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The excitement building toward Saturday's Copa America final is palpable. Chile is looking to earn its first Copa America title, but despite being the host nation, La Roja is being given just 14:5 odds to beat an Argentina team that looked very impressive in its 6-1 semifinal win over Paraguay. Regardless of its underdog status, Chile has qualities in its defense, midfield and attack that can create problems for Argentina. The cohesion among all three lines has led to Chile leading the Copa America with 12 goals while defensively conceding a tournament-low 7.4 shots per game en route to the tournament final. Here is a look at three keys for Chile to upset Argentina, including containing the La Albiceleste attack, winning the midfield possession battle and creating more opportunities for star striker Alexis Sanchez. 1. Continuing defensive excellence, containing Argentina's attack Chile is thriving defensively because it is smothering opponents with defensive pressure high up the field and is also communicating well along its back line to clear away any danger that comes from opponents breaking the team's initial pressure. This combination of defensive acumen in both the attacking and defensive halves will be difficult for Argentina to work past. Chile leads the Copa America with 5.4 tackles per game in the attacking half, and this pressure makes it difficult for opponents to maintain possession and build attacks. This pressing philosophy differs from Chile's round of 16 run at the 2014 World Cup, where manager Jorge Sampaoli employed a more conservative approach that allowed opponents more breathing room in their own end. Chile ranked 18th out of 32 World Cup participants with just three attacking-half tackles per game; however, in Copa America play, that number has jumped to a tournament-high 5.4 tackles and has effectively stifled tournament opponents. On the back line, Chile has maintained a close connection to its midfielders who pressure opponents, and this connection will be critically important against Argentina. A big reason Chile's defense remains connected is center back Gary Medel, who spent most of the 2014-15 Serie A season playing as a holding midfielder for Inter Milan. The defender ranks second in the tournament with 25 total clearances and is great at anticipating passes and stepping in front of opposing attackers to clear away dangerous chances. This versatility has been helpful for Chile, and Mendel's experience playing higher up the field makes it easier for him to break up opponent's attacks before they reach dangerous areas of Chile's defensive third. In particular, it will be critical for Chile to create turnovers in Argentina's defensive half. Early tournament results indicated that Argentina's attack stalled when it could not connect with its forwards, and in the final, Chile can keep dangerous attackers like Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria off the ball by pressuring key distributors like Javier Pastore in their own end. Further, it will be equally critical for defenders like Mendel to anticipate Argentina breaking Chile's initial pressure, and making the necessary adjustments to slow Argentina's attack and allow the rest of Chile's players to regain their defensive shape. 2. Win the midfield possession battle Chile leads the tournament with 71 percent possession, and its tournament-high 90 percent pass-completion rate in the middle third of the field has allowed the team to move fluidly between its defensive and attacking thirds of the field. This midfield possession stems from the team's 4-3-1-2 formation in which midfielders Charles Aranguiz and Marcelo Diaz stay more connected with the defensive line, while Arturo Vidal and Jorge Valdivia provide formidable attacking links going forward. Diaz is Chile's primary outlet when the team looks to build possession from its defensive third. Diaz ranks fifth in the tournament with 174 passes completed per 90 minutes, and presents himself as an outlet for possession in both central and wide areas of midfield. Meanwhile, Aranguiz plays a more conservative role in Chile's midfield and ranks second among the team's midfielders with 147 total defensive-half touches. Aranguiz ranks sixth in the tournament with 168 passes completed per 90 minutes and is particularly good at keeping his head up in crowded central areas to find attacking players such as Vidal and Valdivia farther up the field. Going forward, Vidal ranks third on Chile with 50 touches per 90 minutes in the attacking half, and his box-to-box qualities help Chile transition from the defensive end to the attack. Vidal is smart about knowing when to get forward and join the attack but is also conscious of when to drop deeper and provide support for Diaz and Aranguiz in midfield, so this helps the team move forward as a unit. Finally, the work of the aforementioned midfielders leaves room for Valdivia to be a creative midfielder who stays closer to the forwards, and the playmaker, who has posted a tournament-high 16 chances created, will be relied upon to help Chile get passes behind Argentina's back line. Chile's midfield possession will be critical in the Copa America final, as Argentina not only ranks second in the tournament with 29 total interceptions, but also has attackers who can punish Chile if it turns the ball over too frequently in midfield. Chile must be particularly careful about connecting passes around Pastore, who leads Argentina with eight tackles in the middle third of midfield and ranks third on the team with 11 chances created. To bypass Argentina's midfield, it is especially important for Vidal to present himself as a passing outlet in both wide and central positions. As the best two-way player in Chile's midfield, Vidal's varied movement can dictate La Albiceleste's midfield positioning and force them into deciding whether to follow Vidal into wide areas and leave the central midfield exposed, or remain central and open opportunities for Chile's wide players to get forward. In either scenario, Chile has the technical skill and midfield personnel to expose Argentina in this part of the field. 3. More support for Sanchez Chile leads the Copa America with 13 goals, but surprisingly Sanchez has produced just one so far. Sanchez is recording 41 touches per 90 minutes in the attacking third during the Copa America, which is higher than the 39.3 he posted with Arsenal in the 2014-15 Premier League season. However, despite the increase in touches Sanchez is completing fewer passes with his teammates. More importantly, Sanchez's increased touches are leading to a team-high 19 shot attempts -- but just three of those attempts have actually been on target. For Sanchez to regain his form against Argentina, Chile must create more wide attacking options along the left side that allow its star striker to get more involved in central positions. The lack of an overlapping midfielder or defender on the left forces Sanchez to create more opportunities for himself, and the Chilean star is struggling without extra support. Chile records a tournament-high 279 touches per game on the right third of the field - which is also Vidal's primary side - and as a result striker Eduardo Vargas can maintain a more central attacking position in Chile's 4-3-1-2 formation. However, this flow-of-attack tendency has somewhat stalled Sanchez, who is providing width on the left side but isn't often combining with teammates (by comparison, Chile is averaging 230 touches per game on the left third of the field). Sampaoli has experimented with using multiple left backs through the tournament, including Miiko Albarnoz, Eugenio Mena and Jean Beausejour. In the final, the manager should look to use Mena as a left back behind Sanchez, as he not only ranks second among Chile defenders with 96 attacking-half touches, but also connects with Sanchez more than any other player in the attacking half. This move will allow Sanchez more opportunities to cut inside and run at Argentina's defense. Outlook Chile faces a tough challenge against Argentina. However, La Roja can take the Copa America title if it can maintain a pressing defense, win the midfield battle and provide more support for Sanchez in the attack. These objectives can happen with players such as center back Medel keeping the team connected when it presses Argentina, Vidal stretching Argentina's midfield to entice more possession and Mena providing wide options for Sanchez to work with in the attack. If Chile can accomplish these objectives, it is likely to be the Copa America champ.
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