CHILE: BIELSA’S DISCIPLE

Sampaoli lives on Bielsa

Chile’s growing international soccer prowess is fruit of what many diehard fans consider the “Bielsa way”. Jorge Sampaoli, Chile’s current coach, is a self-confessed disciple and an avid devotee of Chile’s former coach, Marcelo Bielsa, who led the team in the 2010 World Cup. Quite simply, before Bielsa took over in 2007, the Chileans were not seen as contenders to any South American championships and much less the World Cup.

Those who saw Sampaoli’s Chile in action during the 2014 World Cup know what La Roja is capable of. In the round-of-sixteen of the World Cup, Chile got the short end of the stick to say the least. Against a nervous Brazil, Chile was tactically superior with more ball possession, better passing accuracy and a shot that hit the crossbar on the 118 minute. Even today, experts echo what thousands of fans were saying when the match was over: Chile should have qualified. Tough luck. Brazilian goalie Julio Cesar’s talisman was enough to block the Chileans in the penalty shootout and send them home.

Sampaoli has another chance at international glory in the 2015 Copa América, and he will have the advantage of playing at home. Lets take a look at what Bielsa and Sampaoli have built over the years.

Chile under Bielsa

Under Bielsa, Chile was molded into a 3-3-1-3 attack formation where the team was expected to press and defend high up the pitch. Bielsa’s reign was marked by an intensive, all-out attacking style of football comprised of versatile and speedy players. Bielsa favored a “one playmaker and three forwards” system with left-winger Mark González and right-winger Alexis Sánchez starting from wide positions, stretching the opponent’s defense and opening gaps in the middle for center-forward Humberto Suazo and playmaker Matias Fernández to exploit.

Bielsa’s midfield was essentially a diamond formation with either Fernández or Jorge Valdivia as the playmaking tip. Arturo Vidal was deployed as a right-sided midfielder and Rodrigo Millar as a left-sided midfielder. Bielsa’s wide midfielders would push out to support the outside forwards and retreat to assist the outside center backs when the opponent was attacking down the flanks.

Bielsa formed his backline with defensive midfielders as opposed to central defenders – Gary Medel, Waldo Ponce and Gonzalo Jara were among Bielsa’s first choice. Bielsa opted for defensive midfielders as his back three because of their versatility. Medel, Ponce and Jara were quick on covering defensive positions and passing the ball through the opponent’s attackers, making them the ideal trio when assuming advanced defensive positions. Medel, the heart of the team’s defense, was deployed as a fearless ball-winner, bringing mobility and swift distribution to Chile’s defense.

However, since Bielsa’s backline was famous for pressuring high up the pitch, they were often caught off guard on the counter-attack. Chile’s defense strategy, even under Sampaoli, is often questioned for opening up too easily, especially when the opposition crosses the ball in the air.

Sampaoli in the 2014 World Cup and the 2015 Copa América

Chile’s tactical formation in the 2015 Copa América will most likely be a copy of what was seen at the 2014 World Cup. Sampaoli essentially replicates Bielsa’s attacking approach to football with a few minor exceptions. Sampaoli employs a flexible 4-3-1-2 (versus Bielsa’s 3-3-1-1) formation characterized by a relentless and high-intensity pressing style.

Bielsa’s imprint is clear in Sampaoli’s fast-paced front duet. Eduardo Vargas and Sánchez encapsulate Bielsa’s versatile trademark under Sampaoli; both strikers can operate as wingers or traditional centralized forwards. Vargas and Sánchez are deployed on either side of an old-fashioned forward – usually Cagliari’s Mauricio Pinilla – or a creative attacking midfielder – in this case, Valdivia.

Sampaoli’s practical midfield

Sampaoli molds his team around the creative talents of Valdivia, a skillful offensive midfielder who operates at the tip of the midfield. Valdivia is a possession-focused attacking-midfielder, holding the ball and waiting for the right moment to execute a defense-splitting pass. Valdivia alternates between a false center-forward and a traditional No. 10, supporting Vargas and Sánchez as a playmaker but occasionally surging down the middle when the front duo would stretch play out wide.

Bielsa’s efficient midfield was, in many ways, the model for Sampaoli. Like Bielsa before him, Sampaoli’s midfield operates on the basis of a diamond formation.

Right-sided midfielder Vidal is the engine behind Sampaoli’s aggressive pressing style and fluent passing game. Vidal deserves all the respect he can get – the Juventus midfielder is considered the “Messi of midfielders”, one of the most physically and technically well-rounded players in the Copa América, if not the world.

Just a few yards behind Vidal stands Marcelo Díaz. Díaz is positioned as a deep-lying playmaker, dictating the tempo of the game and keeping the ball away from the opposition. He is essentially a holding midfielder at the base of Sampaoli’s diamond, protecting the back four and breaking up play. To his left lies Charles Aránguiz. The Internacional midfielder exudes confidence and skillful ball control when in possession.

Sampaoli’s defense: hardworking but flawed

At the back, Medel and Jara make up the central defensive pair. Chile’s defense is its weak point. Medel and Jara are quick and aggressive on the ground but are certainly not tall, making the team vulnerable when attacked from the air. They are defensive midfielders, capable of assuming more advanced defensive roles as center-backs – ideal for Sampaoli’s pressing game. However, placing defensive midfielders as center-backs does not come without a cost: if they leave a gap open at the back, any team in the Copa América can slice them open. Even mastermind Bielsa couldn’t solve the problem; there just aren’t a couple of strong, tall traditional defenders to shield the goal. That is why everyone is willing to get their hands dirty and retreat, relieving the pressure from such a suspect and fragile defense.

However, to make up for Chile’s defensive inefficiency, Sampaoli can count on a pair of first-class wing-backs, courtesy of left-back Eugenio Mena and right-back Mauricio Isla. Sampaoli’s team is especially dangerous down the right flank when Sánchez drifts inwards and allows Isla to overlap him and provide crosses. The Juventus right-back has built a successful partnership with Sánchez under Sampaoli, which dates back to their Udinese playing days. However, both Mena and Isla are aggressive by nature implying that they often leave unmarked spaces at the rear, which, if explored wisely, could prove fatal for Sampaoli’s team.

Finally, the seasoned Barcelona goalkeeper Claudio Bravo is the team’s captain and the symbol of seniority a midst Sampaoli’s young-looking team.