After casting an eye over Group B’s rank outsiders Australia, we now turn our attentions to Chile. Jorge Sampaoli’s side kick off their campaign against the Socceroos on Friday June 13 at 11pm in the most favourable of their three matches and could be worth the early investment before squaring up to both finalists of World Cup 2010 – first they take on Spain on Wednesday June 18 at 8pm, then go up against Holland five days later at 5pm:
Road to Qualification
After losing five of their opening nine matches, including hammerings against Argentina (4-1) and Uruguay (4-0), Chile chose to replace Claudio Borghi with Sampaoli in December 2012. The latter’s installation sparked a turnaround in form that saw his side win five and draw one of their final seven fixtures, scoring two or more on six occasions, and finish third in their group on 28 points – only Argentina (35 points) and Colombia (30 points) boasted a superior record.
Chile have since played four friendlies under Sampaoli, beating England (2-0)and Costa Rica (4-0) but have also lost twice, tasting defeat at the hands of Brazil (2-1)and Germany(1-0).
Most Starts Claudio Bravo (14), Mauricio Isla (13), Gary Medel, Alexis Sanchez (12), Marcos Gonzalez, Marcelo Diaz, Arturo Vidal (11), Eugenio Mena, Eduardo Vargas (10)
Most Goals Arturo Vidal, Eduardo Vargas (5), Alexis Sanchez (4)
The Key Targets
Sampaoli’s installation to the hotseat ensures we can expect the same high pressing, attack-minded philosophy from the previous World Cup under Marcelo Bielsa. Whilst Sampaoli is more likely to operate with a three-man backline during the tournament, it’s worth noting that he selected a back-four for four of his seven qualifying matches in charge.
Regardless of tactical set-up, there’s no doubt that Mauricio Isla and Eugenio Mena will be crucial to Chile’s chances. Isla has fallen out of favour at Juventus and was handed only 10 league starts this term but is a key starter for his country – both will patrol up and down the flanks, whether as full-backs in a four-man backline or as out-of-position wing-backs in a 3-4-3 formation and are priced at 5.0 and 4.9 respectively in FantasyiTeam. The downside is that the heart of Chile’s defence hardly bodes well for defensive returns – Cardiff’s Gary Medel is utilised as a central defender due to a lack of options, whilst veteran Marcos Gonzalez’ lack of pace will be targeted by opponents.
Currently sidelined with a knee injury, Juventus’ Arturo Vidal is expected to be fully fit in time for the tournament opener against Australia. With spot-kicks also boosting his appeal, Vidal (6.8 in FantasyiTeam) was one of three players to score four times in Sampaoli’s seven qualifying matches and his superb all-round style of play is likely to be looked upon favourably by Fantasy games.
Alexis Sanchez and Eduardo Vargas also netted four times for the new manager. Sanchez, in particular, seems to have stepped up a level since Sampaoli stepped in – he had previously failed to score during qualifying under Borghi and has also gone on to score twice in a recent Wembley win over England. Vargas started only three times for Borghi but was quickly installed as a key player by the new manager, though he’s stuttered domestically this season, scoring just three times in La Liga for Valencia compared to Sanchez’ 19 goals and 10 assists for Barcelona. Nonetheless, at only 6.7 compared to his fellow forward’s 9.4 in FantasyiTeam, he could appeal to those on a budget.
The Long Shots
Having started each of the final three group games, playmaker Jorge Valdivia (5.3 in FantasyiTeam), looks to have established himself as a member of Sampaoli’s XI and is expected to get the nod as the most advanced central midfielder. This could see him utilised as a false nine, dropping deep to leave Sanchez and Vargas as wide forwards, though there’s a possibility Sampaoli may opt for a more defensive-minded player against the Spanish – he chose a 3-5-2 formation in a 2-2 draw with the defending champions in September last year.
Fantasy iTeam
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Click here for details and here to sign up.
Our League name is Fantasy Football Scout and the pin is 4915.
Further Analysis
Group A – Brazil,Cameroon, Croatia, Mexico
Group B – Australia
Community Articles
Fantasy World Cup Early Options by Bowstring the Trout, Fantasy World Cup Differentials by Etihad Engineer.
