Unbelievably, the 2011 Copa Libertadores starts tonight when the first of six first stage ties kicks off in Avellaneda, Argentina. There, Deportivo Quito, having defeated Barcelona (of Ecuador) in a December playoff that determined Ecuador's third Copa spot, will visit Argentina's Independiente, winner of the 2010 Copa Sudamericana. It's the first of 138 matches spread across a 12-team first round, with a 32-club group stage feeding 16-qualifier knockout round. In mid-July, another continental champion will be crowned, with Brazilian club Internacional hoping to defend last year's title.
Copa Libertadores: Internacional, Brazil Seek To Use 2011 Tournament To Affirm Continental Domination
The 2011 Copa Libertadores starts its six-month quest for a champion tonight in Quito, Ecuador. With Internacional holding the crowd, SB Nation Soccer Editor Richard Farley asks if anybody can stop Brazil from affirming continental dominance.
But such is the nature of Inter, a selling club, that this year’s defense will be waged with a markedly different squad. Sandro is gone, his sale to Tottenham having been confirmed long before the Colorado were holding off Chivas de Guadalajara in the final. Since, Taison has been sold to Metalist Kharkiv in Ukraine, with midfielder Guiliano following, sold to Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk. The three players earned Internacional an estimated €32.7 million but left three gaping holes in their title-winning side.
But this being Internacional, there’s always something in the pipeline. The likes of Juan (19 years old), Daniel Henrique (20) and Dalton (20, recently acquired from Fluminense) are young defenders who are ready to increase their contributions, though the real need lies further up the pitch. There, manager Celso Roth has a trio of kids who will be given a chance to replace his departed stars. While Marquinhos (20), Eduardo Sasha (18) and Oscar (19) bring the uncertainties of youth and inexperience, they are arguably more talented than the trio they’re replacing, even if there isn’t an obvious replacement for Sandro’s all-around game.
And if for some reason Roth can’t find a fit with the kids, the impending arrival of Fernando Cavenaghi could work. The Bordeaux striker, having spent his fall in Mallorca, will spend the South American summer in Porto Alegre, teaming with countryman (and South American Footballer of the Year) Andrés D’Alessandro, Rafael Sóbis and Alecssandro to form one of the tournament’s best attacks.
With their attack defying changes in midfield, Inter will be amongst the favorites going into this year's competition (to the extent that you can identify a favorite six months away from the final). But there is no Barcelona (of Spain) in this tournament. Inter enters as the holders, but any of the six teams from Brazil could raise the Copa in July. Where Mexico is still sending its best teams to CONCACAF's Champions League, it's difficult to see any team beside 2009 champions Estudiantes breaking threatening to win the tournament. Chile's Universidad Católica, Ecuador's LDU Quito, and Uruguay's Peñarol will all don the dark horse's garb, hoping to replicate Chivas's run last year; or better, emulate Liga's 2008 triumph.
Such is the state of a tournament taking place amidst the growing hegemony of a single league. As the Brazilian league’s financial strength grows, its clubs are distancing themselves from the other country’s powers. They can offer higher wages, pay to bring some players back to South America, as well as offer packages and a competition level that may keep many prospects from jumping to Europe so soon. The Brasileirao’s Serie A has pulled away from the Argentine Primera, a league that’s closer in quality to Chile’s than Brazil’s. For a better comparison with Brazil, look to Europe’s second tier.
But while the practical dominance is evidence, it has yet to translate into clear result for Brazil in Libertadores. Over the last five years, Brazil has only won Copa twice, hardly hegemonic considering both Boca Juniors and Estudiantes have lifted the trophy for Argentina. Still, Brazil has placed nine clubs in the semifinals, making up just under half of the qualifiers for the tournaments’ final fours. Five of the competition’s ten finalists have been from the Serie A, and with Brazil’s futebol prowess continuing to increase, there’s every reason to expect that trend to continue.
Regardless, the main part of the competition doesn’t start until the second week of February. Then, group stage will begin the two-plus month process of widdling the 32 team field down to its 16-team knockout round. But today, in Argentina, the fight for the final six spots begins, with Independiente hosting Deportivo to start the knockout rounds.
2011 Copa Libertadores - Second Stage
Second stage starts on February 9 - a round-robin format within the tournament’s eight groups of four. Before that field can be completed, 12 clubs will be paired off in six ties to be contested between January 25 and February 3. The winners advance to group play.
Group 1: Universidad San Martín (Peru, champion), Libertad (Paraguay, Clausura champion), Once Caldas (Colombia, Finalización champion), San Luis (México, Apertura 5th place)
Group 2: Junior (Colombia, Apertura champion), Oriente Petrolero (Bolivia, Clausura champion), León de Huanuco (Peru, runner-up), Gremio (Brazil, 4th place) or Liverpool (Uruguay, best non-finalist)
Group 3: Argentinos Juniors (Argentina, Clausura champion), Nacional (Uruguay, runner-up) Fluminense (Brazil, champion), América (México, Apertura 4th place)
Group 4: Caracas (Venezuela, champion), Universidad Católica (Chile, champion), Vélez Sársfield (Argentina, best 2010 non-champion record), Uníon Española (Chile, Liguilla winner) or Bolívar (Bolivia, Clausura runner-up)
Group 5: Santos (Brazil, Copa do Brasil winner), Colo-Colo (Chile, Round 1 leader) Deportivo Táchira (Venezuela, runner-up), Cerro Porteño (Paraguay, best non-champion record) or Deportivo Petare (Venezuela, best non-finalist record)
Group 6: Internacional (Brazil, defending champion), Jorge Wilstermann (Bolivia, Apertura champion), Emelec (Ecuador, runner-up), Jaguares (México, Apertura 6th place) or Alianza Lima (Peru, best non-group winner record)
Group 7: Estudiantes (Argentina, Apertura champion), Guaraní (Paraguay, Apertura champion), Cruziero (Brazil, runner-up), Corinthians (Brazil, 3rd place) or Deportes Tolima (Colombia, best non-champion record)
Group 8: LDU Quito (Ecuador, champion), Peñarol (Uruguay, champion), Godoy Cruz (Argentina, second best non-champion record), Independiente (Argentina, Copa Sudamericana winner) or Deportivo Quito (Ecuador, 3rd place)
Premature Group Stage Picks
Group 1: Once Caldas, San Luis
Group 2: Gremio, Junior
Group 3: Fluminense, Nacional
Group 4: Universidad Católica, Vélez Sársfield
Group 5: Colo-Colo, Santos
Group 6: Internacional, Alianza Lima
Group 7: Estudiantes, Gremio
Group 8: LDU Quito, Peñarol
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