After
a long and arduous season it’s fair to say that the last thing club
managers want to see at this time of the year is their players linking
up with international squads, particularly having had to ease some of
their stars back into action after last summer’s World Cup. There’s
little respite for the world’s finest South American talents though,
with hosts Chile set to kick-off the upcoming Copa América on Thursday
night against Ecuador. Here are the players who will be key to their sides’ aspirations this summer.Group A
Chile: Charles AránguizChile’s style of play makes them very popular and unique in international football, with the likes of Alexis Sánchez and Arturo Vidal undoubtedly the stars of the show. In a team so reliant on high energy and aggressive pressing, the role of Internacional midfielder Charles Aránguiz is key. The 26-year-old had an impressive World Cup campaign and ended the 2014 Brasileirao season with a rating of 7.06 courtesy of typically impressive all-round figures, including six goals, three assists and 2.6 tackles per game.Mexico: Jesús CoronaWhile they will be favourites to progress through the group along with the hosts, Miguel Herrera’s Copa América squad represents something of a B-team, with the high-profile names spared for next month’s Gold Cup in the US. In the absence of Carlos Vela, Javier Hernandez and Giovani dos Santos in attack, Twente’s Jesús Corona is the man to watch, ranking eighth in our Eredivisie rankings with a score of 7.58. He scored nine times and averaged the most dribbles per game (3.5) in the Dutch top-flight last season.
Bolivia: Marcelo MorenoExpected to be the whipping boys of Group A, Bolivia are the lowest ranked team in this year’s Copa. They have failed to progress past the group stages in their last five attempts since a shock second-placed finish when hosting the tournament in 1997, with the altitude having a huge bearing on that success. Their hopes will fall on the shoulders of Marcelo Moreno, formerly of Wigan Athletic and Shakhtar Donetsk. He racked up an impressive 14 goals in last season’s Brasileirao, enough to finish third in the scoring charts before a move to China earlier this year.
Group B
Argentina: Javier PastoreOf course captain Lionel Messi will be in the limelight as ever for the pre-tournament favourites but if Argentina are to fulfil their potential the team beyond the Barça man must step forward. Javier Pastore has done that for PSG this season, perhaps in competition with Marco Verratti as their player of the season. His always elegant performances should have done enough to warrant a starting place this summer, with a rating of 7.40 earned following five goals and 12 assists this season, plus 2.1 dribbles and two tackles per game.
Paraguay: Lucas BarriosIt may be odd to name a striker that hasn’t scored for almost four years for his national team as a key man but if Lucas Barrios can recapture the form he displayed at the start of the year then his input could be vital in a tough group for Paraguay. Having played such an instrumental role in Borussia Dortmund’s early success under Jürgen Klopp, Barrios went off the boil following the arrival of Robert Lewandowski, with injuries restricting his progress. His form remains patchy but nine league goals in his 10 appearances for Montpellier immediately after the winter break proved that the 30-year old can still make an impact.
Jamaica: Kemar LawrenceFew people expect Jamaica to make any waves in their first Copa América but they do boast some recognisable names. Reading’s Michael Hector will be hoping for an international debut but the hottest prospect in the squad is arguably the New York Red Bulls full-back Kemar Lawrence. The 22-year-old has scored twice for his country already and began the 2015 MLS season in fine form, with a rating of 7.26 courtesy of excellent figures of 2.9 aerial duels won, 2.3 tackles and 3.1 interceptions per game.
Group C
Brazil: Roberto FirminoThe reappointment of Dunga following Brazil’s disastrous World Cup exit was met with scepticism but the Selecao, revived by some fresh faces, have won every game since last summer. One of said arrivals in the side has been Hoffenheim’s Roberto Firmino, who, after some noteworthy displays from the bench, is tipped to gain a starting place this summer. The 23-year-old had another superb season in the Bundesliga, scoring seven goals and registering 10 assists. He loves to find pockets of space in order to run at defenders and averaged 4.2 dribbles per game in the league last season.Colombia: Carlos BaccaThe Colombia manager, José Pékerman, has a plethora of striking talent at his disposal and it will be interesting to see how much faith he shows in his newly appointed captain, the out of sorts Radamel Falcao. Based on recent form it’s fair to say that Carlos Bacca deserves to be at the front of the queue as far as the forwards are concerned, with the Sevilla man ending the La Liga campaign with 20 goals before scoring twice in the Europa League final – taking his tally to seven for the tournament – and earning our man of the match award with a rating of 8.80 in the process.
Venezuela: Salomon RondonThe new Benfica signing, Jhon Murillo, who scored the winning goal on his international aged just 19 earlier this year, will be one to watch but much of Venezuela’s hopes may well rely on the form of striker José Salomón Rondón. The 25-year-old made just 17 of his 26 league appearances for the Russian champions from the start but he still managed to score 13 goals, along with another four in the Champions League and Europa League. It’s likely to be a straight shootout with Peru for a potential passage through the group and Rondón may need to score the goals to ensure that Venezuela come out on top.
All statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com, where you can find more stats, including live in-game data and unique player and team ratings. You can follow all the scores, statistics, live player and team ratings with their new free-to-download app
