Gustavo Alfaro spoke at a conference from the Panasonic Stadium in Osaka, where this Friday, October 10, the Albirroja will face its Japanese counterpart, within the framework of FIFA.
The national team coach appeared in front of the international media during the reconnaissance of the stadium.
“These are matches that we choose based on the level, hierarchy and complexity of the rivals. We know that if we want to have a good World Cup, we have to compete against teams that are above our level,” the coach said of the matches against Japan and South Korea.
Alfaro observed that the rivals “are higher in the FIFA rankings” and are “two of the best teams in the world”.
“Facing Japan is very important. It is a selection of prestige, of risk. Our objective is focused on preparing for the next World Cup. Going through these scenarios of discomfort, long distances or situations that we may have to endure on the field, without much time to work, is part of the process that we must follow to arrive prepared as we should”, he concluded from this side.
The meeting between Paraguayans and Japanese is scheduled for 7:20 a.m. (Paraguayan time).
“It helps me to face superior teams, who ask us to arrive in the best conditions at the World Cup. I agreed to play with the United States and Mexico, who are teams above our level, and I also asked the managers to manage the matches against a European rival and another African rival in March, to arrive in the best way. If we do not pass this level of requirement, we will not know what we have needed to be able to have a good World Cup, and that is our quest,” he declared.
