Moscow: Chile may be more successful than ever, but don’t call the team a golden generation.
A Chilean team boasting Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal won the country’s first major trophy with victory in the Copa America in 2015.
That was followed swiftly by another win in last year’s centenary competition, and Chile beat Lionel Messi’s Argentina in both finals.
But despite the star names, defender Gonzalo Jara says coaches deserve the real credit.
“I don’t like the term ‘golden generation’, I think it’s excessive,” he said, pointing out that Chile has had stars before — like Ivan Zamorano and Marcelo Salas at the 1998 World Cup — but never with the same success.
“We’ve also had great coaches, and I think that’s been the difference. Coaches who taught us how to play, to understand soccer in a different way.”
He added: “We do have two or three super players, the rest we do is collective.”
Over the last 10 years, Chile have played an attacking, high-intensity style under a succession of four Argentina-born coaches, ranging from Marcelo Bielsa to current boss Juan Antonio Pizzi.
Chile play Cameroon in Moscow on Sunday in the Confederations Cup group stage, followed by games against Germany and Australia.
Goalkeeper Claudio Bravo has been ruled out against Cameroon.
The Chilean federation said the Manchester City goalkeeper has not fully recovered from a left calf injury he sustained in late April with his club.
The latest MRI performed on the Chile captain “showed that the left calf injury has improved, but his return to play will depend on its evolution”, the federation said.
Bravo will be replaced by Johnny Herrera for the Group B opener.
