Paraguay Football Fans

Paraguay are reportedly in talks with former Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni about taking charge of their national team. The Italian is currently out of work after leaving the Ireland job a few months ago.

It has been reported that the national team is currently dissatisfied with the work done by Victor Genes. He has largely been inconsistent during his spell as the Paraguay manager, which is forcing the nation to take proper steps in order to do well in the next World Cup qualifying campaign. They failed to qualify for the World Cup 2014 despite this competition being held in South America.

Paraguay are no strangers to appoint Italian managers after Cesare Maldini was in charge of them almost a decade ago. Maldini managed to get them to the World Cup 2002. Genes is coming under a lot of pressure especially after a poor World Cup qualifying in which they finished bottom of the group. They could manage only 12 points from the 16 matches. Despite being 74 years old, Trapattoni is thought to have set to his friends and family that he has no intention of retiring from management just yet.

Trapattoni was replaced by former Leicester City manager Martin O’Neill, who has also been accompanied by Robbie Keane. Trapattoni’s time at Ireland has been met with a lot of criticism in recent months after the team failed to qualify for the World Cup, but they did manage to make an appearance at the Euro 2012.

Even then, he failed to win over the supporters since Ireland were knocked out of the tournament after not managing a single victory in the group stages. The embarrassing defeats against the likes of Spain also counted against Trapattoni, as he was finally relieved of his duties a few months ago.

Paraguay striker Roque Santa Cruz has said that former Malaga manager Manuel Pellegrini is one of the coolest men in football. Pellegrini recently took over as the manager of Manchester city – Santa Cruz’ former club. He has come over from Malaga after doing a stellar job with the Spanish club with limited resources.

He managed to almost get them into the semifinals of the Champions League only to be beaten by Borussia Dortmund with a controversial goal last season. City have not been out of the headlines under Pellegrini, as they have been struggling in the league.

Despite qualifying for the last 16 stage of the Champions league for the first time, Pellegrini is under pressure due to poor away form in the domestic competitions. Santa Cruz, though, is under the opinion that Pellegrini will be able to rectify this sooner rather than later because he is one of the most patient in football. City will be taking on Chelsea in an away match, which is expected to spell more troubles for the former champions. Santa Cruz reckons that City will be able to get a result against their title rivals due to the calmness surrounding Pellegrini.

“He’s a qualified engineer, an educated man and someone with a huge amount of patience. He will never rush into a decision. He will do his homework, consider all his options before deciding what to do. He came to me before joining City and asked about the dressing room. He takes a lot of care when it comes to making sure how healthy the dressing room is. His greatest strength is remaining relaxed and calm. His best quality is this, dealing with so many big stars,” said Santa Cruz.

The Paraguayan striker made the permanent move away from Manchester City in the summer after a few loan spells.

Paraguay, who sit bottom of the World Cup qualifying table in South America, managed a comfortable 4-0 victory over Bolivia to give hopes that the team will be able to improve in the forthcoming years.

Paraguay have no chance of qualifying for the World Cup after having taken just 11 points from the 14 matches so far. Only five teams can qualify for the World Cup out of the nine from the South American continent. Even though they managed to reach the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup, they have been very disappointing in the last few years.

This led to the Paraguay Football Association changing managers twice, but they have been improving constantly under the new management of Victor Genes. He has been trying to utilise a squad that has both experience and youth. The likes of Roque Santa Cruz, who are now one of the most experienced in the squad, managed to score in both of the recent matches. The 4-0 win over Bolivia was followed by a 5-2 defeat against Argentina. Ahead of the match with Argentina, Santa Cruz said that Paraguay were not going to be afraid of attacking the top team in South American qualification right now.

Argentina currently leading the table with 29 points compared to the 26 points of Colombia in the second place. “Argentina as always goes on to win and we as local will do the same. It will not be a party to wait and see what will they do. Depart to seek, will be a grudge match,” said the former Manchester city and Bayern Munich striker. As a result of the two goals against Argentina, Paraguay have scored seven goals in the last two matches, which is a major improvement following the arrival of the new manager only recently.

Paraguay striker Oscar Cardozo is set to complete a move away from Portuguese football in the near future according to his agent. The Benfica striker has been linked with a move away from the club in the summer, but it appears that an agreement is close.

Cardozo has been linked with several Premier league clubs including Manchester City in the last few weeks. However, he now looks set to complete a move to Turkish football after Fenerbahce are leading the race to sign the 29-year-old according to his agent. Turkish football has been attracting big names in the last few years.

The likes of Didier Drogba and Wesley Sneijder have come to the league during this period. Cardozo could be the next big name to arrive. The player has great experience of playing in the Champions League, while he has come close to getting Benfica win the domestic league on several occasions. The striker moved to Benfica in 2007 and he has made more than 160 appearances during this period. He has proven to be one of the best goal scorers in Europe during this period as well with 105 goals. He has also represented the national team since 2006 scoring nine goals in the 46 appearances.

“The negotiations between the two clubs are going well and the agreement is practically closed. There are only a few details to be resolved. His signing could come at any time,” said his agent in a recent interview. Cardiff City have also been linked with a move for the striker. The newly promoted club, though, will find it difficult to offer the wages quoted by competing clubs like Fenerbahce and Manchester City. They, however, will be able to offer him the prospect of regular first-team football. Paraguay look unlikely to make it into the 2014 World Cup.

It is understood that Brazilian club Santos are looking at the possibility of bringing Paraguay striker Roque Santa Cruz back to South America in the summer. The Manchester city striker is currently playing for the Spanish club Malaga.

However, he is out of contract with the Premier league outfit at the end of the season, thus making him free to join any club of his wish. Even though he has indicated that he is extremely happy at Malaga, the financial restrictions of the Spanish club mean that he is unlikely to be signed on a permanent basis.

The 31-year-old has played for the likes of Bayern Munich and Blackburn Rovers in a stellar career, but he could be set for return to his home continent. Santos have an array of attacking talent including 21-year-old Neymar, who has been billed as the best young talent in the world. However, the club thought to be considering the arrival of a new striker in order to compensate for the expected loss of Neymar in the summer. Santa Cruz has not only been linked with Santos, but the likes of Botafogo have also been linked with the 31-year-old.

Santos already have three foreign players in their squad, and Brazilian clubs are allowed to field only this number of players at any given moment. This may prove to be a stumbling block in a potential move to Santos. Santa Cruz has been one of the main reasons in an excellent season for Malaga in which they have almost qualified for the Champions League semifinals only to the knockout by German club Borussia Dortmund in the final few minutes of the match. The club are currently sixth in the la Liga table outside the possible European spots.

Santa Cruz has made 28 appearances and scored eight goals for the Spanish club this season.

Paraguay striker Roque Santa Cruz has said that he expects Malaga to qualify for the Champions League semifinals against all the odds.

At the start of the season, not many would have expected Malaga to reach the quarter-final stage of the competition ahead of the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United. However, they have reached this stage and they will be playing against German club Borussia Dortmund. This will be one of the toughest matches for the Spanish club given that Dortmund have proved that they are capable of beating the best.

Despite being in a group containing Real Madrid and Manchester City, Dortmund were able to qualify for the latter stages of the competition. Due to the fact that they also do not have any commitments on the league – after losing the title to Bayern Munich, they will be shifting their entire focus on the European competition. This coupled with the fact that the second leg is at Dortmund means that not many are giving Malaga a chance to progress to the semifinals. Malaga manager Manuel Pellegrini has achieved this feat before with yet another small team in the form of Villarreal.

Former City striker Santa Cruz has been one of the reasons for Malaga’s impressive form this season. “Football is a beautiful sport. When you think everything is not possible, then something happens. I think we have the players, and we also have the ambience in the team, to go there and play a great game and qualify. The thing is to see that everything is possible there,” said the Paraguayan in a recent interview. Santa Cruz has made 26 appearances for Malaga this season. He has scored six goals in these matches, as the team sit sixth in the table below the likes of Real Sociedad and Valencia.

The Paraguayan striker Roque Santa Cruz has revealed that he will not be returning to Manchester City at the end of his current loan spell with Malaga. The former Blackburn Rovers and Bayern Munich striker is currently on loan at the Spanish club till the end of the season.

However, he has ruled out the possibility of returning to Manchester City in the future. Santa Cruz has also pointed to the fact that his contract with the club expires in June, thus making him a free agent. Santa Cruz has been one of the best players for Malaga this season.

Despite selling a number of the players during the summer transfer window, Malaga have been able to compete for a Champions League qualification spot mainly due to the goals from the Paraguayan. He has said that he has no grudges about not making the grade at City due to the different factors at the club. Santa Cruz was one of the first high-profile signings for the club during the reign of Mark Hughes. He was brought to the club for around £ 17 million, but upon the arrival of Roberto Mancini, he fell out of favour. Santa Cruz, though, has said that the arrival of several big-name players meant that his position cannot be criticised.

“At City I had an excellent relationship with each of the coaches that I had – Mark Hughes first and Roberto Mancini later – as well as with the club. Mancini was honest with me and I don’t blame anyone. They made big investments and I wasn’t able to play much, but there is no blame. During my season at Manchester City I was not 100 per cent fit, like I am now. But I am not going to go back there,” said Roque Santa Cruz.

The Paraguayan footballer Lucas Barrios, who is regarded as one of the country’s best talents, has said that there is a possibility of leaving the Chinese league in favour of the English Premier league.

The player is currently with the Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande, but he has recently revealed that he thinks his future might be elsewhere due to the interest from various clubs like Manchester city and Arsenal. The 28-year-old is regarded as one of the finest strikers from Paraguay. He rose to fame during his spell with the German club Borussia Dortmund when he was one of the feared strikers in Europe.

During the period from 2009 to 2012, the player was almost irreplaceable for the German club Borussia Dortmund. His agent has recently revealed that he is looking for a move away from the Asian continent. This has alerted the clubs like Manchester city and Arsenal, who are on the lookout for a striker capable of putting the ball in the back of the net. Despite signing the players like Lukas Podolski in the summer, Arsenal have found it tough to replace Robin van Persie. Hence, they are expected to sell the likes of Marouane Chamakh and bring in Lucas Barrios.

“My agent is going to China to discuss my future with the Guangzhou Evergrande board. I am happy that clubs in Italy, England and Germany are tracking me and I want to play there,” said the player in a recent review given to skysports. The Chinese club is one of the richest in the world. Their star player Dario Conca is reportedly on a contract worth around £ 200,000 per week, while Lucas Barrios is also closer to that pay packet. However, he is looking to play the rest of his career in a top league against the best players.

The former Manchester City striker Roque Santa Cruz has said that he hopes to play an important part in helping the Spanish club Malaga extend the return that they have experienced in all competitions recently.

Malaga came into the new season with major doubts about the future. They have to sell many star players including the best players from last season – Santi Cazorla – for very low sums of money in order to service the debts. However, they have been able to not only perform well in the Spanish la Liga, but also in other competitions as well.

They were one of the first teams to progress from the group stages of the Champions League into the knockout stages, while they recently entered into the last 16 of the Copa del Rey. Malaga were playing against the third division opponents Cacereno. Roque Santa Cruz was a crucial player in the match after he scored two goals to help the team win 4-2. The Paraguay striker has not been one of the first-team regulars for Malaika this season. However, he is hoping that his double strike against Cacereno will convince the manager to play him more often. He has scored just one goal in the league this season.

“It is important for my confidence to play and pick up rhythm. The goals also bring confidence but we looked at it more as a complete exercise from the team. I would like to score more in the league and I hope to continue the run that started with the cup game,” said Roque Santa Cruz after the 4-2 victory. The former Blackburn Rovers striker came through leaps and bounds since arriving at England. However, he has been devoid of regular first-team football ever since moving to the Premier league club Manchester City for £ 17 million.

The Paraguay national team manager Gerardo Pelusso has said that surprise is the biggest weapon he is set to use when Paraguay face Argentina in a World Cup qualifying match. Argentina will be coming into the match as one of the favourites, whereas Paraguay have recently suffered a number of defeats.

However, the manager of the national team has said that it will not be a surprise for the Argentina manager Sabella to see his tactics if he has studied it already, but if he hasn’t, then it will be a major shock for him.

Paraguay recently sacked their manager after a poor run of form in recent matches. It has seen the national team suffer many defeats and draws in recent matches. As a result, they have taken only four points from the last five matches. This has put them in a precarious situation ahead of their aspirations to play in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. The arrival of Gerardo Pelusso will be coinciding with the match against Argentina. Due to the fact that he is the new man at the helm, he is expected to adopt new tactics against Argentina. Gerardo Pelusso has great experience of coaching in the South American leagues.

“None (of our opponents) know who’s going to play (in my team), how we’re going to play or what formation Paraguay will have on the pitch. That will be the surprise factor, (whereas) everyone knows the other teams. Those who know me, have an idea of my style, those who don’t will be in for a surprise,” said the manager ahead of the match with Argentina. Following this match, Paraguay will be playing against the likes of Venezuela and Colombia, which are equally tough matches according to the manager of the Paraguayan football team.