So we are at the semi-finals of the 2011 Copa America. It has been full of what many would call surprises, but in actuality reflects some of the realities currently faced by the heavy hitters in the area. Today we will go over the some of the “surprise” teams and the teams that have disappointed so far. We will start with some of the “surprise” teams in the tournament.
Peru:
Easily the biggest surprise of the final four, Peru finished last in the last round of the Qualifying for South Africa 2010. They came into the tournament with key losses due to injuries to defender Carlos Zambrano (St. Pauli- Germany), forwards Jefferson Farfan (Schalke 04-Germany) and Claudio Pizarro (Werder Bremen- Germany), and attacking midfielder Luis Ramirez (Corinthians- Brazil).
However new coach Sergio Markarian has instilled a defense first strategy with counter attacks lead by attacking midfielder Juan Vargas (Fiorentina-Italy) and lone front man Paolo Guerrero (Hamburger SV- Germany). These counter attacks keep a balance which is necessary to avoid other teams from throwing everyone forward. Guerrero has battled alone up front admirably, making many top defenders look silly in the process. Vargas is able to push forward up the left hand side and cause fits for opposing defenses. On the right side, Markarian has helped stretch the field with little known and diminutive winger William Chiroque. The Juan Aurich winger is listed at 5 foot 5 inches but that is generous at best. The veteran of the Peruvian first division made a splash in Peru’s 1-0 loss to Chile in the final group game. He remained in the line-up for the quarter final match against Colombia and did not disappoint. With Vargas and Chiroque on either wing, and Guerrero up front, Peru has kept defenses on its toes and has avoided teams from exploiting a weak midfield and lack of speed on defense. Center-back Alberto Rodriguez (Braga-Portugal) has been stellar in the back and has cleaned up mistakes made by his fellow defenders Christian Ramos and Walter Vilchez. Goalkeeper Raul Fernandez has been solid and made a game saving save at the end of regulation against Colombia to keep his team in contention.
For the first time in years, Peru seems to be heading in the right directions. Once injured players are integrated back to the squad, Peru seems to have a chance to contend for one of the final world cup spots in the upcoming qualifying season.
Venezuela
Venezuela has been on a slow but steady rise over the last few world cup cycles. They reached a high point in qualifying for South Africa 2010, where they finished a respectable 8th, accumulating 22 points in 18 games. Led up front by veteran Juan Arango (Borussia Mönchengladbach-Germany) , coach Cesar Farias has been able to put together a young core of little known players with a solid defense. Little known Oswaldo Viscarrondo has been unpassable in the middle of the defense and has been a key target in set pieces. Newell’s Old Boys defender Gabriel Cichero has been equally good and has also scored off a set piece in their 2-1 upset of Chile. Gimnasia of Argentina midfielder Cesar Gonzalez adds class to a midfield which already boasts captain Juan Arango. Two Spanish based strikers lead the front line with Getafe’s Miku and Malaga’s Jose Salomon Rondon. The exploits of Rondon in the Spanish La Liga helped his squad avoid relegation with 14 goals in 30 games, setting a record for goals by a Venezuelan in the Spanish top flight set by Juan Arango. Venezuela showed a never-die attitude in their final group stage game against Paraguay where they scored twice after the 89th minute mark to stun Paraguay 3-3 and show that they can be patient and opportunistic in their 2-1 defeat of Chile. Venezuela will use this tournament to propel them into qualifying later this year and should be in line to finish better than 8th and maybe a spot in their first world cup in team history.
Not good enough for the following two nations…..
Argentina:
Where to start? For starters they have the unquestioned best player in the world in Leonel Messi and they had the added plus of playing at home. However, this elimination should not come as a shock to those who have watched this team since the departure of ex-coach Marcelo Bielsa. Their last major trophy was the Copa America in 1993, 18 years ago! This is mind-boggling considering Argentine players are some of the top players, on the top European teams. However, the disaster that just occurred could be seen coming. Think back to the end of 2010 World Cup Qualifying. Argentina needed a last gasp, 90th min goal from Boca Juniors talisman Martin Palermo to defeat last-place Peru, in Buenos Aires 2-1, and then a win in the last fixture against Uruguay to avoid an embarrassing home and away playoff against Costa Rica in order to qualify to the world cup. They looked mediocre at best in beating South Korea, Nigeria, and Greece in the first round. They reached the quarter finals by defeating Mexico and was shown the door in an embarrassing 4-0 defeat to Germany. Since then Maradona was let go as coach and Batista has tried to right the ship. He has tried to re-shape the team to better compliment Messi, but has failed miserably. A series of unimpressive friendlies, including ties against USA and Costa Rica, and losses to Poland and Nigeria, should have been signaled a disaster was about to occur.
Batista started by playing Messi with Napoli star Lavezzi and Manchester City front-man Carlos Tevez. A slow and unimaginative midfield with Ever Banegas , Esteban Cambiaso, and Javier Mascherano made Argentina predictable and solely dependant on Messi pulling off a miraculous run to have a chance on goal. These weaknesses were exploited by lowly Bolivia in a 1-1 draw, which Argentina was able to tie only due to a miraculous shot by late substitute Kun Aguero. Eventually Lavezzi and Tevez gave way to Kun Aguero and Angel Di Maria, but the results were the same. The midfield creation was handed over to slow-footed, and bench-warmer Fernando Gago of Real Madrid. Many times Messi looked isolated, even on a field full of European stars. There was no link between the midfield and Messi and little chemistry with the wingers. Colombia exploited a weak defense led by Gabriel Milito and Pablo Zabaleta. Of course Messi is to blame as well. Many times he was frustrated and disconnected from the run of play. Many will say that Palermo playmaker Javier Pastore is the ideal partner for Messi, but he seemed lost and clueless, not precise with his passing, and many times simply played square balls to the nearest teammate when he entered as a substitute. Gonzalo Higuain misses too many scoring chances to play at this level, and thus Argentina play without a true number “9” up front. There is much work ahead for coach Batista ahead of world cup qualifying later this year.
Brazil:
Coach Mano Menezes took over for Dunga after Brazil was bounced in the semi-finals of the last world cup. Many criticized Dunga’s style of play because it did not pay homage to the jogo bonito brand of soccer. Mano Menezes was supposed to bring back the flair and creativity we all associate with Brazilian soccer. Santos superstars Neymar and Ganso, along with AC Milan striker Pato and midfielder Robinho were going to take Copa America by storm.
Reality quickly set in after they were held to a draw by Venezuela and escaped with a last minute draw against Paraguay. A 4-2 win against a declining Ecuador masked the overall problems which Brazil demonstrated in their first two games. Much talked about Neymar was substituted out in critical points in Brazil’s last two games, which speaks volumes about the coaches confidence in the young starlet. The talent is undeniable, but much maturity is still needed for Neymar to be a sure-fire superstar. He too often plays as if playing on the local playground, and forgets soccer is a team game while playing with blinders on. Furthermore, referees have grown tired of his diving and flopping and often times referees do not give him the benefit of the doubt on fouls. Ganso was handed the coveted “10” shirt and at moments looked the part with his slick passing and uncanny field vision. However, these moments were few and far between for the Brazilian attack to be effective. Dani Alves was out of sorts and found himself on the bench in favor of Inter Milan’s Maicon, who brought more depth to the Brazilian attack on the right side. Attacking left-back Andre Santos was average at best and provided little to the attack. Robinho was his usual self, which is to say unconvincing and uninspiring. He made ineffective runs and errand passes all tournaments. Pato was given little service as Neymar and Robinho did their worst “FIFA STREET” imitation. Chelsea midfielder Ramires was nowhere to be seen in his defensive midfielder spot. His passes were erratic and often times lost possession in the midfield, which led to opponent counter-attacks.
Defenders Lucio and Thiago Silva were solid, but goalkeeper Julio Cesar was suspect, giving up questionable goals to Ecuador.
Although many will say they were unlucky not to beat Paraguay in the quarter-final round, the fact remains this team only plays in spurts with little consistency. Also, there is no excuse for missing FOUR straight penalty shots in the shootout. There is no doubt that the field was in horrid conditions, but these are professional players, making more money than we can imagine to kick a ball about a field. I can’t imagine Kobe Bryant missing four straight free throws to lose a playoff game, do you?
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