Everyone begins to grow (Último tango, Jorge Barraza)

The double Fifa date for national teams leaves an important conclusion for the South Americans: almost all of them are going to improve their performance from now on. Attention to those who already see themselves classified for the World Cup “because there are seven in total.” There are three new coaches, there is a realignment of the chips, the positions in the tie can change and the games to come will be much tougher. The Copa América will deepen the progress of several teams. Let's review…

* Chile is coming. There is enthusiasm in Neruda's homeland. In just two games, new coach Ricardo Gareca ignited the illusion. Chile beat Albania (modest rival, but also qualified for the Euro in Germany) 3 to 0 and fell to France 3 to 2. However, what was important were the forms. He liked his game. Gareca defends polished football, with good ball handling, as he implemented in Peru. And Chile had more than interesting passages. “Beyond the results, La Roja took something away for the future: they were once again a competitive team, something as important as winning. After the duel against Albania, the obstacle grew a couple of steps when facing the powerful France. In Marseille, the national team left sensations that invite us to look at the glass half full,” writes Carlos Tapia in La Tercera, under the title 'La Roja complicates the existence of the world runner-up'. The first goal against the Blues is a reflection of what Gareca will look for: a luxurious succession of first-class touches with magnificent finishing by Marcelino Núñez. Goal to frame. The Copa América comes in handy for Gareca to emphasize his idea.

* Dorival's Brazil. Starting a cycle against England at Wembley is brave. Dorival Júnior accepted it and beat Brazil 1-0 with a goal from Endrick, the 17-year-old boy who will move to Real Madrid in June. Except for Paquetá, Rodrygo, Raphinha and Vinícius, a whole host of new names. It's another Seleção. Then they tied 3-3 with Spain at the Bernabéu. There is no doubt that Brazil will lift the sixth place it occupies in the World Cup. He is even once again one of the favorites for the Copa América. Dorival is a winner (he won the Libertadores with Flamengo, in addition to a dozen other achievements). And he gained a goal scorer for a decade and a half with Endrick, who also scored against Spain.

* Fossati's Peru. “I believe that one word can sum it all up: hope. I am happy and hoping that everything continues the same,” declared Juan Carlos Oblitas, ex-crac and current sports director of the Peruvian Federation. “People are hooked again, they just needed a little spark,” he added. He was referring to Jorge Fossati's debut as coach, with two wins, nothing out of this world: 2-0 against Nicaragua (134th in the world ranking) and 4-1 against the Dominican Republic (150th place). But for a team that is last in the tie and was in a losing dynamic, he is encouraging. “Fossati is subordinating the game to the possibility of winning, raising spirits and uniting a group. This is a rebuilding process. And he has incorporated some new young people,” says colleague Ricardo Montoya. Another one that will surely grow. Or he's going to put up more of a fight.

* Argentina continues testing. Despite being champion of America and the world, Scaloni is not satisfied, he continues to explore new values. Goalkeeper Walter Benítez played against Costa Rica for the first time and with him there are 47 debutants since he took over as coach in September 2018. Argentina, without Messi, beat El Salvador 3-0 and Costa Rica 3-1 with authority, stretching his winning streak. “I have plenty of players,” he said, in the sense that it will be difficult for him to put together a list of 23 names for the Copa América having so much material. Some figures such as Mac Allister, 'Cuti' Romero, De Paul, Otamendi continue at a very high level, Lautaro Martínez returned to the goal, getting rid of some karma and Garnacho finally played first.

* Bolivia, one of lime and another of… “I'm finding the team,” said Antonio Carlos Zago, the Brazilian driver from Bolivia. They were beating Algeria (42nd in the ranking) 2-1 until the 79th minute and ended up losing it 3-2. Bolivians still have that fragility to sustain a result. But there were positive elements. Then they beat Andorra 1 to 0. He is also going to evolve in his game. Zago likes good football. The problem is that Bolivia, along with Peru, are the two countries that produce almost no players, and that is an insurmountable barrier. “Yes, we are going to improve, the problem is that, from one to ten, the others go up seven or eight, Bolivia improves by two,” says Priscila Pérez, journalist for La Razón, in La Paz, with some resignation.

* Uruguay dropped two places. “The selection left a feeling of emptiness that I had not expressed before with Bielsa. The defeat against the African champion was a blow,” says Luis Inzaurralde, from the Montevideo newspaper El Observador. “This is tied to what happened last Saturday in Bilbao against the Basque Country, where it was evident that the gap between starters and substitutes is enormous,” the Uruguayan columnist expands. Uruguay drew 1-1 with the Basque Country team (players from Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad), and then, in France, they lost to the Ivory Coast 2-1. It's like they brought the Uruguayan team back to earth. But he is second in the World Cup qualifiers and we are convinced that he will not fall.

* Oh, Ecuador… An interesting victory over Guatemala, which the name of the rival minimizes, and then a 2-0 defeat against Italy speak of a not entirely idyllic excursion through the United States. Because once again when an illustrious rival appears ahead, the shelf collapses. And it was not a brilliant Italy, at all. But Ecuador had no football answers, it played without an area forward (it was missing Enner Valencia) and doubts regarding its operation and criticism of the Catalan coach Félix Sánchez appeared again. The fan sees them as a team capable of anything, they demand that they win the Copa América (yes, such is the level of success). But it is necessary to remember that there was also hope in Brazil 2021 and Qatar 2022, and they were two big failures. The cabaret scandal in New York threw more dirt on him.

Paraguay did not play, but the new driver –Daniel Garnero– generates excitement, and some talents appeared such as Diego Gómez, Julio Enciso, Ramón Sosa, he has Micky Almirón and Gustavo Gómez. Get on. And Venezuela remains in good health. A spectacular Copa América is coming.

Last tango…

Jorge Barraza

For the time

@JorgeBarrazaOK

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