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Scouting
Report
Style of play: With coach Cesare Maldini at
the helm, Paraguay's style of play closely mirrors the
defensive style Italy is known for. (Not surprising,
considering Maldini, a star defender with AC Milan in
the 1960s, served as Italy's coach four years ago in
France). Maldini employs a traditional 4-4-2 formation
with two defensive midfielders in the centre and a winger
on each flank. Paraguay is quick on the counterattack,
launching its offensive plans by getting the ball to
the wingers, who provide outlets to the two strikers.
Its strikers have a great deal of speed, used to run
directly at defenders to get near the penalty area and
fire shots toward the net.
Strengths:
Coaching -- Cesare Maldini is a tactically astute
coach and was a key assistant to coach Enzo Berzot in
the Italian squad that won the 1982 World Cup in Spain.
A former star defender with AC Milan in the 1960s, Maldini
brings a wealth of coaching experience to the table.
Attacking options -- Paraguay has a strong crop
of attackers and forwards to call upon in Japan and
South Korea. Roque Santa Cruz and José Cardozo
are accomplished goal-scorers, while Miguel Benitez
is very effective coming off the bench
Goalkeeping -- José Luis Chilavert is
a dynamic, effective goalkeeper who manages to inspire
and motivate his team on the pitch, and he does more
than stop shots. Chilvavert also possesses a lethal
shot on free kicks and penalties, and he's vowed to
become the first keeper to score in the World Cup.
Weaknesses:
Inconsistency -- Paraguay blows hot and cold.
While it did manage to defeat Brazil and Uruguay during
qualification, it also lost to lowly Peru, Venezuela
and Bolivia. Paraguay cannot afford to become mired
in its trademark lapses into mediocrity at the World
Cup.
Lack of depth -- Paraguay can field a solid first
team with eleven players, but things look pretty scary
after that. The South Americans do not have a very deep
bench, and will struggle to replace injured or out-of-form
players with quality reserves.
Disarray -- Paraguay is a team in chaos. The
Paraguayan Football Association fired former coach Sergio
Markarian after Paraguay lost its final two qualifying
games, despite earning a birth in the World Cup. Cesare
Maldini is an excellent coach, but he simply hasn't
had the time to earn the respect of his players.
Key injuries/omissions:
Goalkeeper and team leader Jose Luis Chilavert will
be forced to sit out the opening game against South
Africa after being assessed a three-match ban for spitting
in the face of Brazil's Roberto Carlos during a qualifying
game last year. He served the first two games of the
suspension during the South American qualification….
Striker Hugo Brizuela did not make the final team after
tearing a knee ligament during a match for Mexican club
Pachuca. As a result, forward Nelson Cuevas was selected
in his place…
Outlook: Paraguay is expected to finish second
in Group B ahead of Slovenia and South Africa, and might
even challenge Spain for first place, especially if
the Spanish suffer another one of their infamous World
Cup collapses. While South Africa is a non-entity in
this group, Slovenia will pose a problem. However, Paraguay
should be able to secure a win against the upstart Europeans
to earn a birth in the second round. The South American
nation is in the weaker half of the tournament, and
if it can play consistently for a full 90 minutes a
match, it will advance to the quarter-finals.
The
Country
Location: Central South America, northeast of Argentina
Capital: Asuncion
Area: 406,750 sq km
Population:5,585,828 (July 2000 est.)
Government type: Constitutional republic
Climate: Subtropical to temperate; substantial rainfall
in the eastern portions, becoming semiarid in the far
west
Ethnic groups: Mestizo (mixed Spanish and Amerindian)
95%.
Religions: Roman Catholic 90%, Mennonite, and other
Protestant.
Languages: Spanish (official), Guarani (spoken by most
of rural population).
History: Paraguay was devastated in the War of the
Triple Alliance between 1865-70, losing two-thirds of
its adult male population and larges areas of its territory.
After 50 years of economic stagnation, Paraguay won
several large, economically important areas from Bolivia
in the Chaco War of 1932-35. Military dictator Alfredo
Stroessner ruled Paraguay from 1954 to 1989, until he
was overthrown. Since then, free and regular presidential
elections have been held in Paraguay.
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