brighton Midfielder Diego Gomez has received public support from Paraguay manager Gustavo Alfaro following the Seagulls player's painful end to his country's World Cup campaign.
France reached the quarter-finals with a 1–0 win thanks to a penalty awarded after Gomez brought down Desiree Douay inside the box. The 23-year-old was devastated by this mistake. However, Alfaro immediately moved to defend him from criticism.
Instead of focusing on the decisive error, the Paraguay coach highlighted the midfielder's mentality. He urged people around the national team to support them.
alfaro explains the brighton difference
Speaking after the defeat, Alfaro revealed that Gomez puts enormous pressure on himself whenever he makes a mistake. His quotes were relayed by the Paraguayan newspaper National.
"Diego is very emotional. He feels that when he loses a pass, he lets the whole country down. He has to take this weight off his shoulders, this responsibility of believing that he can't make mistakes," The manager said.
Alfaro then pointed to the version of Gomez regularly seen at Brighton. He stressed that confidence is important to get the best out of the midfielder.
"We have to help him so he doesn't feel pressure. Then he plays with more freedom, like he does at Brighton."
Rather than blame Gomez for Paraguay's exit, the coach made it clear that he wants the midfielder to step up quickly.
brighton can take positivity
While the World Cup ended in disappointment, Gómez left the tournament still having established himself as one of Paraguay's leading players.
The mistake against France will inevitably attract attention as it decided the knockout match. Yet Brighton are unlikely to see this as anything more than an unfortunate moment in an otherwise encouraging period of development.
Instead, Alfaro's words may give a clear indication of the player's current challenge. That challenge is to learn to trust himself with the same freedom he has shown in the Premier League.
