Next Stop, Argentina! Copa America 2011 Preview

by Christopher Atkins

The 2011 Copa America kicks off in Argentina this Friday, as South America’s top teams compete for continental bragging rights and a spot in the 2013 Confederations Cup. Although some managers may talk to the press of planning for the long-haul and the importance of the World Cup in 2014 make no mistake, they will all harbour a fierce desire to bring home the trophy.

Overview

The Copa America is special; it is the oldest continental football tournament and plays host to some of the fiercest rivalries in the footballing world. This time out Argentina are tournament favourites, and all the experience of their squad will no doubt be called upon when the pressure cranks up in the competition’s later stages. Hosting a tournament is a great advantage, however it also brings great pressure and expectation.

Brazil, winners of four of the last five Copa America tournaments, will also fancy themselves as potential title winners and would relish the prospect of winning any event hosted by their Argentine rivals. Mano Menezes has received plenty of criticism for his squad selections and results since taking the reigns, however it would take a fool to write off the Seleção in this case.

That said, Brazil and Argentina have no divine right to the Copa America crown. Indeed, Uruguay currently hold the record for most Copa America titles, alongside Argentina, with 14 wins. Uruguay could well challenge once more this year, as the Celeste look to build upon their fantastic showing in last summer’s World Cup in South Africa.

Besides Uruguay, other countries are threatening to be the ‘dark horses’ for this year’s tournament. It would be little surprise if any of Chile, Colombia, or Paraguay reached the semi-Final stage of the tournament and Ecuador, although unfancied, will also consider themselves to have a good chance of succeeding.

As with all tournaments, there are weaker teams involved, who will likely do little more than make up the numbers. Bolivia, Venezuela and Peru would all provide a massive shock if they beat any of the other South American nations, whilst the two invitees from North America, Mexico and Costa Rica, are both sending what are effectively Under-21 squads to the tournament, due to their recent Gold Cup participations. It would be nice to see youth flourish, but unfortunately, both are expected to struggle.

Key Players

In reality, when it comes to the talent on show that could, potentially, decide the trophy’s ultimate destination, it is hard to look past the genius of Lionel Messi. The Barcelona forward is a phenomenon and if someone other than Argentina is to win the Copa America then shackling Messi will have to be achieved first. Don’t believe all that is written about Messi not performing for Argentina; he has actually played very well in the past and this current Sergio Baptista coached team is set-up around the Barcelona player.

For Brazil to win the tournament, they will need inspiration and in recent matches, it has invariably come from the feet of young prodigy, Neymar. The 19-year old has just won the Copa Libertadores with club side Santos and can continue his rapid rise to the summit of world football with a good performance here. It is a lot of pressure for someone so young, but it is hard to imagine him failing, based on current performance levels.

Outside of the ‘Big Two’, there are still potential Copa America superstars at every turn. For Uruguay, Luis Suárez, Diego Forlán and Edinson Cavani will all be looking to take the title back to Montevideo, whilst Chile can call upon the talents of potentially Barcelona bound starlet Alexis Sanchez, fresh from a successful Serie A campaign with Udinese. Other players bearing the weight of expectation will be Falcao & Hugo Rodellega (Colombia), Luis Antonio Valencia and Felipe Caicedo (Ecuador) and Roque Santa Cruz & Nelson Valdéz for Paraguay. Some will succeed, others will flatter to deceive. Ultimately, only time will tell.

Unmissable Talent

In terms of younger talent coming through, it is Brazil who will supply the obvious candidates for any ‘Best Young Player’ award. Besides the previously mentioned Neymar, his Santos partner-in-crime, Ganso, is also on a direct course straight to the top of world football. Although he has been greatly hampered in the last year by knee injuries, anyone who bore witness to his display of fine passing in the final of the Libertadores will vouch for his ability. There is a classiness to the attacking midfielder’s game and even at his tender age, 20, the future of the national team is already being built around his talents.

However, Brazil were not content with bringing just two potential superstars with them to Argentina and have also selected São Paulo 18-year old, Lucas, for the tournament. Lucas, known as Lucas Moura to avoid confusion with his Liverpool counterpart, Lucas Leiva, is a strong, powerful winger with a box full of tricks. A quick Youtube search will bring up a selection of videos that showcase the youngster’s finer moments, with the potential supersub having been the undisputed star of the early stages of the Brazilian league season thus far.

Away from Brazil, although unlikely to start for Argentina, Javier Pastore is worth a watch. The 22-year old attacking midfielder has been drawing glances from Manchester United and Barcelona after a fantastic season in Italy’s Serie A and now may get an opportunity to transfer his form onto the international stage. Another 22-year old hoping to shine is Paraguay right-back Iván Piris. Having had a good Copa Libertadores campaign with his club Cerro Porteño, Piris is now attracting European attention and this tournament may act as a shop window for the young defender.

For Uruguay, 20-year old striker Abel Hernández may get some playing time off the bench, whilst Ajax’s 22-year old attacking midfielder Nicolás Lodeiro can change his status from promising youngster to international star with a good performance in this tournament. Otherwise, apart from Chile’s Alexis Sanchez, who at 22 years old, just qualifies in this category, there are a couple of relatively unknown youth players, but little of note. It remains to be seen how Costa Rica and Mexico’s young teams can perform; maybe they can provide the name that will be on everyone’s lips come the tournament finale.

What To Expect

Despite the capabilities of the challengers, realistically it is likely to be a Brazil v Argentina final, which of course would be a neutral’s dream. However, Uruguay have a strong, settled squad that could easily upset the odds by reaching the final ahead of either of the modern footballing giants.

For the likes of Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Paraguay, they will be targeting a semi-final outing and have enough about them to cause an upset. Expect Chile to be the leading contenders for a place in the semis and also, the most likely to progress onwards should they reach that stage.

For the other teams involved, it is tough to make any prediction about their role in the tournament, due to the system of third-placed group teams qualifying for the quarter-finals. However, all five will be aiming for the last eight and from then onwards there is always potential for surprise. This however, could just be wishful thinking.

As for the winner, given home advantage it is hard to look past Argentina at this stage. The Albiceleste possess an incredible range of attacking firepower, but will need a potentially creaky defence to perform if they are to succeed in winning the title. Should they slip up, Brazil, Uruguay and even Chile will be primed and ready to pounce. Lets just hope that whatever happens over the next month, we are entertained by a fantastic display of international football. With Messi, Neymar, Sanchez and Luis Suárez all battling to take their teams to the top, it threatens to be spectacular.

GROUP A – Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica

GROUP B – Brazil, Venezuela, Paraguay, Ecuador

GROUP C – Uruguay, Peru, Chile, Mexico

(Top two from each group qualify plus 2 best third-placed teams. Tournaments runs from 1st – 24th July 2011).

Christopher Atkins (@chris_elastico) is a new contributor to Just Football and co-editor of The Elastico. With a team of experienced writers commenting on the beautiful game worldwide you really should check them out.

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Copa America, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Football in Latin America, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela