Gustavo Alfaro has left Mauricio out of Paraguay's starting lineup for the knockout stage against Germany, and the coach has now made clear why. Alfaro said the Palmeiras midfielder will be a starter only when he shows the capacity and consistency to play 90 minutes.
The explanation arrives now because Paraguay has reached the knockout stage of the Copa do Mundo and is preparing to face Germany on December 6. Paraguay advanced as one of the best third-placed teams after finishing the group stage with 4 points, built on one win, one draw and one loss.
That position was secured despite a 1-1 draw with France in the last group match, when Paraguay had 48% possession and took 6 shots. Those numbers help explain why Alfaro is treating selection as a matter of control, not reputation, as he weighs a team that will need more than talent to survive the next round.
The friction is in Mauricio himself. Some supporters see a player good enough to start immediately, but Alfaro’s view is stricter: he said Mauricio performs better when the opponent lowers the intensity, and he wants that level to hold across the full match before naming him from the opening whistle. He also raised the possibility of using Julio Enciso as a center forward, another sign that Paraguay's attacking shape is still being worked out rather than fixed.
That is why the debate has grown among torcedores and analysts. The argument is not whether Mauricio can change a game; it is whether he can be trusted to begin one of the biggest games Paraguay has left. For now, Alfaro has drawn the line at consistency, and until that changes, Mauricio remains a player on the edge of the starting XI.
