Chile - Road to World Cup 2010

The End

2010-06-29T22:54:00.004+02:00

Game Over - Entry nr 100.

This will be the last entry of this blog. If you are a new reader, start from the beginning which was in February 2010.
When I started this blog, I did it because I was looking forward to seeing Chile play at the World Cup again. One of my fondest memories of football was when I was 15 years old and Salas, Zamorano and the rest of the Chilean football team took the world by storm at the World Cup in France 1998.

The team that they would bring to South Africa 12 years later, was so much better. Two days after I wrote the first entry in this blog, Chile was struck by a massive earthquake which made us Chileans worry about our people. Risen out of ashes, I knew that the football team would represent the Chilean people at the World Cup. It made me become more interested in the team and I followed any news that I would come across. Many posts ended here.

When the World Cup finally arrived, my hopes were answered when Chile won their first match against Honduras. Now I knew that they were ready for the party. Unfortunately, the party ended yesterday but the World Cup continues a few more days, without Chile. Chile lost to the number 1 team in the World at this moment Brazil. I know that 99% of all Chileans are satisfied with the effort that Chile made during the tournament. We just cannot win against Brazil, they have put a voodoo spell on us. I have only two things to complain about and they were not even Chileans. I believe that the Vuvuzelas and many of the referees destroyed much of the World Cup experience. More postitive was Chile's play, according to many experts a fresh wind to the World Cup.

The original name of the blog is Chile - Road to World Cup 2010. Now that road is over and there is no use to continue writing here. Thanks to Tailsweep, I have had the pleasure to see where my you, my readers come from. Thanks to Google translate, you were able to read my words in your own language. I have had visitors from many parts of the world. However, some of you have entered almost every day. Santiago, Stockholm, London, California, Toronto, Texas, Edmonton, Sydney, Melbourne and the rest of you, thanks. I will probably continue writing something else, or similar in the near future, I will post a link to my new blog here. Now I will enjoy the summer.

Thanks for following this blog, please leave a comment or click on the @:D:S:

/Viva Chile Mierda!

3 Reasons Why Chile Were Eliminated

2010-06-29T00:35:00.007+02:00

1. Wasted Scoring Opportunities

During the first two games, Chile were so superior the other teams and could have scored by many goals if they had not wasted their opportunities. If Chile would have a better goal difference, they would have been number one in Group H and played against Portugal, which I think are a weaker opposition than Brazil. More goals in these two games would have also meant more confidence for the players and more frightening the next opponents.

2. Marco Rodriguez

I usually don't complain for more than a day about the referee. But with the Mexican (I refuse to call him a referee), we were stolen a fair chance of playing our game against Spain. We lost that game because of a man that would do anything to put himself in the center of attention. Our players got afraid of playing their play of constant pressure on the opponent. I think that FIFA needed Spain in the round of 16 and selected a referee that was not afraid of controversy. Spain were good enough to kill the game after Millar's goal, but seriously ... Two shots on goal and two goals? Is that the game that will take Spain to a World Cup title? Marco Rodriguez took away our opportunity to play with two of our best players against Brazil. The game against Spain was not tough, it was constantly destroyed by Rodriguez whistle and cards. Estrada was also incorrectly sent off for the invisible touch against Torres. We could have had a better chance against Brazil if we would have had another referee instead of Marco Rodriguez. I know that Australia hate him as well.

3. Great Opposition

For the two games, Chile played against the number two in the World, Spain. They are European Champions after a great tournament in 2008 and were undefeated in the qualifying round for the World Cup. Their league is ranked as the best of the World and its players are among the best ranked players in the world.
In the round of 16, Chile played against Brazil, who are currently the best Nation in the World at this sport. A country with the best tradition of creating the best and technically skilled players. Previously from previous generations, Brazil have a team which skills in not only in it's attacking, but also at the defense and a goal keeper of World Class. We were put down by an effective Brazil that scored in their every opportunity. Chile could have had a better chance with Medel and Ponce on the field.
Chile could have reached the finals, with better luck at the draw and played teams like Italy, France or Denmark. Instead we lost against the best two teams in the World. We are out of the World Cup in South Africa 2010 with pride and honor. Chile are one of the few teams that have been a pleasure to watch as they fearless attacked with players that gave their all and a staff that cared about the players, fans and the country.

World Cup in Brazil 2014, here we come!

Group Stage Stats

2010-06-29T00:00:00.003+02:00

I have added the stats from rounds 1-3 to see which continent have had the best World Cup so far.

Points

America: 12 wins - 8 draws - 4 loss: 1.83 point average
Europe: 15 wins - 10 draws - 14 loss: 1.41 point average
Asia: 4 wins - 5 draws - 6 loss: 1.13 point average
Africa: 3 wins - 5 draws - 10 loss: 0.78 point average

Goals Scored

America: 29 goals: 1.21 goal average
Europe: 43 goals: 1.10 goal average
Asia: 15 goals: 1.00 goal average
Africa: 14 goals: 0.78 goal average

Goals Conceded

America: 14 goals: 0.58 goal average
Europe: 37 goals: 0.95 goal average
Africa: 22 goals: 1.22 goal average
Asia: 28 goals: 1.87 goal average

Chile - Brazil 0-3

2010-06-28T22:56:00.003+02:00

Chile lost in the round of 16 against Brazil, again. Just as in, almost on the day, twelve years ago at the World Cup in France 1998. That time, Brazil was up 3-0 at halftime but the game ended with 4-1.

Chile started the game very well, they were fearless and had pressure on the Brazilian who were pushed back to defense. After about 10 minutes, Brazil were able to move up a bit and create opportunities. There were many shots from the outside of the penalty area from both teams, but they were either wide or taken by the goalkeepers.

Chile was in the game for 35 minutes where Sanchez and Suazo had the Brazilian defense on hold. Beausejour was also very active with his runs and challenges. Brazil's best man was Maicon at his right side. They got a corner from the right in the 34th minute where Juan got his head on the ball and Bravo was close to saving it. It was no argue, 182 cm Juan's goal was a light of confidence for the Verde-Amarela. A few minutes later, Robinho passed to striker Luis Fabiano, who escaped the offside and scored by rounding Bravo. 2-0 and Chile was down on 9. Chile tried to get up and continue the fight but with Gonzalez's two opportunities wasted at the end of the first half. Bielsa had to do something at the break.

And how he did it! Tello, who I wanted at the left midfield against Spain, and Valdivia came in instead of Contreras and Gonzalez. Contreras was too slow to catch up with the speedy Brazilians and Gonzalez had wasted too many opportunities to gave Bielsa's confidence for the rest of the match.

Vidal was booked early on the second half and Chile lost its fighting power. Man of the match, Robinho got an opportunity to score and took it in the 60th minute. Now it was all or nothing. Last match's success, Millar came in instead of Isla, who had no luck in the right side. Chile tried with many combinations but could not break up Brazil's tight defense. Suazo, Sanchez, Valdivia and Beausejour had semi-opportunities but with no chance of scoring. The game ended and Brazil crushed us again. Now they are up with 47 wins against our 7. Chile is out of the tournament, but with our great play won many new fans from around the world.

Notable after the game was that:
Maicon's dive in the 35th is a sign that he will be joining L.A. Galaxy, close to Hollywood.
Sanchez was only superb against bad competition, but is he good enough for Sir Alex?
Brazil have mental superiority over Chile.
For the first time, the referee was very good.
Brazil's defense was their strength.
Can Luis Fabiano ever have a bad game against Chile?
Valdivia is at his best when he is a substitute.
Bielsa is not afraid of substituting any player that have not achieved good standard.
2005-2010: Brazil - Chile 28-6.
World Cup 2014, Chile will be there.

Mission Impossible?

2010-06-28T19:05:00.005+02:00

Chile wins: 7
Draws: 12
Brazil wins: 46 47

28 June 2010: Chile - Brazil World Cup in South Africa

They have the numbers, we have the heart and spirit

Chile Lineup pt 4

2010-06-28T18:25:00.003+02:00

1. Bravo

18. Jara 5. Contreras 2. Fuentes 8.Vidal

4. Isla 6. Carmona 15. Beausejour

7. Sanchez 9. Suazo 11. Gonzalez

Focus on our Rivals: Brazil

2010-06-28T16:53:00.002+02:00

Qualification: 1st in South American qualification group World Ranking: 1 Head Coach: Dunga Captain: Lúcio Most Capped Player: Cafu 142 (1990-2006) Top Goalscorer: Pelé 77 (1957-1971).

Star Players: The Whole Team!

The Team: Brazil is the most successful National team in the history of the World Cup with 5 Championships. They are one of the favorites of winning the tournament, as they are for this one as well. They come as the number one ranked team in the World and they won their qualification group with 34 points, however only one more than Chile. To this World Cup, they come with one of the greatest goalkeeper in Inter Milan's Julio Cesar, winner of the Serie A, Coppa Italia and the Champions League this season. The defence is top class as well with two more players from this year success Inter Milan, Lucio and Maicon. Juan and relatively new player Michel Bastos from Lyon. Their midfield is mainly concentrated to the creative play of Kaka, star player from Real Madrid. Brazil's top weapon has always been their attacking play. Luis Fabiano and Robinho are two of the chosen players to conduct a 6th championship to Brazil.

How They Got Here: Just as Chile, Brazil were outstanding in the South American qualification round. However, they are always keeping the same top quality no matter what team they bring out. They played 18 games and managed to only lose two of them. Chile lost both matches, at home with 0-3 and in Brazil with 4-2. Luis Fabiano was the top goal scorer with 9 goals and managed to get on top of the worst discipline list with one red and 3 yellow cards.

Form: They are always winning. In the group stage of the World Cup, They won 2 games against North Korea (2-1) and against Ivory Coast (3-1). The final game against Portugal was left scoreless.

Our Chances of Beating You: According to FIFA, Chile have not overcome Brazil since a friendly in 1993. Last time Chile went to the round of 16, they met Brazil who won with 4-1. Brazil won both matches in the qualification round with a total of 7-2. In the Copa America in 2007 Brazil met Chile in the group stage and won with 3-0. They met again in the quarter final and Brazil crushed Chile with 6-1. Castrol gives Chile a low 22% chance of winning the game.

Chile can win if they play as they have before, fearless. They need to forget who they are playing and just do their game. They will only have a few chances so they must score on any opportunity they get. Once again Alexis Sanchez will play against the left defender who is the weakest in the lineup, Michel Bastos. Bravo needs to show that he is better and not make the same mistake as he did against Spain, when they scored the first goal. Bielsa must show that he is several levels better a manager than Dunga.

My Prediction: Chile - Brazil 2-2 (5-4 on penalties).

Round 3 Stats

2010-06-26T14:18:00.002+02:00

Asia took some ground and managed to get the first place for points per average and goals for. They also had most goal against as well.

Points

Asia: 2 wins - 2 draw - 1 loss: 1.60 point average
America: 3 wins - 3 draws - 2 loss: 1.50 point average
Europe: 5 wins - 2 draws - 6 loss: 1.31 point average
Africa: 2 wins - 1 draw - 3 loss: 1.16 point average

Goals Scored

Asia: 7 goals: 1.40 goal average
Africa: 8 goals: 1.33 goal average
Europe: 14 goals : 1.08 goal average
America: 5 goals: 0.63 goal average

Goals Conceded

America: 3 goals: 0.37 goal average
Africa: 7 goals: 1.17 goal average
Europe: 17 goals: 1.31 goal average
Asia: 7 goals: 1.40 goal average

Chile - Spain 1-2

2010-06-26T12:55:00.006+02:00

The day after. Chile has qualified to the round of 16 against Brazil this Monday. Even though Chile lost to Spain, Switzerland could not manage to win against Honduras. These results lead to Spain winning Group H with 6 points but with better goal difference than Chile.

The game started in a somewhat slow tempo, and Chile had a golden opportunity to take the lead when M. Gonzalez easily could have put the ball behind Casillas, but the ball hit his shinguard missed the open goal. It would have been a different game, with Spain chasing two goals instead. The Mexican referee took charge of the game by starting to blow for everything and started to hand out yellow cards to the Chileans. Medel and Ponce were wrongfully booked in the first 20 minutes. This would mean that Chile's best two defenders will miss the game against Brazil. It could have not started worse. Estrada got a yellow card after a tackle, that was mainly the only right decision in the first half. Right after that, Spain got an opportunity when Bravo put the ball by Villa's feet and he made no mistake and scored from 40 meters into an open goal.

Beausejour got a chance when he was alone with Casillas but missed by centimeters. That would have mean 1-1 but instead Iniesta put all hopes to an end when he scored for Spain after a mistake from a Chilean defender. During that goal, worst player of the tournament, Estrada was sent off after a second yellow card, when he unintentionally (?) interfered golden boy Torres. Torres crocodile tears were sad enough to affect Rodriguez. Every play and decision went against Chile in the first half.

During the second half, Bielsa made some changes when Valdivia and Gonzalez were replaced by Paredes and Millar. Paredes took Gonzalez place and Millar took Estradas place as Valdivia's offensive role was sacrificed.

Millar took the opportunity and gave all Chileans hope when he scored from outside the penalty area with a shot that left Casillas standing still. The rest of the game was a stalemate and Spain seemed confirmed with the result. Chile, with one man less since 40th minute fought very courageous and Rodriguez seemed more humane. Orellana came in with 30 minutes left when he replaced Sanchez who had run throughout the whole match. Pretty much nothing happend from minute 60 and forward.

Notable after the game was:

It would have been a totally different game if Gonzalez had scored in the 8th minute.
Gary Medel was again, Chile's best player.
Villa's goal was a present.
Estrada never should have played.
El Niño vs. El Niño Maravilla ended in a narrow win for Sanchez.
Spain can not be happy with their play.
Marco Rodriguez was totally predictable.
Marco Rodriguez will not be the referee in any more matches.
FIFA and their referees are useless this far.
Yet another red card in the first half.
Estrada, Klose, Gourcuff, Kaita, Kewell and Behrami have been sent off in the first half.
Brazil will, even with Ponce and Medel, be too difficult.
I am sorry Honduras, you were not spectators, thanks for holding Switzerland down.

El Niño vs. El Niño Maravilla

2010-06-25T19:47:00.003+02:00

Alexis "El Niño Maravilla" Sanchez
Date of Birth: 19 December 1988
Height: 168 cm
Shirt number: 7
Position: Forward
Current club: Udinese (ITA)
International Caps: 31
International Goals: 11

Fernando "El Niño" Torres
Date of Birth: 20 March 1984
Height: 181 cm
Shirt number: 9
Position: Forward
Current club: Liverpool (ENG)
International Caps: 75
International Goals: 24

Let's show the world who the real El Niño is.

Chile Lineup pt 3

2010-06-25T19:25:00.003+02:00

1. Bravo

18. Jara 17. Medel 3. Ponce

4. Isla 13. Estrada 8. Vidal

10. Valdivia 15. Beausejour

7. Sanchez 11. Gonzalez

Tshwane/ Pretoria Lotus Versfeld Stadium

2010-06-25T12:47:00.003+02:00

The match tonight will be played in Tshwane/ Pretoria at the Lotus Versfeld Stadium. It is an old stadium built in 1903 and renovated in 2009. It is an open stadium with no roof so hopefully the Vuvuzela sounds will disappear into outer space. It is also used as a Rugby stadium. Four matches have been played there to this day.

Serbia - Ghana 0-1
South Africa - Uruguay 0-3
Cameroon - Denmark 1-2
U.S.A. - Algeria 1-0

The match starts at 20:30 local time and the other game in Group H, between Switzerland and Honduras is played at the same time in Mangaung/Bloemfontein.

The referee is Mexican Marco Rodriguez, with International appearances since 1999. He speaks Spanish as all the players on the field, so hopefully there will not be misunderstandings. He has been the referee at the game Germany - Australia 4-0 (1 red - 5 yellow). Let's hope that he will not choose to be the center of attention. We have had really bad referees, and many people have reacted on the level that they have had. Lots of warning have been handed out without motivation and red cards are given out like presents on Christmas. Unfortunately, with so much on stake and with players with same native language, I believe that it will be a tough game with many warning and maybe even a red card in the game tonight. We will not be given the same advantage as we did against Switzerland. Will the Mexican take the pressure and help us take down the Motherland?

Pórtate bien, Cabrón !

Focus on our Rivals: Spain

2010-06-25T11:31:00.005+02:00

Qualification: 1st in European Qualification Group 5 World Ranking: 2 Head Coach: Vicente del Bosque Captain: Iker Casillas Most Capped Player: Andoni Zubizarreta 126 (1985-1998) Top Goalscorer: Raúl 44 (1996-2006).

Star Players: The whole team!

The Team: The European champions Spain have a golden generation of players who are all on top of the World's greatest. With Real Madrid and Barcelona's success in European Championships and attractive football, many foreign players choose the Spanish La Liga the number one league to play in, thus making it more competitive and creating better domestic players. Spain are the only nation in the World that have 3 goalkeepers that are World Class players, unfortunately only one can play and Casillas has had that spot since 2000. The defense is Spain Achilles heal but that says much about the rest of the team. The midfield is their strength with creator Xavi as their architect. They have adapted Barcelona's tiki-taka play with short passes and lots of movement to the National team. Villa and Torres play at top, and they have done that successfully, however Villa has been the better one at this tournament with 2 goals. There has been a small generation shift since Spain's last tournament where Pique, Fabregas, Busquets and Navas have more important roles than they did two years ago.

How They Got Here: Spain played in European Group 5, the toughest one and went impressionable easily through with 10 wins, no losses or draws and a goal difference of +23 goals. They left behind countries like Bosnia/Herzegovina, Turkey, Belgium, Estonia and Armenia. Casillas and Capdevila played most of all and Villa was top goalscorer with 7 goals in the qualification.

Form: In the first game of the World Cup, Spain lost to Switzerland. It was a lost that shook the world because except for a loss at the 2009 Confederations Cup against U.S.A., Spain had not lost for over 3 years.

Our Chances of Beating You: Normally Chile's chances are minimal, however Chile has played a wonderful football in the 2 games yet played in the World Cup and Spain's loss to Switzerland has increased our chances. Last time these teams played each other was in a friendly match in 2008, with Spain beating Chile with 3-0 in Spain. The numbers are misguiding as del Bosque said it was one of the best opponents to Spain. Chile comes to play with Mati Fernandez and Carmona ineligible to play due to yellow cards. Spain have all their players eligible for play. Spain must win this match, because with a draw they will be dependent on Honduras winning against Switzerland. Not advancing would be a disaster for Spain, one of the favorites of the World Cup title.

I think that Chile needs to play the same as they did in the first two games. Spain are not used to opponents who are able to control the attacking pace. I also think that Sanchez will have an important role tonight because he will face the "worst" player in Spain's starting squad, Capdevila. We will have an advantage with Sanchez quick feet, he needs to be more concentrated in his finishes though.

My Prediction: Chile - Spain 2-2

Picture of the Day #2

2010-06-23T10:22:00.004+02:00

Let them come, this time we will be ready.

Chilean Success

2010-06-22T17:17:00.003+02:00

Castrol, the world known oil company and one of the largest sponsors of the World Cup has a number of personnel working in analyzing the World Cup. Every pass, shot or meter ran has been registered in their database. I used their World Cup calculator in April to see the percentage Chile had in winning the World Cup, they gave me 0.5%. Now that number has increased to 1.6 %.

More important is the that they have rated Chile's Gary Medel and Waldo Ponce as the best two players of the tournament so far. Medel scored a 9.77 and Ponce a 9.72 in their index. Carmona is next Chilean at number 6 with a 9.56 rating.

Medel plays currently for Argentinian Boca Juniors, he has said that he is happy playing for them. But who wouldn't like to play for a top team in Europe. Anyhow, if he continues like he has during the tournament, many clubs will be after his signature. I heard that A.C. Milan is looking to improve their defense. He could do great in England as well. Ponce is contracted by Argentinian Velez Sarsfield but was lent to Universidad Catolica this season. He is 28 years old and at the peak of his career. Carmona played very well for his Reggina last season. He is still young and can only become better. Rumors say that Lazio is at pole position for his signature.

Castrol Index Top 10

Also, FIFA write about this and say that;

He was named after one of England's greatest goalscorers but it is at the other end of the field that Gary Medel is forcing observers of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ to sit up and take notice. The Chile defender has posted two performances of such skill and consistency that he has raced to the top of the Castrol Index.
Chile have taken six points from a possible six and the impact they are making in their first FIFA World Cup since 1998 is underlined by the presence of three of their team in the top six of the Castrol Index, an innovative system which uses the latest technology to objectively analyse and rank player performances.
Before arriving in South Africa, Medel, who is still just 22, had already put down a marker as one of South America's burgeoning talents, but his claims to fame have now reached a far wider audience. He was named at birth after Gary Lineker but his drive and tireless running as a wingback or holding midfielder for his club Boca Juniors make him better known by the nickname ‘El Pitbull’.
However, it is as a central defender that he has shone at South Africa 2010, showing a maturity beyond his years and working well in tandem with Waldo Ponce, who sits just behind him in second in the Castrol Index. Ponce was another Chile player to maintain his standards as Marcelo Bielsa's team followed up an impressive performance against Honduras with another narrow victory over Switzerland. Castrol Performance Analysts were impressed with a defensive group that has still to concede a goal and which has allowed only three long-range shots on target in the tournament so far.
Experience tells
Carlos Carmona, a veteran of two FIFA U-20 World Cup tournaments - Netherlands 2005 and Canada 2007 - has also excelled for Chile, covering the hard yards in a midfield department known for their tireless work-rate and energy.
South American players occupy the leading four positions, emphasising the impact made by the continent's representatives at South Africa 2010.

Round 2 Stats

2010-06-22T11:34:00.003+02:00

I continue to provide statistics from the World Cup matches. As I did for round 1, the average points and goals are analyzed between the continents. See here to a deeper explanation. America whipped the other continents in all areas. Europe gained some good numbers due to Portugal's 7-0 crush on North Corea. Africa should be ashamed of their performance.

Points

America: 6 wins - 1 - draw - 1 loss: 2.38 point average
Europe: 6 wins - 3 draw - 4 loss: 1.62 point average
Asia: 0 wins - 2 draw - 3 loss: 0.40 point average
Africa: 0 wins - 2 draw - 4 loss: 0.33 point average

Goals Scored

America: 17 goals: 2.13 goal average
Europe: 18 goals: 1.38 goal average
Africa: 4 goals: 0.67 goal average
Asia: 3 goals: 0.60 goal average

Goals Conceded

America: 6 goals: 0.75 goal average
Europe: 11 goals: 0.85 goal average
Africa: 11 goals: 1.83 goal average
Asia: 14 goals: 2.80 goal average

Picture of the Day

2010-06-22T10:11:00.002+02:00

Chile - Switzerland 1-0

2010-06-21T17:56:00.005+02:00

Switzerland came to the game with 2 changes, Frei & Behrami start the game. Both Swiss stars have been injured and missed the clash against Spain. Referee mark instantly Suazo after 1 minute, correct? Maybe if it would have been later in the game. Now he has to mark for every similar incident. In the 7^th minute he wrongfully gave the Swiss’ a freekick after Medel slipped and solved the situation, but the ref saw a foul.

In the 10^th minute, Vidal shoots dangerously and Benagli saves and it goes out to Carmona who shoots as well and Benagli makes a good double save.

The first 20 minutes was a struggle for marking who is going to control the match. There were a lot of calls from the referee who seems to be the one who is in control. Chile started the game well, but Switzerland worked themselves into the match.

Carmona got warned in the 22^nd minute and is out of the clash against Spain. Ponce is next man to be warned by the crazy Arab.

A light in the tunnel came in the 30^th minute, when Behrami got sent off after an elbow in the face against Vidal. Commentators said it was an exaggeration by Vidal and not a red card. I don’t care to agree. Chile plays with one more player for 2 thirds of the game. Now is our chance to score and keep Switzerland behind us. After the expulsion of Behrami, Switzerland seems to fall in to the state of defending with 10 players, just as they did against Spain.

Veteran Frei is substituted before the end of the first half against Barnetta, Vidal’s teammate in Bayer Leverkusen. Now Switzerland has only one forward, Nkufo.

I wonder what Bielsa will say to the team during the pause? We know that he and the assistant can be firm, thanks to the documentary Ojos Rojos. Important things to talk about, is to continue to create chances. Those players that are warned should take it easy, because the ref is unpredictable. If another player is to be sent out, I bet that the ref will look at the Chileans.

Gonzalez and Valdivia are brought in substitute against Suazo and Vidal. Interesting formation. Valdivia should take Suazo’s place just as in the game against Honduras and Gonzalez should take the left side of the midfield. Beausejour can step down also and Gonzalez could be the left attacker as well.

The ref continues to give out cheap cards. Barnetta is next to be booked by the crazy Arab. In the following free kick from the attacking left, Sanchez scores, but stands offside and the goal is not confirmed.

Chile starts the second half in a very good way. Lots of short passes and a lot of movement and it’s only a matter of time until the goal arrives. The Swiss’ are defending themselves good but don’t seem to have that flow, which the ref keeps breaking all the time. Their offensive play is at this time non-existing.

Sanchez has a great chance after blocking a pass from the Swiss defender, but can’t seem to get pass the goalkeeper. About 5 easy goals have been wasted by Sanchez in this tournament. It is a wonderful football to watch thought. Sanchez has easily doubled his value by now; Sir Alex must be keen to know the price.

Inler stops Sanchez brutally and is warned. Unfortunately Mati is also booked for nothing, and is now ineligible for the match against Spain. In the following moment, a Swiss defender magically falls in the penalty area, and Medel is warned. Where do these people come from? I got a bit rough for a moment there as the nervousness is spreading around the world to the pitch.

Paredes is last man to have the chance to play this game. He is substituted in the 64^th minute to Mati Fernandez. Valdivia steps down and takes Mati’s place as Paredes takes Suazo’s original spot as a center forward. Hitzfeld makes an offensive substitution as Nkufo goes out and Derdiyok, a young, talented, tall forward comes in.

GOOOOOL CHILE!!!! In the 75^thminute, Gonzalez scored with a header as he was standing alone in the left side of the penalty area. The play was made by Valdivia who passes beautiful and Paredes snap the ball, round the goalkeeper and crosses to Gonzalez who stands alone and can make no mistake. It’s wonderful to see that length has no significance, 175 cm Mark Gonzalez scores from a header.

Chile had many chances during the last 10 minutes when they counterattack where Paredes, Gonzalez and Sanchez should have scored from their chances. Chile have luck in the 90^th when Derdiyok could have scored for Switzerland but shot too much to the left. Valdivia tried to get a penalty, should have received an Academy Award, got a yellow card instead.

Chile has won the game with 1-0. We have 6 points and are one step closer to the next round. However, remember that Chile might not advance with 6 points. Read this entry and see why.

Notable after the game was that:

Suazo seems a bit slow, although he has only played one half (against Israel) since his shoulder injury 24^th April.

Lichsteiner shouted louder than the Vuvuzelas in the 35^th minute when he got a free kick against him. Frustration is a bitch ain’t it?

Sanchez should only train on finishes for the rest of his stay in South Africa.

Vuvuzelas keep ruining the World Cup experience, somebody burn them.

Both Chile's goals have come from the left attacker.

Khalil Al Ghamdi - We love you and we hate you.

Fernandez & Carmona cannot play against Spain.

GOOOOOOOL !!!

2010-06-21T15:56:00.002+02:00

1-0 75' Gonzalez

Chile Lineup pt 2

2010-06-21T15:12:00.003+02:00

1. Bravo

18. Jara 17. Medel 3. Ponce

4. Isla 6. Carmona 8. Vidal

14. Fernandez

7. Sanchez 9. Suazo 15. Beausejour

Port Elizabeth / Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium

2010-06-21T00:40:00.005+02:00

This is the stadium where the Chile vs. Switzerland match is to be played tomorrow. The stadium is newly built and has a capacity for approximately 43,000 persons. Let us hope that it will be filled with red (both team) fans and please NO Vuvuzelas. Three matches have been played there so far.

South Corea - Greece 2-0
Ivory Coast - Portugal 0-0
Germany - Serbia 0-1

The match will be the second of the day, which means that it starts at 16:00 local time. Be sure that you don't miss it.

The referee will be Khalil Al Ghamdi from Saudi Arabia. He has according to FIFA been at an International level since 2003. He was the referee in the match between France vs. Mexico (0-2). Reports say that he was okay, although the referee team missed an offside on Hernandez. He gave away 6 yellow cards and gave Mexico a correct penalty.

Behave

Swiss Alps vs. Chilean Andes - Size Matters?

2010-06-21T00:01:00.004+02:00

Swiss highest mountain, Monte Rosa: 4,634 meters.

Chilean highest mountain, Ojos del Salado: 6,880 meters. + 2246 meters

source: scaruffi.com

Goalkeepers
Benaglio 193 cm +10 cm
Bravo 183 cm

Defense
von Bergen 183 cm + 12 cm
Medel 171 cm

Midfield
Huggel 190 cm + 17 cm
Valdivia 173 cm

Forward
Derdiyok 190 cm +22 cm
Sanchez 168 cm

Swiss' average height: 183 cm + 7 cm
Chile's average height: 176 cm

With 5 Points Chile Qualifies, 6 Points May Not Be Enough

2010-06-20T23:23:00.006+02:00

Obviously 9 points in Group H would be optimal, but let us play with numbers. If Chile gets 5 points, they are qualified to next round but if they get 6 points, they might not. How is that possible?

Dream Scenario
Chile qualified as Group H leaders, plays against Group G second place if ...

Chile - Honduras 1-0
Chile - Switzerland 1-0 (or higher)
Chile - Spain 1-0 (or higher)

Chile: 3 wins 0 draws 0 losses 3 Goals For 0 Goals Against +3 Goals 9 Points

Probable Scenario

If Chile wins over Switzerland with many goals and draws against Spain. They would be Group H winners and play against Group G seconds.

Chile - Honduras 1-0
Chile - Switzerland 5-0
Chile - Spain 0-0

Chile: 2 wins 1 draw 0 losses 6 Goals For 0 Goals Against +6 Goals 7 Points

Okay Scenario
Beating Spain seems near impossible today (maybe not tomorrow), but a draw against Switzerland and Spain would mean ...

Chile - Honduras 1-0
Chile - Switzerland 0-0
Chile - Spain 0-0

Swiss 7 points
Chile: 1 win 2 draws 0 losses 1 Goal For 0 Goals Against +1 Goals 5 Points
Spain 4 points

Assuming that both Switzerland and Spain beat Honduras mean that Switzerland is Group winner with 7 points and Spain are out with 4 points. Chile advances with 5 points and meet Group G winners (Brazil).

Nightmare Scenario
A nightmare would occur if Chile, Switzerland and Spain end up with 6 points, and Chile is knocked out due to goal difference. It could be possible if Chile beats Switzerland and losses against Spain. Switzerland then wins against Honduras with more goals than Chile did.

Chile - Honduras 1-0 Switzerland - Spain 1-0 Spain - Honduras 5-0
Chile - Switzerland 1-0 Switzerland - Honduras 5-0
Chile - Spain 0-5

Swiss: 2 wins 0 drawss 1 loss 10 Goals For 1 Goal Against +9 Goals 6 Points
Spain: 2 wins 0 draws 1 loss 10 Goals For 1 Goal Against +9 Goals 6 Points
Chile: 2 wins 0 draws 1 loss 2 Goals For 5 Goals Against -3 Goals 6 Points

Choices

2010-06-20T20:04:00.002+02:00

Chile will play against Switzerland tomorrow, and they will probably not play with the same starting players as they did against Honduras. Why change a winning team? As I said in a previous post, Switzerland has a better player than Honduras in almost every position. Chile played very well against Honduras and should have won by several goals. But we did not have Suazo, who was injured and we know that he is deadly in the penalty area. Now he is eligible to play, which means that he may take the center forward spot. This will lead to changes in the starting squad, these will be now analyzed.

Defense?

Jara vs. Contreras

If Chile plays as they usually do, with 3 central defenders, two of them are already chosen, Medel and Ponce. The third last game was Isla, but I think that Isla will move up the field and be the right winger. There is a 7 year difference between these two players who have professional careers in Europe. Jara specialty is the aerial play and has a weakness in defending against quick players. It can be useful against Switzerland who have tall players, and none of them are technical geniuses. On the other side, we have Contreras, the team's Grandfather with his 32 years. He is a bit taller than Jara but not as good as him in the aerial play. He has lots of routine from playing years in different European clubs and his strength is reading his opponent.

My Choice? I would use Contreras because we are playing with 3 defenders and would need a wise player in the back. Medel played very good against Honduras, but Ponce made some mistakes that could have been vital. Jara could be good to throw in in the second half if we are chasing a goal.

Defensive Midfield?

Carmona vs. Millar

Two out of three places in the central midfield are after the first game already taken. It would take much to remove Vidal and Isla from the starting 11 after their plays against Honduras. The third spot is fought between Carmona and Millar, both players started last game. Neither of them did played badly but one must go. However Carmona was booked early and could miss the game against Spain if he is carded again, but Millar was replaced early in the second half against Jara. Could that mean the end of Bielsa's patience?

My Choice? I would choose Carmona because I like his style better. He is young but has experience from his years in Italy. He is a bit shorter and has never scored for La Roja, but his form is very good. Another alternative would be to play Tello in the left. He could brake up a tight Swiss defense better than Carmona or Millar would do.

Offensive Midfield?

Fernandez vs. Valdivia

For the creative midfield, or the number 10 role, we have these two play-makers. In the game against Honduras, Fernandez took the role as nr 10 and Valdivia was the center forward in the absence of Suazo. There is not really a big difference between the two except that Valdivia has had a better form in the latter games. But both players are extraordinary when they are in form. Fernandez won the award for South American Player of the Year in 2006, but has yet to prove after 4 years that he is worthy the prize in Europe. Valdivia is however the short magician that can do the unexpected with the ball. Before joining Al-Ain, he played as the play-maker in Brazilian top club Palmeiras. Although, Valdivia suffered a minor injury in the game against Honduras, reports say that he should be able to play tomorrow.

My Choice? I would start with Fernandez, just because Valdivia can't play for 90 minutes. Fernandez is the ordinary free-kick and corner taker, which has been his specialty in the preparatory games and against Honduras. If he does not play well, as he sometimes does, Bielsa should substitute him as early as possible because he is not the player that gets any better after a rough start. Valdivia always show that he is a good substitute by out-glowing his proceeder at the play-maker role.

Focus on our Rivals: Switzerland

2010-06-19T00:12:00.004+02:00

Qualification: 1st in European Qualification Group 2 World Ranking: 18 Head Coach: Ottmar Hitzfeld Most Capped Player: Heinz Hermann 177 (1978-1991) Top Goalscorer: Alexander Frei 40 (2001-present).

Star Players: Tranquilo Barnetta (Bayer Leverkusen, Ger), Alexander Frei (Basel).

The Team: The Swiss National Team is by European standards, a relatively unknown team. They have two generations that have qualified for the World Cup. Between 1932 and 1966 they qualified for 6 World Cups out of 7 possible. Then in 1994 they made a comeback to the big stage and finally in Germany 2006 and South Africa 2010 they participated. Today’s team has its strength in the defense. Giant players like Senderos and Huggel stand as towers in the mid-defense to protect the goalkeeper Benaglio. Much of Switzerland’s play go through the wings where there are players that run up and down and handing crosses to Nkufo who is a strong center. Many of the players are regulars in middle sized European clubs. Switzerland has league winners in Dutch champions Twente’s Nkufo and 3 players from Swiss champions Basel. They are Frei, Huggel and the talent Shaqiri, born in 1991. Other players who are key players in their clubs are: Benaglio, Lichtsteiner, Inler and Behrami, just to name a few.

How They Got Here: Switzerland was very fortunate in the qualification lottery and got the easiest group of the European qualification round. They only lost one game, a surprise lost against Luxemburg. The Swiss ended in first place above Greece, Latvia, Israel, Luxemburg and Moldova. They scored 18 goals for and got 8 goals against. Nkufo and Barnetta played all 10 games and top goal scorers were Frei and Nkufo with 5 each.

Form: The Swiss’ went on a cautious preparatory stage before the World Cup with only 3 International games where they lost against Uruguay and Costa Rica and got a draw against Italy. Those opponents were supposed to match their rivals at Group H. In the first game of the World Cup, Switzerland took an unexpected win against Euro champions Spain with 1-0. This win will give them an incredible amount of self confidence for the rest of the matches, especially Fernandes who scored the goal against Spain. However, their center defender Senderos got injured and will miss the game against Chile. Add Frei and Behrami to the list of players that might miss the next game due to injuries.

Our Chances of Beating You: Both Chile and Switzerland won their first games which puts the teams in an uncomfortable position because of the unexpected Swiss win against Spain. I would like seeing both of these teams advance to the knockout stage, but a draw here for Chile would mean that they could miss the next stage. A win here would put Chile on 6 points a lot closer to the knockout stage but not entirely there. Switzerland showed in their last game that they are a team that can win against giants Spain. However, I believe that it was a once in a lifetime shot because they won only by being effective. Spain owned the whole game but Switzerland scored in one of their 3 shots at goal. I do not think that Chile’s game is like Spain’s and Switzerland will not be forced to defending themselves during 90 minutes. That could open up their tight defense a bit more than it did against Spain. Also we have more players that will have more movement, especially on the wings. On the other hand, a draw here for Switzerland and a win against the spectators of Honduras will most certainly place them in the last 16. Chile and Switzerland have a different playing style, therefore it will be very interesting in seeing which kind of football will win, the Latin attacking with superior technique, or the mix of Italian, French or German that Switzerland could surprise us with. Hopefully they will have a game like they did when they lost against Luxembourg (!) in the qualifying round. However, we must remember that the Swiss team has a better player on every position in comparative to Honduras, which we only beat by one goal.

My Prediction: Chile – Switzerland 3-1