RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Ecuador manager Sebastian Beccacece has urged fans and the media to be patient as he seeks to guide his young team to a place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

In a press conference ahead of World Cup qualifiers against Paraguay and Brazil, the 43-year-old Argentine called the current generation of Ecuadorian players at the best in the country's history.

"We are setting the bar high," Beccacece said. "We want to fight for a place in the World Cup and, once we achieve that, our aim will be to win the World Cup.

"But we need to have patience and understand that sometimes you need to make to sideways passes or one back-pass to move forward. Hearing boos from the fans after five minutes is not productive for our players."

He added: "We are a very young team and maybe players like [defender Willian] Pacho are expected to do well because he's at Paris Saint-Germain. But he has only played 18 games for the national team and needs time to establish himself."

The Tricolor are currently fourth in the 10-team South American qualifying group with 11 points from eight matches, seven points behind leaders Argentina.

Beccacece said the support of fans would be crucial for the clash against Paraguay at the 42,000-capacity Casa Blanca stadium in Quito on October 10. His side will then meet Uruguay in Montevideo five days later.

"I feel that the Ecuadorian public has a very nice connection with this team," he said.

"We need that support and that affection. I invite everyone to follow that path, and if there is adversity, we will overcome it together," he concluded. Enditem

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