The French team will play this Tuesday evening, on the pitch of the Vélodrome stadium, its last friendly match of this final international break before the major events of Euro 2024, organized in Germany. The last opponent of the Blues in March is called Chile. A great nation in South America, the Chilean national team has marked the last decade by donning the costume of the real beasts of the continent's biggest teams. Indeed, the generation made up of Alexis Sanchez, Arturo Vidal, Mauricio Isla, Claudio Bravo and Gary Medel managed to win two Copa América in 2015 and 2016 and represented their country in South Africa in 2010 and in Brazil in 2014. Since For several months now, Chile is actively seeking the best possible transition. A passing of the torch between all its legends is about to take place and this international window is a good way to draw the first outlines of this reconstruction. Focus on Chile, France's opponent, who will have everything to gain this Tuesday in Marseille.
“Gareca had practically three training sessions and we saw his playing philosophy, an aggressive game at the top, with marking, with high pressure, without giving up any ball in case of loss and transitions in defense very well applied. This is the start of a process, the diagnosis that Gareca gave us at the beginning is coming true, that Chile had to find a philosophy and a physiognomy of the game, to manage to reposition itself again, but what interests us deep down, These are the Qualifiers”, declared Pablo Milad, president of the Asociación Nacional de Fútbol Profesional (ANFP), after the resounding victory against Albania (3-0) last week. A reconstruction which bears the stamp of a man: Ricardo Gareca, legend of South American football who played for Peru, Palmeiras, Vélez, América de Cali and Argentinos Juniors.
The Gareca paw
Arriving in place of Eduardo Berizzo, coach Ricardo Gareca has already won the hearts of the Chileans with this first managed international break: “Against Albania it was demonstrated that we can be a competitive team, that we can be a team committed to a philosophy and that we can be a team that can fight for something important. The beginning seems very optimistic”, even analyzed the Chilean legend, Iván Zamorano, on Radio ADN. While Chile struggled to gain stability on its bench with a number of five coaches since 2021 (Reinaldo Rueda, Martín Lasarte, Eduardo Berizzo, the interim Nicolás Córdova and finally the current Ricardo Gareca). The foundation is placed.
Not participating in the last two World Cups (Russia 2018, Qatar 2022) was a real disillusionment for Chile, which was coming off good years with the generation of Sanchez and Vidal: “this new era with Gareca gives me a lot of hope. I hope we can have a good Copa América and that it will help us grow and strengthen at group level, to be able to face what remains of the qualifiers. We cannot not participate in a third consecutive World Cup. I am optimistic”, concluded the former Real Madrid and Inter Milan striker. There is still a way to go before regaining its former glory, but things are getting better.
The new strong man of Chile is satisfied with this great victory against an Albania in full swing which was able to validate its qualifying ticket for the Euro: “we faced a difficult rival who hadn't lost for a long time, who qualified for the Euro Cup and who was an important test for us. Although there are things to improve, the boys were involved throughout the match. We leave satisfied, but knowing that we have to improve a lot”. Built around a 4-2-3-1, Ricardo Gareca is in the process of installing a real offensive philosophy with a lot of intensity and energy in the team's collective.
A smooth transition…
Unlike other South American nations such as Uruguay, Chile is still slow to bring out a thriving new generation. Some veterans of the national team have therefore come out of their international retirement or delayed the moment to hang up their boots. This is the case of Eduardo Vargas (34 years old), the man with 107 caps and 41 goals: “He is a very important striker and he is at a good and mature age. It all depends on him. What interested us most was to see his physical condition. Shortly after I took office, we had a video meeting and we saw that he was interested in being part of the national team., explained the coach. But we find this same situation with Claudio Bravo (40 years old), Gabriel Arias (36 years old), Mauricio Isla (35 years old) and of course Alexis Sanchez (35 years old).
For Gareca, age is not a problem, only level matters to date. Chile's main mission is to return to positive performances, a few months before the Copa América, organized in the United States next summer (June 20 – July 14). Thinking in the short term to bounce back better, this is the first mission of the new Chilean staff: “we did not come to generate change, we came to align the best of Chile. If there is a player of advanced age, but who is in a big moment and we are convinced that he contributes, we will not hesitate to call them., analyzed Gareca. However, you also need to think about the future to avoid short-lived joy. The reconstruction goes through a transition, therefore a mixture between youth and experience.
Among these young people who are growing, Lucas Assadi (20 years old), Alexander Aravena (21 years old), César Pérez (21 years old) and Darío Osorio (20 years old) are names to watch. But Marcelino Núñez and Ben Brereton Díaz represent the most developed elements. Without forgetting, the striker Víctor Dávila who made a good copy against Albania: “very happy to start like this, very happy with the victory, the assists and the goals. These are friendly preparation matches, but the intention is to reach the World Cup and put the team in its place. We all know that Gareca is a coach with a lot of experience. As players, it is up to us to follow the teacher's instructions to the letter. We have to trust the process”, said the CSKA Moscow striker. The next match will be the final friendly match against France, at the Stade Vélodrome for the reunion between Alexis Sanchez and the people of Marseille.
