Paraguay
FIFA RANKING : 31
Paraguay is going to participate in their eighth world cup finals at the 2010 World Cup. In their last four appearances in the world cup, they reached the round of sixteen 3 times. The Paraguay football team has also won the silver medal in Athens 2004.
The Paraguay squad boasts one of the best defenses in South America. They conceded only 16 goals in their 18 qualification matches. They ended up being one of the best teams of the South American region and they ended up being the best team atleast till the first half of qualification got over. They ended up finishing third in their group, ahead of Argentine and Uruguay.
Their preparations are going to be affected due to the fact that their star performer through the qualifying phase, Salvador Cabanas was tragically shot in his head in January. While he has survived and recovering from his injuries, he won’t be travelling to South Africa for the World Cup.
The Manager
The Manager for the Paraguay squad is Argentine Gerardo Martino. A successful coach with Paraguayan teams Club Libertad and Cerro Porteno, he was appointed the Manager of the squad in February 2007.
THE SQUAD
Goal Keepers :
Diego Barreto, Aldo Bobadilla, Justo Villar.
Defenders :
Antolin Alcaraz, Julio César Cáceres, Marcos Cáceres, Denis Caniza, Paulo Da Silva, Julio Manzur, Claudio Morel, Aureliano Torres, Darío Verón.
Midfielders :
Sergio Aquino, Edgar Barreto, Carlos Bonet, Victor Cáceres, Marcelo Estigarribia, Eduardo Ledesma, Néstor Ortigoza, Christian Riveros, Jonathan Santana, Enrique Vera.
Forwards :
Jorge Achucarro, Lucas Barrios, Edgar Benitez, Óscar Cardozo, Rodolfo Gamarra, Osvaldo Martínez, Roque Santa Cruz, Nelson Haedo Valdez.
MAN TO WATCH
Nelson Haedo Valdez
Borussia Dortmund’s striker and is a different type of player compared to Cabanas. He has good technique, speed, trickery and aerial power which make him a lethal fox in the box type of player.
FP VERDICT
Considering their relatively easy opponents in the group stage, failure to progress into the round of sixteen will be surprising indeed.
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