Copa-America-Best-XI

The centenary edition of the Copa América is in the books and, just as last year, Chile are champions of South America by virtue of a penalty shootout victory over Argentina in the final.

There was plenty of talent on display, with some big names flopping, like Uruguay and Brazil exiting at the group stage, and some surprise packages, such as the USA with their run to the semi-final.

Here is our pick of the best XI of the tournament.

GK David Ospina – Colombia

David Ospina had a solid tournament with Colombia, helping his side reach the semi-final before losing 2-0 to Chile. The Arsenal stopper gets the nod for his dependability; while FC Barcelona’s Chilean goalkeeper, Claudio Bravo, made some uncharacteristic and costly errors, and Mexico’s Guillermo Ochoa saw seven goals fly past him in the quarter-final, Ospina was solid throughout.

DF John Brooks – USA

The American defender overcame heavy criticism for his sub-par defending during last year’s Gold Cup tie against Jamaica, to have an impressive Copa América, as the USA defied the odds to reach the semi-final, before losing 4-0 to a Lionel Messi inspired Argentina.

DF Nicolas Otamendi – Argentina

It’s safe to say that Nicolas Otamendi had a less than impressive first season in the Premier League with Manchester City. But the bearded centre-back had a fine Copa América campaign as he formed a strong central-defensive partnership with Everton’s Ramiro Funes-Mori.

DF Gary Medel – Chile

The Chilean enforcer was the defensive general for La Roja. Despite his reputation for being somewhat of a hot-head, the 28-year-old former Cardiff City player stayed calm following Marcelo Diaz’s harsh first-half dismissal in the final against Argentina, and kept his defence in order.

MD Javier Mascherano – Argentina

Barcelona’s Javier Mascherano was faultless for Argentina, reverting back to the defensive midfield role in which he made his name before becoming a centre-back at Barça. The 32-year-old is the lynchpin of La Albiceleste’s midfield, and his influence and experience was again invaluable.

MD Ever Banega – Argentina

Ever Banega followed up a stellar season at club level, in which he guided Sevilla to Europa League success, by carrying his superb form into the Copa América with Argentina. The 27-year-old playmaker will join Internazionale next season on a free transfer, and the Nerazzurri stand to benefit from his creative midfield scheming.

MD Arturo Vidal – Chile

Bayern Munich midfielder Arturo Vidal was in fine fettle throughout the Copa América. When he’s at his best, there are few players in world football who can match his box-to-box driving energy. After being surrounded by controversy after crashing his car while allegedly under the influence of alcohol during last year’s Copa, the former Juventus player’s performances in the USA went a long way towards erasing those bad memories.

MD Clint Dempsey – USA

Clint Dempsey is the USA’s long-time talisman, and the former Fulham player was once again the key man for his country. Despite his advancing years, the 33-year-old Seattle Sounders midfielder was one of the standout players of the tournament on home soil.

RW Lionel Messi – Argentina

Lionel Messi’s tournament started a little later than most, with a minor injury meaning he was unable to start the opening two matches. That didn’t stop the 2015 Ballon d’Or winner from netting a hat-trick against Panama after coming on as a second-half substitute. Messi bagged one of the goals of the tournament with a free-kick in the semi-final against the USA. Despite his penalty miss in the final and subsequent international retirement, the five-time World Player of the Year was the shining light of this year’s Copa América.

LW Alexis Sanchez – Chile

Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez was a constant threat for Chile throughout the tournament, peaking in the 7-0 defeat of Mexico and the 2-0 semi-final victory over Colombia. The former Barcelona winger also set himself apart with his tireless work-rate, leading Chile’s high-press and covering every blade of grass in the oppositions’ half of the pitch.

ST Eduardo Vargas – Chile

Hoffenheim forward Eduardo Vargas was immensely impressive in leading the line for Chile. Four goals in the 7-0 dismantling of Mexico in the quarter-final stand out as a highlight, but Vargas also netted twice against Panama and his relentless work-rate was a key factor in Chile’s potent attack.

About the author – Ryan Baldi

Ryan is a Midlands based freelance sports writer specialising in European football. He has been fascinated with the continental game ever since he was presented with his first football kit at the age of 7 years old whilst on holiday in Spain – a Barcelona shirt with ‘Romario 10’ printed on the back. A contributor to numerous footballing websites, Ryan has also covered martial arts for local and national print publications. Ryan’s musings on European football can be found here. 

twitter: @RyanBaldiEFB

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6-Potential-Copa-America-Breakout-Stars

The Copa América is now held every four years and the last edition was in 2015, where Chile won their first title after defeating Argentina in the final on a penalty shootout after a goalless draw.  Even though the Copa América is usually held every four years, we have an additional tournament in 2016, the Copa América Centenario, as part of the competition’s centenary celebrations.

The Copa América Centenario kicks off on June 3rd and we have come up with some of the potential stars of the tournament who may not yet be household names.

Marlos Moreno (Colombia)

Colombia has produced some fine attacking players in recent years and Marlos Moreno could be the next from a nation that has produced the likes of Falcao, James Rodriguez and Faustino Asprilla. Moreno has starred in Atletico Nacional’s run to the semi-finals of this year’s Copa Libertadores, and this has attracted the interest of some of Europe’s biggest clubs. Inter, Bayer Leverkusen, Porto and Benfica have all reportedly approached the 19 year-old who would cost around €10m.

A good Copa América for Moreno would surely bump this price up and with Falcao left out the squad, Moreno has a chance to announce himself to the world in the US this summer.  Moreno is equally comfortable playing wide or through the middle and he will surely be a useful option as Jose Pekerman aims to take Colombia further than the quarter-final exits his side suffered at the 2014 World Cup and last year’s Copa América in Chile.

Christian Pulisic (United States)

In Dortmund’s tricky playmaker, the United States may have finally found the global star they have craved. 17 year-old Christian Pulisic has forced his way into Thomas Tuchel’s Borussia Dortmund first team squad since Christmas and will almost certainly be given his chance in Jurgen Klinsmann’s US side this summer.

Pulisic scored in consecutive games against Hamburg and Stuttgart in April, and with his low centre of gravity, ability to glide past players and calmness infront of goal, he has been compared to former Dortmund hero Mario Gotze. As hosts, USA will be expecting to progress from a tough Group A and Pulisic could be the one to provide them with that extra bit of quality in the final third that will be needed if they are to make an impact this summer.

Gabriel Barbosa (Brazil)

Gabriel Barbosa Almeida or ‘Gabigol’ is one of the most coveted teenagers on the planet. Dubbed the ‘new Neymar’, Gabriel already has a wealth of experience in Brazil’s Serie A, with over 50 appearances and 19 goals to his name already. With Neymar left out of the Copa América squad, Gabriel should finally be given the chance to impress for the famous Selecao.

Gabriel has the platform to boost his reputation further this summer by representing his country in both the Copa América and the Olympics and if he impresses, it should accelerate his inevitable move to one of Europe’s giants with PSG, Barcelona and Real Madrid leading a host of clubs in Europe that would love to secure his signature.

Profiling Gabriel Barbosa, The Next Santos Star?

Edison Flores (Peru)

Peru are the great underachievers of South American football. Thy have not won the Copa América since 1975 and the last time that they qualified for a World Cup was in 1982. This is surprising because over the last decade the likes of Juan Manuel Vargas, Claudio Pizarro and Jefferson Farfán have all played for Los Incas.

The Peruvian Copa América squad lacks household names but that could all change this summer if Edison Flores leaves his mark. The 22-year-old attacker has already played in Europe for Villarreal B. However, things didn’t work out and after only 20 months he returned to Peru and signed for Universitario. Since his return to Peru the tricky attacker has been terrorising defences and this has resulted in recognition at continental level. The Copa América could bring him to the attention of the world and possibly another opportunity to play in Europe.

Antonio Sanabria (Paraguay)

20-year-old Antonio Sanabria ended the 2015/16 season with 11 goals for Sporting de Gijón. This is an impressive feat as it was his first full season and for a side that spent the entire campaign battling against relegation. The Paraguyan excelled in Gijón, leading the line in 4-2-3-1 and was hailed as a revelation.

Despite making his debut for Parguay in 2013 aged 17-years, he only has 5 caps to his name. With Lucas Barrios and Roque Santa Cruz left out of the squad, he will be looking to increase this number as well as score his first international goal, whilst proving that he can be the next No.9 for Paraguay for years to come.

Roma seem intent on cashing in on the ex-Barcelona youth academy player this summer and the player’s agent has already received numerous phone calls from Italy. A good performance at the Copa América will lead to even more clubs interested in securing his services ahead of the 2016/17 season.

Blás Riveros (Paraguay)

Barcelona, Benfica and Manchester United were all interested in securing the services of  18-year-old Blás Riveros but it was Swiss champions Basel that won the race for his signature. This is probably the best move for the teenager’s fledgling career, as he has only featured in 21 professional games for Olimpia over the course of two seasons.

The left-sided defender is yet to feature for Paraguay and is heading into the tournament as back-up for the experienced Miguel Samudio of Club América. If he is given his chance by Ramón Ángel Díaz, he will seize his opportunity in the tournament.

Blás Riveros will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of fellow Paraguayan, Derlis González, who used Basel as a springboard to a bigger club and also to become a regular for the national team.

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Long-Term-Identity-and-Success

Identity is underrated in football, but style is revered. However, style comes directly from the identity of a team, which can come in two forms – formation and player type. Over the years so many successful teams have had a strong identity coupled with a unique style of play, stemming from a good relationship between the formation and players used within it. In short, think of Barcelona from 2009-2011.

Identity is the nitty-gritty aspects of the game. Drills, formation training, the thinking behind how quickly opponents should be shut down, who to mark at set pieces – zonal or man mark? The basics that come with identity allow for style – the tricks and flicks.

That Barcelona team had a formation that was implemented and perfected over a number of years under Rijkaard and to a more prominent extent, Guardiola. Guardiola in particular was especially good at identifying the correct style of player to use in his formation. A simple square peg, square hole philosophy. Over time, Barcelona grew an identity that was desired by clubs worldwide; their high pressing, quick passing, through the lines football was quite simply breathtaking. No club side has come close to emulating the Catalans so far.

In South America, we’ll include Mexico for now, international teams are steeped in tradition. Managers will come and go on a regular basis, but formation and player type will almost always remain. Chile and Mexico are prime examples of sides who have used the same formations for a number of years and as such have claimed success in recent times. Using the 3-5-2 or 5-3-2 systems, each team built on their impressive World Cup appearances with silverware over the summer.

Chile have been particularly impressive and under Marcelo Bielsa disciple Jorge Sampaoli have really pushed on in the last two years, culminating in Copa America success this summer. Their style is derived from a formation that concentrates on utilising the players to the best of their ability. Although they rely heavily on Sanchez, Vidal and Vargas as a collective they are a force to be reckoned with and their defeat of Australia in the World Cup demonstrated how Chile can turn on the style at the drop of a hat. Their high pressure game draws similarities with Barcelona, but the style is wholly different as their ball retention is a slower and a lot less methodical. It can be argued that with their 2-0 victory over Brazil in the opening stages of CONMEBOL qualifying that Chile are now the strongest force in South America, in a formation and philosophy they have implemented over a number of years.

Mexico have also been under long-term guidance but this has changed in very recent times, since Miguel Herrera was removed from the hot seat after punching a reporter post their Gold Cup win. El Tri were desperately unlucky to lose to a resurgent Netherlands in the last 16 of the World Cup, but their electric style won them many fans. However, after Herrera’s dismissal Mexico have struggled for form, mainly due to a change in formation. Ricardo Ferretti is current caretaker boss and his orthodox 4-4-2 style is not suited to his squad, as a result Mexico suffered a humiliating draw with Trinidad and Tobago. With a crucial play off against the USA for the final Conferations Cup spot just around the corner it is almost certain that they will revert back to their traditional 5-3-2.

In Europe, things are starting to change. Long term philosophy was not necessarily the key for a number of sides, rather trying to fit players into formations that they were not suited to. However, Wales have taken the first steps to implementing a long-term identity by changing their formation to suit a squad, that outside of Bale and Ramsey, is really quite limited. Their adaptation of the 3-5-2 has come with a ‘hint of World Cup 2014′, as their use of wing-backs echoes the playing styles of Mexico, Chile and the Netherlands in the tournament. As such, their defensive record has improved massively, as two goals conceded in seven goals certainly suggests. Players such as Jazz Richard (full-back), Joe Ledley and of course Gareth Bale have particularly impressed over Wales’ outstanding qualifying campaign.

The Netherlands, have gone in a completely opposite direction. The team that impressed so greatly in the World Cup has been dismantled and reverted back to a 4-3-3 that simply no longer suits them or the player pool available to Danny Blind. It is noticeable that Blind is well out of his depth at this level.

Success almost always comes from long-term processes that are put in place, continuity between formations and playing style is wholly undervalued. Smaller teams are starting to adapt to long-term strategies and are achieving success, thus closing the gap in world football. Until big teams adapt this strategy, there will continue to be upsets.

About the Author – Ben Jarman

Freelance football writer with a penchant for Spanish and European football. Work published by Fulham FC, Italian FA and the Evening Standard.

Twitter: @sonikkicks

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