Defenders
At first glance, the squad named by Juan Antonio Pizzi seems rather light on central defenders, which is a far cry from the centre-back laden sides that Marcelo Bielsa used to put out in his 3-5-2 system. There are only 3 centre-backs among the seven defenders named in the Chilean Copa America squad, but Marcelo Diaz can also play in that position in an emergency.
Of the three, Gonzalo Jara and Gary Medel are nailed down to be the first-choice pairing, having made the positions their own over the last couple of years. Jara’s ‘aggressive’ style of play is a mirror to Medel’s tigerish performances for Inter Milan this season but are somewhat antithetical to the cautious style that Pizzi tends to favour – a contrast from the high pressing encouraged under Jorge Sampaoli.
Thus, Enzo Roco, a far more traditional centre-back, standing at 6 feet 3 inches tall, might seem more suited to Pizzi’s system, even performing well in their most recent friendly against Mexico. Erick Pulgar, named in the midfielder’s section of the squad, is a youngster that primarily plays as a centre-back for Bologna and could also provide an alternate option for Pizzi.
Mauricio Isla will definitely occupy the right-back role, with his fantastic overlapping runs down the wing being one of the major reasons why Chile won the Copa America in 2015. Isla hasn’t been ever-present for Marseille this season, but 2 goals in 2 assists in 38 games for the French side should be good enough for Pizzi, given that the ageing Fuenzalida might not be the best choice for the role.
Chile have a great balance of options at left back, with Eugenio Mena being the better defensive option, and probably the one that Pizzi will opt for. However, Mena’s hopping around teams in the Brazilian league hasn’t seen him perform with any regularity, which might open the door for Jean Beausejour – who is more of a wing-back and might be the better choice against the ‘smaller’ nations that Chile come up against.
