In the build-up to the 2018 World Cup in Russia, all eyes will be on South America’s national teams and their preparations for the tournament. But here are five club teams from the continent that will be well worth keeping an eye on over the course of 2018.
Atletico Nacional
Colombia’s Atletico Nacional have been one of the most consistently successful teams in South America in recent years. For 2018, fresh from leading Lanus to the final of the Copa Libertadores, Jorge Almiron steps in to build on the ultimately unsuccessful possession-based approach implemented by his predecessor Juan Manuel Lillo.
Almiron has schooling in a similar style from his time playing under Ricardo La Volpe in Mexico in the late nineties but will add extra edge and forward momentum to Nacional’s play. If he does so successfully, a talented and experienced squad looks ripe for further triumphs. It will also be worth following the progress of promising defender Carlos Cuesta.
Boca Juniors
Boca Juniors have won two of the last three Argentinian league titles and are well-positioned to do so again at the mid-way stage of the 2017-18 campaign. Having achieved domestic dominance, their focus now shifts to the Copa Libertadores. They were not involved in the 2017 edition and the six-time winners are determined to make a splash on their return.
Guillermo Barros Schelotto has a well-balanced squad at his disposal, to which further quality, possibly including Carlos Tevez, will be added in the new year. Of the current group, explosive wide forward Carlos Pavon and the Colombian trio of Frank Fabra, Wilmar Barrios and Edwin Cardona are the ones to watch.
Colo-Colo
Pablo Guede offers something different as one of the few South American coaches to practice genuine positional play, and he usually gets good results along the way. Despite some ups and downs, his Colo-Colo side were the best team in Chile over the course of 2017 and in the second half of the year earned the championship that had eluded them in the first.
The returning Jorge Valdivia played a key role as part of an experienced side to which some further seasoned campaigners are likely to be added. Chilean teams have struggled in the Copa Libertadores in recent years. Could Guede’s Colo-Colo be the ones to break that pattern?
Independiente
The excellent work that Ariel Holan has done since taking charge at Independiente was rewarded with success in the Copa Sudamericana in December. After briefly tending his resignation, he has agreed to return to lead the club’s quest for a strong run in the Copa Libertadores - a competition they have won on seven previous occasions.
Holan began his coaching career in hockey before switching to football and allies interesting ideas to rigorous analysis. His teams always seek to take the initiative and thus are always worthy of a watch. Departures, including that of captain Nicolas Tagliafico, may mean they make a slow start, but they can be expected to improve as the year goes on.
Palmeiras
Palmeiras didn’t achieve what they wanted to in 2017, but they were one of the strongest performers during the second half of the Brazilian season. Although they were unable to catch runaway leaders Corinthians, a second-place finish suggested they are well-placed to again challenge domestically and at a continental level in 2018.
The arrival of head coach Roger Machado and the addition of playmaker Lucas Lima to a squad that already featured a wide variety of attacking talent means that Palmeiras, Brazil’s top scorers in 2017, are likely to develop into one of the most watchable sides in South America over the course of 2018.
