Vladimir Weiss, son of the Slovakia coach of the same name, says he will continue to work hard to maintain the respect of his team-mates. The Manchester City winger is expected to retain his place tomorrow for the Group F match against Paraguay at the Free State Stadium after an impressive opening match against New Zealand which ended in a 1-1 draw.
"It is difficult being the manager's son," said the 20-year-old. "He did not choose to be the manager and then I got into the team. I knew it was going to make it harder for me with my dad being the manager. But the players are okay with it and everyone is being as professional as they can be."
Weiss senior admitted he is probably tougher on his son than the rest of the squad. "It is not easy to coach him because he has an individual way of playing," he said. "He has strengths but also weak points. I think I am more strict with him than other players."
Slovakia, in the finals for the first time, face a Paraguay side that drew with world champions Italy after coming second in their qualifying group behind Brazil. Weiss insists the team have forgotten about losing two points against New Zealand after their stoppage-time equaliser.
"The manager has been very positive and told us just to focus on the game tomorrow," he said. "There was a lot of stress in that first game and some criticism back home after the result. But we are here to enjoy ourselves and with a little bit of luck we can do something against Paraguay."
Weiss is aware they will have to be on their guard against striker Roque Santa Cruz, his Manchester City team-mate. "Roque has been bothered by injuries ... he is natural goalscorer. He is big man, very strong and difficult to shake off the ball," he added. "We know what he is capable of but it is not all about him as Paraguay have a lot of good players."
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