Wetalksport

Why Chile can eliminate Spain.

A draw will probably do for Chile to progress
at the expense of Spain when they clash in
Group B on Wednesday but their style
doesn't readily lend itself to conservatism.
Their game is not about keeping the
opposition out, it's about taking the game to
them.
"I don't think anything will make us lose
intensity," coach Jorge Sampaoli said last
week. "It is necessary to stand up against
any opponent we have. If we played
differently, we'd lose our identity."
There is no chance Chile will ever play
cautiously and eke out a point. That would
be a betrayal of the coach's methods which
he has worked hard to restore. Chile have
played like this before. This type of football
was an identifiable Chilean quality under
Marcelo Bielsa. They lost their way to an
extent under his replacement Claudio Borghi
but Sampaoli, a devoted student of Bielsa,
has instilled those characteristics all over
again.
Tempo is now Sampaoli's trademark. He is
not a man to compromise his principles.
Whether it's Australia or Spain, their
unrelenting rhythm will not be altered.
Chile, unlike Spain, don't tend to overload the
midfield; they overload the final third. It's all
about getting the ball forward quickly to the
feet of Jorge Valdivia, Arturo Vidal, Eduardo
Vargas or Alexis Sanchez.
"We need players who are very nimble and
quick to break through defences," Sampaoli
said. Marcelo Diaz, in midfield, is the
embodiment of the coach's ideals. He never
plays a pass Sampaoli wouldn't want him to.
Diaz remains totally committed to
Sampaoli's style. It was ingrained on him
and many of his international colleagues
during their days together at Universidad de
Chile, where they won national and
continental titles. Sampaoli knows the
players well and commands loyalty.
In their first Group B match, a 3-1 win over
Australia in Cuiaba, they swarmed around
the beleaguered Socceroos from minute one.
Their football pulsating like the stands
containing their raucous supporters.
They were 2-0 up against an over-matched
opponent within 15 minutes before their
standards slipped on Friday night. "To take
on our other rivals, we must make our
matches more complete," the coach admitted
after the victory.
It is a quick turnaround to the Spain game
and it's not that long since these sides met
for the last time although how much can be
taken from that 2-2 friendly draw last
September in Geneva is debatable. Chile
were close to full-strength whereas Spain
started with only three players who are likely
to play from the outset in the Maracana.
Sergio Ramos, Xavi and Pedro played, while
some fringe players staked their claims for
World Cup consideration. Ramos and Xavi
didn't fare well on the night. A lapse in
concentration saw Ramos play Vargas
onside for the opening goal. Xavi was
overpowered in midfield. "We will find certain
weaknesses and induce errors," Sampaoli
said before the tournament.
The South Americans have confidence and
belief. They are fearless.
"We want to be just as difficult for them as
they are for us," said Sampaoli. "Spain and
the Netherlands can be tackled by us."
They will relish the opportunity to not only
seal their own qualification but to also
eliminate the champions.
Chile have every right to be considered as
contenders in their own right for this
tournament. "We have players willing to
tackle big commitments like this one,"
Sampaoli said. "Our thrust will be greater
than our impediments."
There could of course be the Spanish
backlash. They are three points and six
goals behind Chile and need to close both of
those gaps before their last group match
against Australia. Spain lost their first game
at World Cup 2010, but beat Chile in the
group stage before going on to lift the trophy.
Sampaoli's men may have been unlucky to
have the win snatched from them in Geneva
as it showed that the best teams always find
a way. Chile play so intensely that lulls are
inevitable. There is an idealistic quality to
their football. Spain will be patient enough to
parry the blows and attempt to seize chances
of their own.
"Spain lost, but I don’t know if that’s a good
thing or a bad thing," said goalkeeper
Claudio Bravo. "We face a wounded rival
now and that’s always dangerous.
"But all we are thinking about is winning this
game. We need to play with intensity, take
our chances and play without fear. If we are
clear about our own ideas, we can win the
game."

Brazil 2014 in pictures

Ochao the goalkeeper that stoped Brazil

On Tuesday evening, Guillermo Ochoa
enjoyed the most memorable evening of his
career to date as he produced a string of
excellent stops to shut out Brazil and edge
Mexico towards the knockout stages of the
World Cup.
But the custodian’s career has been one of
staggering ups and downs, most notably
when he was embroiled in a drugs issue that
threatened his career only three short years
ago.
In the interim, the goalkeeper has played for
the relatively obscure Ajaccio in France’s top
flight – a strange location for a player of
such quality to have spent such a lengthy
portion of his career.
Yet Ochoa moved to the Corsican side out of
a sense of loyalty, as they were the one side
who stuck by him when the drugs issue
tarnished his reputation.
Ajaccio were correct to. The unusually high
quantities of clenbuterol found in his blood
during a routine doping test, along with five
team-mates, were found to be caused by
contaminated meat. As a result, the 28-year-
old was allowed off on the charge.
Ochoa could easily have manufactured a
move away from Stade Francois-Coty after
only one year of his deal, but such was his
feeling of gratefulness towards the island
minnows, he would remain until they were
finally relegated to France’s second tier at
the end of this season. It was a sad way to
end an affair of such mutual appreciation.
At times it had seemed that the Mexico No.1
was single-handedly keeping an otherwise
unremarkable side up. Perhaps his most
memorable performance for the Corsican
side came at Parc des Princes last August,
where he produced a breath taking array of
stops before conceding late in a match that
finished 1-1. Ochoa made 13 saves that day
– his side only mustered one shot.
It is remarkable, then, that is has taken him
so long to see action in a World Cup, let
alone to have drawn such widespread
recognition for performances that have
already put him in poll position to be the
competition’s top shot-stopper.
Ochoa first appeared in the Mexico squad in
2005 at the age of 20, but though he went to
both World Cups in Germany 2006 and the
next one in South Africa, he would be
frustrated at being limited to a role on the
bench – a particularly controversial call
given he had played many of the qualifying
matches for the 2010 tournament.
Having debuted for America as a teenager, he
had built a strong reputation in Mexico and
was set for a move to Europe when his life
was shaken by revelations he had failed a
drugs test during the 2011 Gold Cup in
Charlotte.
The ramifications were great, and though
Ochoa and his cohorts were eventually
excused a ban as it was ruled they had
involuntarily ingested the substance via
contaminated meat, the Mexico side will not
eat beef during this World Cup for fear of a
repeat incident.
"Given what happened, we have decided we
will not eat red meat," coach Miguel Herrera
confirmed in March. "We’ve also been telling
the players for the last month and a half not
to eat beef and they’ve paid heed."
After this blow, Ochoa has responded in a
formidable fashion, showcasing his
superhuman reflexes and magnificent
athleticism to spectacular ability as he
thwarted a Neymar header in particularly
formidable style on Tuesday.
Indeed, he now boasts clean sheets in his
two World Cup matches, having greatly
enhanced his reputation in the process and
going a great distance to eradicate the black
mark that previously dogged his career.
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France 3 : Honduras 0