rascal
Player Valuation: £60m
Why YOU should watch
Against the truth there are few arguments -- and the fact is that the performance of San Lorenzo in the recent Club World Cup was not a great advertisement for South American football. Indeed, much the same could be said about most of the winners of the Copa Libertadores, South America's Champions League, in the last few years. Once they have gone to the Club World Cup, despite all the motivation and the traveling support, their limitations have been exposed. There is no hiding from it -- the gap in quality between the best sides in Europe and South America has probably never been bigger.
But that does not mean that the Copa Libertadores is a complete footballing wasteland. There are many reasons to follow South America's premier club competition, whose 56th version gets underway Tuesday. There is the tradition of huge teams, with giant fan bases, meeting in famous old stadiums -- and some sparkling new ones as well, especially in post-World Cup Brazil. There is always the chance to catch some young stars on the way up -- Carlos Tevez, Neymar, James Rodriguez, Radamel Falcao, Alexis Sanchez and so many others all cut their teeth in this tournament. And the 2015 Copa Libertadores looks especially enticing, for a number of reasons.
Argentina's big clubs are in it to win it
From the mid-1960s on, Argentine clubs dominated the Copa Libertadores. Recent campaigns have not been kind, though -- until last year, when San Lorenzo won their debut title, and Argentina provided three of the quarterfinalists for the first time since 2006.
Things look even more interesting in 2015, for two reasons: Firstly, because this time the big battalions are back -- River Plate return after a five year absence, Boca Juniors missed the party last year and current domestic champions Racing are back for the first time since 2003. Also, because these clubs all have interesting, intelligent, attack-minded young coaches: Marcelo Gallardo at River, Rodolfo Arruabarrena at Boca, Diego Cocca at Racing and Mauricio Pellegrino at Estudiantes all belong to a promising generation, and it will be fascinating to see what they come up with in this year's competition.
Brazil looking to bounce back
Losing the World Cup semifinal 7-1 may have been Brazilian football's biggest humiliation in 2014. But perhaps even more shameful was the failure of any Brazilian clubs to reach the semifinals of the Copa Libertadores. This is simply a mind-boggling failure given the financial advantage that Brazilian clubs now enjoy over their continental rivals. They may be wading in debt, but even so Brazil's clubs can afford to pay wages way higher than anywhere else in South America. Average first division salaries in Brazil are nearly three times higher than in Argentina, their nearest rival -- which accounts for the amount of big name players from elsewhere in the continent who are being attracted to Brazilian football.
In the normal way of things, this huge financial advantage should be clearly visible on the pitch. It certainly was not in 2014, and, frankly, was rarely in evidence in the previous four years, when the title always went to Brazil. The failure of Brazilian teams to dominate the Copa Libertadores would seem to be indicative of deep-lying conceptual problem in the country's game -- maybe the most devastating image of 2014 is that of Cruzeiro, reigning Brazilian champions, being comprehensively outplayed by little Defensor of Uruguay.
How will Brazil respond in 2015? They have a very strong looking contingent in this year's campaign: Atletico Mineiro, Corinthians, Sao Paulo, Cruzeiro and Internacional have all won the title in the last 20 years. It is inconceivable that one of them will not at least reach the final. Of special interest are Corinthians, who welcome back Tite, who led them to the Club World Cup crown in 2012, and would seem to be the outstanding Brazilian coach of his generation.
A very strong field
There is not a single debutant in this year's competition, and the field of 32 includes 12 former champions. Indeed, every group has at least one ex-winner, and Group 2 looks very enticing, with the local Brazilian rivals Corinthians and Sao Paulo as well as reigning champions San Lorenzo. With only two teams progressing to the knockout stage, at least one giant is going to fall by the wayside early.
Among the previous winners from other countries are Colo Colo of Chile, who would seem to have their best side for some time, and Atletico Nacional of Colombia, whose coach Juan Carlos Osorio can usually be counted upon to come up with something interesting.
The element of surprise
A noted Brazilian diplomat is once reputed to have commented that, "where you least expect it -- that's where nothing ever happens." It is a good line, but it hardly applies to the Libertadores. One of the most charming aspects of the competition is that the potential for surprise always exists.
In 2007, Cucuta were recently out of the Colombian second division. No one expected much from them, but during the course of the competition they caught fire, playing an exhilarating brand of football that very nearly took them all the way to the final. Last year Bolivar reached the semifinals -- it was totally unexpected and may have been the finest achievement by a Bolivian club in the history of the Copa Libertadores. Where will the surprise come from this time? The only way to find out to keep track of the action in South America -- which starts this Tuesday, and culminates with a two-legged final on July 29th and August 5th.
http://www.espnfc.com/copa-libertad...-clubs-seek-return-to-copa-libertadores-glory
