Chile banking on subdued Sanchez
Print Edition
Chile needs Alexis Sanchez to recover his best form as it tries to end an almost century-long wait for a first Copa America, according to coach Jorge Sampaoli.
Sampaoli鈥檚 team reached the final with a 2-1 win over Peru on Monday and will meet the winner of the other semifinal between favorite Argentina and Paraguay at the national stadium in Santiago on Saturday.
鈥淲hen Alexis is not in the fullness (of form) that he has us used to, Chile feel it,鈥 Argentine Sampaoli said.
鈥淚f he is feeling good, he鈥檚 the most decisive player in this team. We must recover him well because he鈥檚 vital to us.鈥
Sanchez has shown flashes of his class in the tournament but contributed only one of Chile鈥檚 13 goals in five matches.
Sampaoli suggested the pressure from home fans to reach the final as hosts and win the 99-year-old tournament for the first time affected the team.
The Chileans were not at their best trying to break down a Peru side reduced to 10 men for 70 minutes after a red card for defender Carlos Zambrano, he said.
鈥淭his was the match in which we most lost our shape. Defensively the team struggled a lot to get their shape to recover the ball, we usually get it back much quicker than today (Monday),鈥 Sampaoli said. 鈥淥ur anxiety played against us.鈥
Defender Mauricio Isla, scorer of the goal that gave Chile a 1-0 win over 2011 champion Uruguay in their quarterfinal, echoed that sentiment.
鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 our best match, we had been showing good touch, great finishing and today we got tired,鈥 he said.
鈥淧eru complicated us quite a bit, even with a man less. I think the pressure got to us.鈥
Chile was without central defender Gonzalo Jara, who was suspended for two matches for poking Edinson Cavani鈥檚 behind against Uruguay. CONMEBOL, football鈥檚 governing body in South America, initially banned Jara for three matches, but the penalty was reduced on appeal.
Peru was not given much of a chance before the tournament but Sampaoli believes it can carry its much-improved form into the 2018 World Cup qualifiers starting in October.
鈥(Peru) grew throughout the tournament and their big names became stronger and are in great form,鈥 said Sampaoli of the work of their coach Ricardo Gareca in the short time he has been in charge.
鈥淔rom midfield towards the front they have nothing to envy any national team in the Americas.鈥
Peru had a poor 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign and is still looking to reach the finals for the first time since 1982.
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