Copa America Tactics: What We Learned

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This summer’s Copa America in Chile offered some thrills and a fair amount of surprises. There was plenty of off-field drama – we’re looking at you, Arturo – and plenty of on-field theatrics after the whistle, but it was what actually happened during regulation on the pitch that matters most.

In our tactical preview for the tournament we highlighted a few key trends to keep an eye out for, specifically Chile’s pressing game, Brazil’s lack of strikers and the effort of every team to find a balance between attack and defense. We got a good view of all these trends in action, though admittedly not entirely in the ways we expected.

Chile didn’t have much of an excuse to use their high-press style against the series of considerably lesser opponents they faced before Sunday’s final. Indeed, they recorded among the lowest tackle and interception rate among the teams in the tournament. Against Argentina, though, that press became invaluable once again. As we covered Monday in our tactical review of the final, Chile dominated the game and by all rights should have won the game far earlier than they did.

Brazil did indeed play without a traditional striker for much of their time on the pitch. They used Diego Tardelli sparingly – he was subbed out after 66 minutes in the opening game against Peru and never started again – and Roberto Firmino played more in his customary number 10 role than as an out-and-out striker.

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What that prediction failed to account for, of course, was the cult of Neymar. He might not play as a central striker but he is clearly Brazil’s primary goal outlet. Defenses are able to target him, as Colombia did in their 1-0 victory in the group stage, and dull Brazil’s entire offense entirely too effectively.

When that targeting riled Neymar up to such a level that he earned himself a suspension for the remainder of the tournament, Brazil improved. Against a resolute Venezuela defense in the final group game, Brazil’s offense strikerless, diffuse nature overwhelmed Los Vinotintos’ backline. Both Willian and Firmino thrived in Neymar’s absence and it looked as if Brazil might have steadied their ship.

That Brazil were knocked out of the competition in their quarterfinal loss to Paraguay illustrates the third point of our pre-tournament prediction. Brazil, newly balanced in offense without Neymar, faced off against a Paraguay side that had found their own more holistic groove in the group stage.

They defended doggedly, as many of the lesser South American sides did this tournament, but they always seemed primed for their own attacks. Their expertly played second half against Argentina in their opening group game illustrates just how effective a reactive game can be. It proved they were no pushovers, but it also told opponents that they could not confidently press up the pitch against them for fear of being punished on the counter.

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Brazil’s exit on penalties against Paraguay came after 90 minutes where the Seleção dominated possession but were still bested by Paraguay in shots 10 to 5, many of them from good positions. It was a loss that showed that Brazil still have a ways to go before they are more than the sum of their parts.

Overall, this was a Copa that offered no true tactical innovations. Chile’s press, strikerless systems and reactive play are all trends that continue to evolve in both the club and international games. If it did teach us anything, it was that a well-organized team of relative nobodies have the power to beat a team of disparate superstars. Not always – clearly both Chile and Argentina were pre-tournament favorites for the final – but much more than anyone expected.

Paraguay and Peru’s deep runs aren’t unprecedented – they came in second and third respectively in 2011’s Copa – but experts still sleep on underdogs ahead of these continental tournaments. With any luck, we’ll all know better next time.