Is there a reason behind the poor form of South American powerhouses?
The assumption that South American football has "evened up" during the last years -as Sergio Aguero and Colombia's coach Hernan Gomez declared during the last days- may be just too premature with only 360 minutes of Copa America action.
The defensive approach of the so-called "weaker" national football teams in these first games could not have caught experienced coaches, such as Sergio Batista and Mano Menezes, by surprise.
But knowledge does not always equal power, and both candidates struggled endlessly to dominate the game. Argentina and Brazil had excellent distributions of the ball, but lacked the finishing, while the underdogs grew in confidence as the minutes went by.
Venezuela were harmless, but Bolivia was effective on the counter-attack and might eventually become a serious contender. Paraguay and Ecuador, electric but unstable.
Group C features Uruguay, Peru, Chile and Mexico. Can Peru follow the example set by Bolivia and Venezuela?
Argentina coach Sergio Batista opted for a Messi-based plan, but he also confessed there was a "Plan B" in case things didn't go out as expected. Ezequiel Lavezzi, Aguero and Angel Di Maria injected La Albiceleste with a renewed spirit, and their presence could most likely provide a major boost to Argentina's attack.
The Brazilian squad, on the other hand, had Alexandre Pato, Neymar and Robinho in superb individual form, but collectively they were unable to outwit the Venezuelan defenders. "We were too obvious," said Canarinha's coach Menezes.
Elano, Fred and Lucas could give more stability to Brazil's scheme. La Verdeamarelha played most of the last game inside Venezuela's box, without a clear attack referent to harmonize the offensive.
Who do you think will stand at the top of Group C by Tuesday?
The defensive approach of the so-called "weaker" national football teams in these first games could not have caught experienced coaches, such as Sergio Batista and Mano Menezes, by surprise.
But knowledge does not always equal power, and both candidates struggled endlessly to dominate the game. Argentina and Brazil had excellent distributions of the ball, but lacked the finishing, while the underdogs grew in confidence as the minutes went by.
Venezuela were harmless, but Bolivia was effective on the counter-attack and might eventually become a serious contender. Paraguay and Ecuador, electric but unstable.
Group C features Uruguay, Peru, Chile and Mexico. Can Peru follow the example set by Bolivia and Venezuela?
Argentina coach Sergio Batista opted for a Messi-based plan, but he also confessed there was a "Plan B" in case things didn't go out as expected. Ezequiel Lavezzi, Aguero and Angel Di Maria injected La Albiceleste with a renewed spirit, and their presence could most likely provide a major boost to Argentina's attack.
The Brazilian squad, on the other hand, had Alexandre Pato, Neymar and Robinho in superb individual form, but collectively they were unable to outwit the Venezuelan defenders. "We were too obvious," said Canarinha's coach Menezes.
Elano, Fred and Lucas could give more stability to Brazil's scheme. La Verdeamarelha played most of the last game inside Venezuela's box, without a clear attack referent to harmonize the offensive.
Who do you think will stand at the top of Group C by Tuesday?
