Las Eliminatorias: South America's national teams are drowning in mediocrity

Entering the 15th matchday of CONMEBOL's 2018 World Cup qualifying, five national teams were separated by four points. All of them desperately needed points in order to distance themselves from the pack and take a step towards Russia.

None of them won. None of them even scored a goal.

Colombia, Uruguay, Chile, Argentina, and Ecuador occupied second to sixth in the standings, respectively, and they were all left kicking the grass on Thursday night, knowing that a golden opportunity was wasted. Los Cafeteros were held to a scoreless draw away to Venezuela, El Clasico del Rio de la Plata was as malicious as it was tedious, La Roja was surprised on home soil by Paraguay, and Brazil's superiority eventually broke down La Tricolor.

When none of South America's national teams could afford to slip up, they all slipped up together. Brazil will go into the 16th matchday no less than 11 points clear of second-place Colombia, and that's a reflection of the mediocre state of affairs rather than the Selecao's skill. It begs the question: what's wrong?

What's wrong with Colombia?

It was three years ago, at the 2014 World Cup, when Colombian football made a breakthrough. James Rodriguez scored six goals as Colombia danced to the tournament's quarter-finals for the first time in its rich history. The future looked as bright as the colours at El Carnaval de Barranquilla.

But Colombia is struggling to live up to expectations. Los Cafeteros can't score to save their lives - 18 goals in 15 games is a sad statistic for a squad boasting such attacking prowess - and Jose Pekerman can't settle on a group of players that inspire confidence. The Argentinian manager used 41 different footballers through the first 14 matchdays, and the starting lineup in Venezuela featured five changes from the national team's last 2018 World Cup qualifier.

Somehow, Colombia is still second in the standings.

What's wrong with Uruguay?

Uruguay, a national team that normally exudes confidence, was atop the standings at one point. But La Celeste isn't looking like its confident self after conceding nine goals in three 2018 World Cup qualifiers.

Known for an effective approach to football that values results over aesthetics, Uruguay took the pitch with an uncharacteristically defensive mentality versus Argentina. As many as eight players were behind the ball. It looked as though La Celeste, so difficult to play against in normal circumstances, was playing out of fear of allowing goals.

It's odd to see Uruguay lacking trust in a model that's served them so well over the last decade.

What's wrong with Chile?

Everything about Chile's defeat to Paraguay felt shocking, from Arturo Vidal's own goal to La Roja's inability to break La Albirroja's defence. But supporters shouldn't be so shocked - the writing is on the wall.

Chile's golden generation is near the end of the line. Its core is ageing and, as a result, struggling to carry out a style of play that commands the highest level of intensity. La Roja relies on pressing in the opponent's half of the field. It can be an energy-draining way of playing, and the national team doesn't look like it possesses the vitality it had at the 2015 Copa America and the Copa America Centenario.

Complicating matters is a lack of talent in the next generation.

What's wrong with Argentina?

Maybe the manager isn't the problem. Argentina's scoreless draw in Uruguay marked Jorge Sampaoli's competitive debut as La Albiceleste's manager, but all the national team's limitations were still on display.

Lionel Messi was once again the best player on the pitch, but failed to link up with those around him. Whether the Argentinian phenom is deployed next to Paulo Dybala and Mauro Icardi, or Sergio Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain, it's the same story. Argentina is less than the sum of its parts in attack, and it feels like no manager can get the formula right. Combine that with a vulnerable defence, and it's a recipe for underachieving at best, and disaster at worst.

Make no mistake: there is a very real possibility that Argentina will be absent from the 2018 World Cup.

What's wrong with Ecuador?

Ecuador dropped from sixth to eighth in the standings after defeat in Brazil. It's a scenario that even the most pessimistic of La Tricolor's supporters didn't see coming. The national team won its first four 2018 World Cup qualifiers and was atop the Andes, but two victories in the subsequent 11 matchdays means that the Equator-straddling country faces an up-mountain battle to qualify.

Estadio Olimpico Atahualpa is arguably no longer the oxygen-deprived fortress it once was, in part because Ecuador's core plays outside of the country and is equally as unfamiliar with the altitude as the opponent. That same core is also struggling with minutes. Jefferson Montero, Enner Valencia, Arturo Mina, Luis Caicedo, and Felipe Caicedo are no guarantees to start at the club level. When the nucleus suffers, La Tricolor inevitably suffers.

Factor in the lack of a first-choice 'keeper and injuries, and it's easy to see how Ecuador's journey to Russia became a rock slide.