Chilean Football Update - Monday 8th March 2021
Libertadores news from both the men's and women's editions as well as Gus Poyet's plans at Universidad Católica.
Pichanga is back! I’ve been quiet the last two weeks as I started a new writing job, so I took a break from this newsletter to concentrate on that.
The good news is that Pichanga should be regular from this point onwards and I’ll look to roundup the main stories from Chilean football on a weekly basis.
Last week saw the start of the Conmebol Libertadores Femenina, while this week sees the two of the four Chilean sides in the men’s 2021 edition get started.
There is also news on Universidad Católica’s replacement for Ariel Holan, read on for more.
Men’s Libertadores 2021
Universidad Católica and Union La Calera will begin in the group stage of the competition that is set to start in April. Meanwhile, Unión Española and Universidad de Chile are looking to join them and they both begin their campaigns in the competition this week. The pair from Santiago face tricky encounters against sides from Ecuador and Argentina respectively.
Unión Española vs. Independiente del Valle
On Tuesday night, Union Española take on Independiente del Valle in the second qualifying phase of the Libertadores.
Unión Española have been the busiest side in the transfer market in Chile so far this window with no fewer than 11 new signings (including Uruguayan striker Cristian Palacios who was at the club for most of last season).
They are seemingly building a squad to challenge on more than one front with just two outgoings so far. Regular midfield starters Mario Sandoval and Misael Davila have both departed, but the core of the squad from last season remains the same.
They also looked set to lose star young attacker Carlos Palacios to Internacional in Brazil last week, but that move fell through. This is a huge plus for this tie as manager Jorge Pellicer is looking to build his side around La Joya, as he’s become affectionately known in Chile.
Having inexplicably sacked Ronald Fuentes towards the end of the last campaign, the UE owners chose Pellicer as his replacement. Pellicer has struggled to get a tune out of the side so far and they were fortunate to make it to the Libertadores in the end.
New signings such as Bolivian international Alejandro Chumacero as well as ex-Coquimbo Unido duo Ruben Farfan and Joe Abrigo have all proved themselves capable on the continental stage in recent times. Pellicer has a wealth of attacking options, but defensive issues are likely to remain.
Their opponents, Independiente del Valle have been unconvincing under new Portuguese manager Renato Paiva. The system and style Paiva is looking to implement was always likely to take some time though so this could be a good time to face the well-run Ecuadorian club.
In the opening matches of the Ecuador LigaPro, IDV have looked disjointed and vulnerable in transitions. The current 4-man defence struggled to play a high line and were susceptible to pace in-behind, which is something Unión Española can definitely thrive on.
Two late goals at home to gave IDV their first three points of the season at the weekend so they will come into this with some renewed hope.
With key players Moises Caicedo, Gabriel Torres, Angelo Preciado as well as Miguel Angel Ramirez all departing this, for now, looks a weaker IDV than the one that impressed in the Libertadores last season.
Universidad de Chile vs. San Lorenzo
It still feels strange to many that Universidad de Chile qualified for the Libertadores. A fairly limited side for much of last season under Hernán Caputto, then very dull under Venezuelan Rafael Dudamel for weeks - they rarely looked a top team.
However. a strong showing in the final weeks of the season means Dudamel kept his job and they are now just two steps away from the group stage of South America’s premium competition.
This transfer window has seen La U strengthen their squad while bringing the average age down. Marcelo Cañete was the best playmaker in Chile last year for Cobresal, while they also signed the standout right-back in the league Yonathan Andia from Union La Calera. These are replacements for the retired Walter Montillo and the ageing Matias Rodriguez.
Also signed from Union La Calera is Thomas Rodriguez, the son of one of Universidad de Chile’s greatest ever players - Leo Rodriguez. Rodriguez (a creative, agile winger) had an excellent second half of the season and is an intriguing addition to this La U side that looks to play on the counter.
Mario Sandoval from Unión Española also joins, and Dudamel will be hoping to get the version we saw in the first half of last season from the stocky midfielder rather than ineffective displays thereafter. They have also popped across the Andes this window to sign defender Ramón Arias from San Lorenzo and winger Nahuel Luján of Belgrano.
Their opponents San Lorenzo saw Diego Dabove take over the reigns at San Lorenzo at the start of this year. Dabove initially saw some good results, but a 4-0 defeat at home to Central Córdoba followed by a 1-1 draw in the derby with Huracan means the pressure has already started to ramp up.
Both Chilean and English football fans will be familiar with San Lorenzo striker Franco Di Santo who kickstarted his career at Audax Italiano before spells with Chelsea, Blackburn Rovers and Wigan Athletic in the Premier League.
La U will be confident of a positive result on Wednesday night and for something to defend when they travel to Argentina next week. They beat Magallanes 2-0 in a warm-up game at the weekend and the lack of recent competitive action for both Chilean sides ahead of this week may prove a hinderance.
Libertadores Femenina
Santiago Morning grabbed a deserved draw against Boca Juniors in their opening match of the Copa Libertadores Femenina taking place in Argentina.
This is essentially the 2020 edition taking place in 2021, and having reached the quarter-finals of the competitions in the 2019 edition, Morning will be looking to go further this time around, especially as they are now Chilean champions.
Having saved a first half penalty (given for a non-existent handball), goalkeeper Ryan Torrero then made a howler in the second half to gift Boca the lead. However with minutes to go, a well worked set piece saw Chile international Su Helen Galaz head home to claim a point for the Chilean side.
Santiago Morning face Kindermann (Brazil) this afternoon (Monday) knowing a win will leave them in a very strong place to qualify. Even a draw would be regarded as a positive result given Kindermann won their opening match 8-0 against Bolivian team Deportivo Tropico.
Colo-Colo are the most successful non-Brazilian side in the history of the competition, but they haven’t made it this year. That’s because they were beaten in a playoff by their great rivals Universidad de Chile last month.
La U started their debut campaign with a dominant display over Peñarol, but it took them until the 89th minute to find a winner - a fine strike by Yael Oviedo.
Universidad de Chile will take on Sportivo Libertad-Limeño, who grabbed a surprise 4-0 win over Brazilian side Ferroviária. That result has potentially thrown this group wide open and it will be interesting to see how both the Paraguayans and Brazilians follow it up.
The whole tournament is taking place in Argentina over the month, so regular updates of the progress of the two Chilean clubs in it will follow in forthcoming editions of this newsletter.
Gus Poyet Appointed Universidad Católica Manager
In what was a quite a surprising move, reigning champions Universidad Católica appointed Uruguayan Gus Poyet as their new manager.
Poyet is well known to fans of the English football fans having starred for Chelsea and Tottenham and also managed Sunderland and Brighton. However, his profile is quite low in Chile with many football fans here in Chile never having heard of him.
Many in England view him as somebody with some good ideas, yet unconvincing in his implementation of them.
His most recent managerial position was in 2018 with Bordeaux in France where he left after falling out with the board. He also had a semi-successful spell in China before that, which came after a failure at Real Betis.
Poyet has declared that one reason he took the job is because of how the club is managed at the top. He also feels he can continue some of the aspects that made them successful under Ariel Holan last season, but with even more intensity. According to the Uruguayan, they will look to dominate and control matches with the ball, creating superiority across the field.
Poyet will have few excuses not to at least challenge for the title with the pedigree this squad has as well as the amount of young talent coming through.
In other Católica news, the signing of midfielder Juan Leiva is one of the standout transfers so far in this window. Leiva was the heartbeat of a consistent Union La Calera side over the past two years.
Leiva showed in the Sudamericana that he offers the kind of energy Católica have lacked in midfield in continental competition and it is a player Poyet is sure to appreciate.
If you have enjoyed this reading this or/and have found it useful then please consider tipping me. You can always just share this article too: