World Cup Group B Preview: Paraguay
Paraguay enter their third successive World Cup in buoyant mood and are eager to imprive further upon their second round placings in France in 1998 and Korea / Japan in 2002.
Seven times World Cup finallists, the country have continually punched above their weight at all international levels with a silver medal at the 2004 Olympic Games their most recent achievement. For a poor South American country of little over five million inhabitants, it has been a tremendous uphill struggle to find the necessary funds to develop their local game but continually the investment has went into the game at grassroots level and the nation as a whole has reaped the rewards with consecutive World Cup qualification.
The in-squad sniping and backbiting should have disappeared now that Paraguay’s legendary goalkeeper and free kick specialist Jose Luis Chilavert has retired and with him his unsavoury antics and the relatively young squad is better for it, a mix of seasoned veterans from World Cups past help to give the younger players some experience and a good showing from Paraguay would only surprise those who don’t take them seriously.
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POSTED IN: Past World Cups
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