Paraguay consistently sail through qualification in South America, and then do very little at the World Cup itself. They crashed out in the group stages in 2006, but have been drawn into a relatively easy group this time round.
By Conor Hogan
South Africa will be Paraguay’s third World Cup in a row. It is also the third consecutive World Cup in which they have finished ahead of either Brazil or Argentina in qualification. While getting there never seems to be a problem for them, they have yet to go any further than the final 16 in the tournament proper.
They have an easier group than in 2006, when they crashed out in the group stages. Italy should just about top it, and New Zealand should prove to be the whipping boys. The most important match for the Paraguayans will undoubtedly prove to be the Slovakia one – a win there and they are all but through.
Qualification for Paraguay was built around hard work, a strong team ethic and a solid defence. They will play mostly on the counter attack, and have decent options going forward, with a front three of Roque Santa Cruz, Benfica’s Oscar Cardoza (who stands at 6ft 5 and is nicknamed the Bamboo Tree), and Borussia Dortmund’s Nelson Valdez.
A big loss for Paraguay will be Salvador Cabanas, who was their best player in qualifying. He will miss the World Cup after being shot in the head in January. Their weakest area is their midfield, where they have a serious lack of attacking options. This negates the option of playing in any other way than on the counter attack (with the possible exception of the New Zealand match).
Star Player: Roque Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz has had a pretty abject time at Man City, scoring just three goals in 19 appearances. It must be noted, however, that he has been extremely unlucky with injuries. Now that he is fit, and guaranteed to start, he can show what he is capable of for the first time in a couple of years.
Sanat Cruz, 28, still has tremendous ability, and he’ll be hoping to recapture the form of the 2007-2008 Premier League Season where he scored 19 goals for Blackburn. He hasn’t played a lot of games, but neither had Davor Suker in 1998. With a reasonable group, he could perhaps be a (very) wild card for the Golden Boot. He has the added motivation of playing for a move away from the City of Manchester Stadium.
Manager: Gerardo Martino
Martino is one of three Argentinians managing at the World Cup, along with Diego Maradona and Chile’s Marcelo Bielsa. Like Bielsa, he finished ahead of Argentina in qualification. As a player he made his name with Argentinian club Newell’s Old Boys, and was chosen in a fan’s poll as their greatest all time player. He earned one cap for Argentina.
Martino made his name as a manager in the Paraguayan Premier League with Libertad and Cerro Porteno, winning the title in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2006. He was chosen as the South American Manager of the year in 2007 for his exploits with Paraguay. He is a very defensive minded coach, and this is reflected by the fact that Paraguay conceded a mere 16 goals in 18 qualification matches (only Brazil conceded less).
Prediction: Last 16 exit
In a poor group, it’s almost a toss-up between Paraguay and Slovakia for second place, and Paraguay should just about make it. They have good players scattered throughout their side, many of whom have experience of playing in the World Cup.
They shouldn’t make it any further than that however. Holland will be their likely opponents in the second round and there is a good chance they could get hammered.
Odds: 40/1
Irishness Rating 6/10
Like Ireland, Paraguay is a small country (population just over six million), 90% of that population are Catholic, and they have an indigenous language starting with G that much of the population speaks as a second language (theirs Guarani, ours Gaeilge).
Unlike Ireland, it is a very inexpensive country to live in (the capital Asuncion has been ranked as the cheapest capital city in the world five years running), and the weather is very warm (during the summer, daytime temperatures can reach 38 °C).
If they were a car they’d be. . .
A Dodge Caliber. Safe, a decent engine, big at the back and up front but awful interior. (That’s midfield, not anus.)
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