Choices

Chile will play against Switzerland tomorrow, and they will probably not play with the same starting players as they did against Honduras. Why change a winning team? As I said in a previous post, Switzerland has a better player than Honduras in almost every position. Chile played very well against Honduras and should have won by several goals. But we did not have Suazo, who was injured and we know that he is deadly in the penalty area. Now he is eligible to play, which means that he may take the center forward spot. This will lead to changes in the starting squad, these will be now analyzed.

Defense?

Jara vs. Contreras

If Chile plays as they usually do, with 3 central defenders, two of them are already chosen, Medel and Ponce. The third last game was Isla, but I think that Isla will move up the field and be the right winger. There is a 7 year difference between these two players who have professional careers in Europe. Jara specialty is the aerial play and has a weakness in defending against quick players. It can be useful against Switzerland who have tall players, and none of them are technical geniuses. On the other side, we have Contreras, the team's Grandfather with his 32 years. He is a bit taller than Jara but not as good as him in the aerial play. He has lots of routine from playing years in different European clubs and his strength is reading his opponent.

My Choice? I would use Contreras because we are playing with 3 defenders and would need a wise player in the back. Medel played very good against Honduras, but Ponce made some mistakes that could have been vital. Jara could be good to throw in in the second half if we are chasing a goal.

Defensive Midfield?

Carmona vs. Millar

Two out of three places in the central midfield are after the first game already taken. It would take much to remove Vidal and Isla from the starting 11 after their plays against Honduras. The third spot is fought between Carmona and Millar, both players started last game. Neither of them did played badly but one must go. However Carmona was booked early and could miss the game against Spain if he is carded again, but Millar was replaced early in the second half against Jara. Could that mean the end of Bielsa's patience?

My Choice? I would choose Carmona because I like his style better. He is young but has experience from his years in Italy. He is a bit shorter and has never scored for La Roja, but his form is very good. Another alternative would be to play Tello in the left. He could brake up a tight Swiss defense better than Carmona or Millar would do.

Offensive Midfield?

Fernandez vs. Valdivia

For the creative midfield, or the number 10 role, we have these two play-makers. In the game against Honduras, Fernandez took the role as nr 10 and Valdivia was the center forward in the absence of Suazo. There is not really a big difference between the two except that Valdivia has had a better form in the latter games. But both players are extraordinary when they are in form. Fernandez won the award for South American Player of the Year in 2006, but has yet to prove after 4 years that he is worthy the prize in Europe. Valdivia is however the short magician that can do the unexpected with the ball. Before joining Al-Ain, he played as the play-maker in Brazilian top club Palmeiras. Although, Valdivia suffered a minor injury in the game against Honduras, reports say that he should be able to play tomorrow.

My Choice? I would start with Fernandez, just because Valdivia can't play for 90 minutes. Fernandez is the ordinary free-kick and corner taker, which has been his specialty in the preparatory games and against Honduras. If he does not play well, as he sometimes does, Bielsa should substitute him as early as possible because he is not the player that gets any better after a rough start. Valdivia always show that he is a good substitute by out-glowing his proceeder at the play-maker role.