It wasn’t meant to end like this. Russia 2018 was supposed to be the glorious last hurrah for Chile’s golden generation. Instead, they won’t even be there. A 0-3 defeat away to Brazil on Tuesday night allowed Peru to sneak in ahead of them to take the playoff place and brought to a disappointing close the most successful period in Chile’s footballing history.
This group of players first came together under Marcelo Bielsa to qualify for the 2010 World Cup, got there again under Jorge Sampaoli in 2014 and followed that by delivering Chile’s first major international trophy by winning the 2015 Copa America on home soil. Juan Antonio Pizzi took over in 2016 and led them to that year’s Copa America Centenario.
But something was off during this qualifying process, particularly so this calendar year. Some of the intensity seemed to have been lost, whether, through age, tiredness or tactical design, and Chile weren’t regularly enough the fearsome proposition they had been during the two previous campaigns. Inconsistency and a knack of making things unnecessarily difficult for themselves led to an eventual drift towards failure.
It had all started so well. Chile entered the qualifiers in excellent shape and put down a marker with a 2-0 home win over Brazil in their opening fixture of the campaign. The contrast between that performance and the limp one on Tuesday highlighted just how much things have changed in the meantime. If Chile came into the qualifiers as the best team in South America, there can be no doubt that it was Brazil who ended the campaign that way.
Some of the squad may stick around to defend their Copa America title in Brazil in 2019 but it is difficult to see many of them making it through to the 2022 World Cup. Arturo Vidal seems set to retire from international football, while Claudio Bravo has said that he will take some time to think over his future. The likes of Jean Beausejour, Gonzalo Jara and Jorge Valdivia, even perhaps Gary Medel and Mauricio Isla, are also unlikely to make it.
“A cycle has come to an end and now we have to start again,” Medel said afterwards. “They were 10 very good years. We gave a lot of joy to the country in difficult moments.” Charles Aranguiz added that there “were no words,” to describe how the failure felt. “Only in time will we have clarity.”
The way forward isn’t obvious. Chile have only once qualified for the Under-20 World Cup since a team featuring Alexis Sanchez, Medel and Vidal finished third in 2007 and many of the side who got there in 2013 have since struggled to establish themselves at senior level. There are a few solid players here and there and hope that the next Under-20 group will yield some talents, but there is little sign of a base of players capable of stepping up.
Indeed, there are bigger questions for the football federation to tackle than the immediate need to find a replacement for Pizzi. A long-term strategy, including better work in the youth categories, will be required if the successes of the current generation are ever to be replicated.
Chile’s golden era was the result of a highly talented and committed group of players matched to a tactical approach perfectly suited to their attributes. They achieved things that Chile had never before achieved and just because their run has ended on a sour note that will not undermine their legacy. Right now the feeling is of disappointment, but their place in the record books and in the hearts and minds of the Chilean people is still very much secure.
