Before Paraguay meets Germany in the World Cup, Gustavo Alfaro made the case that his team belongs in the conversation with the game’s heavier sides. Speaking at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough near Boston, he said Paraguay has already gone up against Argentina and Brazil, and asked why it could not do the same against Germany.
Alfaro’s point was not just bravado. Paraguay advanced after drawing with Australia in its last group-stage match, and he said the teams that keep the most possession are the ones that go furthest only if they also have defensive strength. In his view, Paraguay has already handled opponents of similar or greater size, even if it has been difficult, and that is why he pushed back on the idea that a cautious approach is somehow disqualifying.
That is also why the comments landed as more than a routine pre-match defense. Alfaro said Paraguay should have celebrated making it to the next phase, and he took issue with the idea that reaching the knockout round was treated as a failure because the side did not finish second. He also answered criticism from José Luis Chilavert, saying he would have preferred a call and a conversation with Orlando Gill rather than being attacked from the outside.
The friction is plain. Alfaro is asking for respect for a style built on restraint and structure, while critics see that same style as timid. He replied with a sharper argument: Paraguay has already survived difficult matches, it has already advanced, and it now carries that belief into a match against Germany in the World Cup with the round of 16 on the line.
What remains unresolved is whether belief and defensive solidity are enough against a team of Germany’s scale. Alfaro has already made his answer clear. Paraguay will find out on the field.
