humberto Suazo, the huge frontman has 18 goals in 42 starts. Matias Fernandez will likely play just behind this set up and help to break up play, perhaps even chipping in with a few goals himself.

The worry is with Chile that this assault orientated playing style might be exploited by the World’s more renowned footballing nations.