Universidad de Chile stars join Alexis Sanchez, Arturo Vidal & Mauricio Isla in Chile's new golden generation

It was difficult to imagine any other result in South America’s last top-flight game of the year. Universidad de Chile capitalised on a comprehensive first-half performance to record a 3-0 win over Cobreloa and take the Chilean Clausura title, closing out the year in the same style that has drawn plaudits throughout 2011.

While their domestic success was no less than the team deserved, and capped a rare 'double' championship of both the Apertura and Clausura, it is Universidad de Chile’s Copa Sudamericana triumph, only the country’s second international trophy at club level, that will be most fondly remembered. The team’s style of play attracted plenty of attention, with emphasis on hard pressing, movement and a great degree of flexibility, not to mention the host of young, mostly-Chilean talent they boasted.

Manager Jorge Sampaoli has now established himself as one of the premier trainers in South America. The Argentine drew on the style of play popularised by former Chile manager and compatriot Marcelo Bielsa, and inspired a team with a fraction of the resources afforded to some of their opponents on the continent to dominate teams with a seemingly-larger pedigree.

However, behind Sampaoli’s remarkable tactics, themselves a tangible remnant of Bielsa’s impact on Chilean football, with a group of talented players who have started to be recognised across the world. Aside from the irrepressible Eduardo Vargas, bound for Napoli in January, young players like Francisco Castro, Charles Aranguiz, Marcelo Diaz and Eugenio Mena have all earned praise, and interest from top clubs in the Americas and across the Atlantic.

Furthermore, while La U looked like inevitable winners, it speaks for the growth and competitiveness of Chilean football over the past few years that they were run so close prior to that final game. Universidad Catolica were defeated in the semi-finals only on a tiebreaker after two close games, including a loss that broke a 36-match unbeaten streak. Cobreloa, who themselves barely scraped by Colo Colo, were able to remain competitive until the final game of the season.

A familiar sight | Universidad's stars celebrate one of many victories secured in 2011

Part of that development can be attributed to better management of Chilean teams on the business end of things, a far cry from the financial turmoil that engulfed the sport in the country around the turn of the century. Arguably as important, though, has been Bielsa, the national team’s coach from 2007 and 2011.

While the much-loved Bielsa left the national team post amidst some acrimony, a clutch of his proteges are left at club posts in Chile; not least of which is Sampaoli, a former Newell’s Old Boys youth player who was a close observer of Bielsa during the latter’s time at the club.

Bielsa’s former Chile assistant, Eduardo Berizzo, recently took up the reins at O’Higgins, while Juan Manuel Llop, another coach with ties to the famous boss, managed Santiago Wanderers for most of 2011, albeit without the success expected of him.

Sampaoli, Berizzo and Llop were all part of Bielsa’s impressive Newell’s side of the late 1980s and early 1990s and it is clear from the styles of play that they promote that the connection is still there, which in turn has proved a boon for Chilean football.

Tactics and style aside, Sampaoli has also placed his trust in a series of young players, much like Bielsa did after taking over the Chile national team. With moves to more lucrative pastures either agreed or imminent for many Universidad de Chile players, not to mention the rest of the young talent coming through in Chile, there is a real sense that this attitude could have brilliant long-term implications.

By the time the 2018 World Cup rolls around, arguably the club’s two best performers in 2011, Eduardo Vargas and Charles Aranguiz, will still be under 30 years of age. Marcelo Diaz, another outstanding player for Sampaoli’s side, will be 31.

While La U’s excellent campaign in 2011 could very well see many of these players depart in order to further their careers, there are already more players waiting in the wings. Immediately filling the void left by Vargas is Junior Fernandez, a 23-year-old forward who has worked his way up from the amateur level with a series of impressive performances.

Even more promising could be 17-year-old sensation Angelo Henriquez, already being closely tracked by Manchester United after a series of excellent showings at the Under-15 and U17 national team levels. Henriquez is yet to even make his senior debut, but centre-back Igor Lichnovsky, winger Christian Bravo, and midfielder Sebastian Martinez, all 18 years of age or under, made promising professional bows.

The team’s youth system is well-stocked, and there is young talent at other local sides, but the story of Chile’s talent pool continues with well-known players who have made the jump to Europe. Alexis Sanchez, Arturo Vidal, Mauricio Isla, Gary Medel and Carlos Carmona, all aged 25 or under, are well on their way to making a mark in Europe’s toughest leagues, reminding us that Universidad de Chile are but one source of talent for the up-and-coming Chilean game.

Lest you think that the sky is the limit for this young and talented team, though, current Chile coach Claudio Borghi and any future boss will have their share of classic, recurring issues to sort out. Chile’s current crop of defenders have struggled recently and, even if the generation of 17 and 18-year-olds comes good, inexperience could hinder them in Chile’s upcoming campaigns.

There is no doubt that Chile have the talent, but the 'Baptism Five' fiasco showed that indiscipline within the squad still has the ability to throw their plans off-track

On the disciplinary side of things, Borghi has a tendency to be more relaxed with his players, in contrast to the stern Bielsa. If you believe the critics, that style has already allowed indiscipline to seep into the squad.

While in Chile on international duty, Jorge Valdivia, Jean Beausejour, Jara, Vidal and Carmona returned to camp drunk after being given permission to go to the baptism of Valdivia’s daughter. They were slapped with 10-game suspensions from the team and fines, putting their Chile careers in doubt. It was the first time since before Bielsa took over that a serious disciplinary issue had hit the national team, and many fear that it could signal a return to a pattern of undisciplined behaviour that frequently plagued the team in the pre-Loco years.

Fans will be hoping the players under Sampaoli’s tutelage show the same discipline off the pitch in the coming years as they do on it, as their organised, hard-pressing game requires stamina and concentration. Should that hold true, the past year, indeed the past four, could just be the beginning of a new golden era for Chilean football.

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