Without Coach, Paraguay Is Almost Out Of The World Cup

The Paraguayan national soccer team coach, Gerardo Pelusso, resigned this week after Paraguay lost against Chile in the qualifying zone for the 2014 World Cup Brazil. The information was confirmed by the website of the Paraguayan Football Association.

Pelusso will give a press conference on Tuesday, and the Paraguay confirmed they won't reveal possible candidates for the position. Meanwhile, defender Dario Veron harshly criticized the former coach.

"Paraguay had conditions to be on the World Cup. But for that is always important a good group management, and Pelusso never knew how to do that," said the player,according to the Mexican website Azteca Deportes.

Without holding anything back, Veron added that "eight months ago I said we were not going to be in Brazil, and now unfortunately my prediction was fulfilled."

Paraguay is in the last position of the South American qualifying zone with eight points. The first four teams qualify directly for the World Cup while the fifth plays a re-validation against the fifth of the Asian zone. Currently, Paraguay is eight points below Venezuela, who ranks fifth at the moment.

Last Friday, the Paraguayan national team lost 2-1 against Chile, and complicated its chances to go to Brazil. It must win all four remaining games and still depend on other results.

Pelusso was the third coach of Paraguay in this season. Last year he replaced Francisco Arce, who in 2011 had taken the place left by the Argentinean Gerardo Martino. None of the two last coaches measured up to the results achieved by Martino (currently in Newell's Old Boys of Argentina), who led Paraguay to the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup South Africa and to the final of the 2011 Copa America Argentina.

In South Africa, Paraguay made a remarkable campaign, defeated only by Spain, the 2010 champion, in a very even quarterfinal match. A year later, the 'albirroja' team demonstrated its power again, by reaching the final of the Copa America played in Argentina, where it lost against Uruguay.

The Paraguayans played a total of eight World Cups in their history, including the last four. If poor performance continues, Paraguay is likely to be absent from the major football tournament for the first time in twenty years.

In the final four matches of the Qualifying, Paraguay will be home team against Bolivia and Argentina, and then will visit Venezuela. It will close its participation facing Colombia in Asuncion.