The Paraguay National Team, Colombia’s next rival, continues to look for solutions to break a terrible streak: three World Cups without qualifying and a terrible offensive anemia, which began on the route to Qatar 2022 and continues to extend in the first five dates of the current eliminatory.
For now, and thanks to the generosity of the qualification system in South America for the World Cup, Paraguay, with just one goal scored (Antonio Sanabria did it, in the 1-0 victory against Bolivia) is in the playoff zone, in the seventh place in the table.
The offensive problem is not new: in the last 14 qualifying games, Paraguay has only scored four goals. “If we want to score goals, we have to be calm and collected so that when the ball arrives, we can convert,” said attacker Adam Bareiro, a player for San Lorenoz of Argentina. “Good work is being done and it is the way to get the goals,” he added.
Garnero’s concern is such that he appealed to a history to try to have better attacking options: at 40 years old, Óscar ‘Tacuara’ Cardozo returned to the squad, although, at least in the first game of this round, in Santiago , did not leave the substitute bench.
In addition, Paraguay has a very big loss, that of Miguel Almirón, the great figure of the team and Newcastle player, due to an injury to his right thigh.
Miguel Almirón (left), with Lionel Messi. The Paraguayan will not play this Tuesday against Colombia.
EFE/ Juan Ignacio Roncoroni
Neither the current coach nor his predecessor have been able to consolidate a base, to the point that Paraguay is, after Brazil, the team that has used the most players in the current tie, 30. But we must make the reservation that the five-time champion of the The world suffered a terrible streak, with eight injured on this date, including Vinicius.
Defense, one of Paraguay’s strengths
However, the Paraguayans have shown in the first few days that they have solidity at the back and that with that they can complicate more than one team, even with the change of coach. The Argentine Guillermo Barros Schelotto left the technical direction after the second date and his compatriot Daniel Garnero arrived in his place, who had just directed and won Libertad champion three times. He had done it before with Guaraní and with Olimpia, so he knows the square more than well.
Paraguay has only conceded two goals, both with crossed balls: one against Argentina, a volley from Nicolás Otamendi, and the other was scored by Venezuela from a penalty: the foul was a handball after a cross.
Last day, on Thursday, Paraguay tied Chile as a visitor (0-0, just like Colombia did) and that cost the rival coach, Eduardo Berizzo, his head.
“It is a point that can be worth it if we become strong at home now. So nothing, now to think about Colombia and work for that game,” said full-back Iván Alonso. “Now, obviously a much tougher rival is coming, such as Colombia, which is doing well, coming from beating Brazil,” he added.
Paraguay returns to its historic home, the Defensores del Chaco stadium, after having played the first two rounds of the tie in Ciudad del Este. There they got a dull draw against Peru, currently at the bottom of the qualifiers, and then narrowly beat the weak Bolivia.
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