Chile use PlayStation technology in bid to stop Lionel Messi ahead of Copa America final against Argentina
- Chile take on Argentina in the final of the Copa America on Saturday night
- The hosts have been using PlayStation technology to prepare for the clash
- Alexis Sanchez will play a striking role to absolve him of defensive duties
- Sanchez and Claudio Bravo know Lionel Messi well from Barcelona
- Bravo it is impossible to predict what Messi is going to do next
Arsene Wenger once described Lionel Messi as a PlayStation player but no one has ever used the game to stop the four-times Ballon d’Or winner.
When Chile face Argentina in the Copa America final on Saturday their players will have been well-drilled in all aspects of the Barcelona forward’s game, and will have put a few hours in on the PlayStation too.
Coach Jorge Sampaoli said: ‘We have a simulation program that uses PlayStation technology and allows players to move the team around the pitch using a joystick. We can tell a player: “We are going to press in 4-4-2” and the software shows us how that will work against our rival.’
Lionel Messi is bidding to fire Argentina to Copa America glory against Chile on Saturday night
The Barcelona forward trains alongside his Argentina team-mates ahead of the match against Chile
Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez is the main threat for the host nation against the favourites
The tactic has been used to improve the way Chile attack too and Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez has put more hours in than most as the host nation try to beat the favourites.
Sampaoli hopes that Sanchez can produce a performance similar to the one at Wembley in November 2013 when he scored twice in a 2-0 win against England and Chile will be employing a similar formation.
Sampaoli plans to play Gary Medel, Francisco Silva and Eugenio Mena as a back three with Marcelo Díaz and Charles Aranguiz as wing-backs and Arturo Vidal, Mauricio Isla and Jean Beausejour in midfield behind Eduardo Vargas and Sanchez in attack.
The system gives Arsenal’s player of the season the minimum defensive responsibilities and will be used in the hope that he can do to Argentina what Messi plans to do to Chile.
Chile coach Jorge Sampaoli has revealed his players have been preparing using a simulation programme that uses PlayStation technology
Arsenal’s player of the season Sanchez is out through his paces on Thursday ahead of the final
Barcelona goalkeeper Claudio Bravo says that it is not easy to control Messi because he has so much talent
Sanchez knows all about Messi from his days at the Nou Camp. And Chile goalkeeper Claudio Bravo is also an expert after a season training and playing alongside him.
Bravo said: ‘It’s not easy to control Messi. Because he has so much talent you don’t know what he is going to do next.
‘We will not man-mark him because the strongest thing about our team is that we are a unit. We all have to concentrate and make sure we neutralise Leo.
‘But we also have to be aware that they have other good players. We have to take care of the entire Argentine team and not just Messi. Argentina have played well as a team in this tournament and we have to try to beat their whole team.’