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Wednesday night sees the second Copa America semi final between Chile and Peru. The two rivals meet in their 82nd clash yet seldom has any prior meeting been as pivotal. For decades having trailed their Atlantic South American rivals both Chile and Peru enter Wednesday night’s grudge match on the cusp of history. Chile are one step away from the possibility of claiming an unprecedented third Copa America in a row in a competition which they cannot countenance failure. Meanwhile If Peru are to succeed , Riccardo Gareca's men will have undeniably bettered the magnitude of last years feat of qualifying for the World Cup in Russia. From the serious issue of the battle of Pacifica to the more trivial quest as to who invented the “bicycle kick” this is a rivalry which oscillates between geopolitics and football. What both sides may lack in the way of technical expertise and footballing tradition they make up for in passion. Their fans have given a new meaning as to what it means to be the 12th man traversing the globe over to cheer their fellow countrymen. Similarly to their football teams when combined together they too are greater than the sum of it's parts. In the process of reaching this stage both nations have called upon some of the continents leading football architects to mastermind a blueprint for success.
Like their opponents on Wednesday Chile were known as the perennial underachievers on the South American continent. That was until La Roja president Harold Mayne-Nicholls aimed for the moon and reached the stars when the acclaimed football brain of Marcelo Bielsa answered his phonecall in early 2007. The proposal was clear and ambiguous; make Chile a competitive nation on the international stage restoring national pride in the process. Four years later when Bielsa and his then assistant (new Paraguay boss) Eduardo Berrizo departed and the seed for La Roja's future success was sewn. Standards were elevated, renovations to the training ground took place and a new era of professionalism was heralded. The average age of the squad decreased dramatically and with that debuts were handed out to members of that years 2007 U-20 World Cup squad; Alexis Sanchez , Arturo Vidal, Gary Medel among others. A new unorthodox pressing style was formed merging the best components of Bielsa's favored 3-1-3-3 style along with the attributes of a young hungry squad. Although their talent was irrefutable it was highly unlikely barring Bielsa's presence would they have been integrated so soon. Bielsa's replacement; Jorge Sampaoli only served to accelerate the process. Continuing with the high octane approach his predecessor had implemented Sampaoli guided Chile to the last 16 at the 2014 World Cup and a maiden Copa America the year after. His successor; Juan Antonio Pizzi repeated the feat in 2016. Now it is the turn of Pizzi's successor; Reinaldo Rueda a man commissioned with achieving a third Copa America in a row.
Rueda has only been too aware of the ageing nature of his Chilean team. Much to the disdain of Chilean fans the high pressing, high intensity and vertical game which brought Chile wide international acclaim has been dumped. In it's place a more calmer approach has been adopted championing ball retention and controlled possession. In this respect Rueda has been privileged in terms of the talented midfield he has inherited. These days rarely has a collective South American midfield's performance in a tournament been so immutable. In Erick Pulgar you have a regista , an accomplished ball player who has been one of the standout players in this years Copa. Tasked with launching Chilean attacks the Bologna man orchestrates the midfield and attack in front. His transfer value has at least doubled since the beginning of June. Furthermore they have one of the best archetypal box to box players in Arturo Vidal. Charged with breaking up play and facilitating quick counter attacks the Barcelona man has been a key component of La Rojas's success. Charles Aranguiz meanwhile is an excellent technician and dribbler . The Leverkusen playmaker contributes added variety to the Chilean attack. Despite his 5'7" frame the 30 year old is relentless in his workrate and noted at international level for his late runs into the opposition box.
Up front Alexis Sanchez looks like a man reborn ambivalent to his Manchester United failings. For Chile he has proved indispensable. Running in behind, dropping deep, tracking back he has sacrificed his all round game in hope of a third Copa America success. Similarly Eduardo Vargas replicates all those traits and despite a poor goalscoring return recently remains a constant scorn of concern for opposition defenses. The Tigres man loves playing against Peru and with seven goals no other player has netted as frequently in this fixture. At the back La Roja are even less forgiving and do not exactly contain any choir boys. Former West Brom defender Gonzalo Jara is a national hero and Uruguayan enemy for sticking his finger in the part of Edinson Cavani where the sun don't shine in a 2011 Copa semi. Maripan has been unbeatable for both Alaves and country this calendar year and seems to head everything thrown in his way. Gary Medel despite his literal shortcomings is the captain, leader and heart of this Chilean side. The little and large combo are supplemented at the back by Gabriel Arias who has proven a steady pair of hands in Claudio Bravo's absence . As some of Bielsa's original debutants near the end of their international careers they face Peru lead by a man more than familiar with the origins of this current Chilean side.
Just over twelve months ago in Russia, 100,000 + Peru fans descended on Red Square to support their nation. Thousands had slept roughly, hundreds had quit jobs, countless others sacrificed relationships. The commitment of Peru's fans can never be called into question. Yet despite their often misguided hope even their most enthusiastic supporters could never dream of a game of such magnitude. Against Chile however on Wednesday night they have the opportunity to write their names into the echelon of Peruvian folklore. And what better man to lead them than the very one who broke their hearts over 30 years ago. In terms of redemption stories there are few better than Riccardo Gareca. Chastened for his goal in 1985 which saw Argentina qualify at the expense of Peru for the 1986 World Cup "El Tigre" has masterminded a third run to the Copa semis in just four years. A win rate of 43% in a continent densely populated with revered footballing nations has been no mean fear. Like Marcelo Bielsa, Gareca is a man unsure of his allegiance to the attacking "Menottismo" or defensive "Billardismo" of his native Argentina therefore he has combined the best of both to form a gameplan for his Peruvian side. The Argentine has overachieved with a technically limited and ageing Peruvian side with little in the way of youth coming forward.
Gareca's apt nickname; "El Tigre" symbolizes the very fighting instinct his Peruvian team have been recognized for. This was no more apparent than in Saturday's penalty shootout victory over Uruguay. The go to formation for Peru under the Argentine has been the 4-1-4-1 heavily reliant on winning individual duels and managing space. The most crucial idea is to have one line more than the opponent so that Peru can occupy more space on the pitch. In this essence Renato Tapia was key as it was the Feyenoord holding midfielder instructed with breaking up play and tracking Uruguayan runners. Indeed Peru stuffed out Uruguayan attacks time and time again thanks to an insistence to densely populate the middle and gift "La Celeste" the wide areas. A huge 49% of their gameplay occurred in the middle third (WhoScored) . Also a foul count of 22 compared to Uruguay's 14 served to break up their opponents play and disrupt their rhythm. Playing against a Chilean side with a wealth of technical proficiency and ball masters this may be once again the best gameplan to employ. However this is where Gareca needs to get the balance correct between defence and attack. Often Paulo Guerrero looked isolated up front as Peru's midfield retreated so deep. The loss of Jefferson Farfan was huge in this respect. Andre Carillo and Edinson Flores most revered for their wingplay became inverted center midfielders. They mustered a measly sum of just three shots on Saturday night, all of which came from outside the penalty area.
Indeed Gareca's teams have shown before they can play on the front foot. Last summer's world cup fixture versus France being a key reference point. They dominated possession achieving 58% and pummeled Hugo Lloris' goal despite succumbing to a 1-0 defeat. Spurred on by a large traveling contingent the midfield of Carrillo, Flores, Cueva and Yotun were adventurous in their pressing and restricted the Europeans to mere counter attacks. This would be congruent of the formula Didier Deschamps and France would later employ on their way to becoming World Champions. Contrary to their uninspiring and lackluster performances so far this tournament Peru have proved they have much more in their toolkit. Gareca too plays a huge role in this regard. Having guided Velez Sarsfield to 3 titles in 4 years earlier this decade he has proven to be ever the player's manager. His personal approach has convinced the players to place huge trust in him wherever he has coached. Like his manager, Peru goalkeeper; Pedro Gallese is a man familiar of redemption. Very rare does a player go from villain to hero in an international tournament however that's exactly what the Allianza Lima netminder achieved last week against Uruguay. Reciprocating the faith his players have shown in him, Gareca retained Gallese in the starting XI last Saturday despite his shambolic outing versus Brazil. Indeed the talented yet wayward Edinson Flores' presence in a Peruvian shirt is mere testament to the pulling power Peru's manager has on players. Thanks to Gallese's heroics and Flores' spot kick Gareca's men are once again 90 minutes from a first Copa America final since 1975.
The long standing rivalry between both countries which has as of now lasted centuries contained numerous milestones. The latest installment of which takes place this Wednesday night in Porto Alegre. Undoubtedly there will be further episodes however whoever emerges victorious on Wednesday will hold bragging rights that may just scar the opposition that eternally. On and off the football field Chile have had the upper hand to date and the Peruvians are all too familiar with their neighbours success. Departing the Peruvian national stadium in 2015 after a 4-3 win , Chilean players proceeded to decorate the dressing room walls; "Respeto. Por aquí pasó el campeón de América". ("Respect. Through here passed America's champion!") This show of excess passion, chutzpah and arrogance is exactly what may prove to be La Roja's undoing. At various stages throughout their quarter final clash versus Colombia the game threatened to descend into chaos. Should Gareca once more coerce his players into following his plan and capitalizing on their opposition's exuberance and temper there may just be an end to Chilean rule in the Copa. Yet experience is such a vital component of any international success and in this respect Chile are supported by battle hardened men Sanchez, Vidal and Medel. Chilean's can be confident this terrain too will be navigated. Whoever is to proceed to Sunday's showpiece expect the usual South American cocktail of electrifying energy and dark acts to be on show.
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