What a season it has been for Inter Milan's Argentine striker Diego Milito and what a pleasure it is to be proved hopelessly wrong about him.

Three years ago in the Copa America, Milito replaced the injured Hernan Crespo and was so ineffective that coach Alfio Basile decided he would rather play without a target-man centre-forward. Milito returned to make a few appearances in World Cup qualification, but again made little impression.

Argentina manager Diego Maradona seemed to have given up on him when, chasing the game against Brazil last September, Milito was brought off the bench only to fluff a couple of chances in a 3-1 defeat.

He looked so ordinary for Argentina. How, then, had he scored so many goals for Genoa? A year ago I had the chance to ask this very question to one of his former team-mates, Brazilian goalkeeper Rubinho.



Milito celebrates after scoring against Chievo during Inter Milan's Serie A football match in Milan

Milito, he told me, was perhaps not quite in the class of Argentina's other forwards and although he was good, he was greedy. He was not good at combining with other strikers and to operate effectively he needed to have the play set up for him.

In the light of this analysis, we agreed that he would probably struggle at Inter Milan, but 30 goals later - big, decisive goals - it is clear that we were very wrong. Or rather, I was. To my mind, Rubinho's point of view still holds.

Inter coach Jose Mourinho has set up his team in such a way that Milito, like Drogba at Chelsea, is king of the front line, with Samuel Eto'o withdrawn to a deeper role on the right. As Rubinho saw it, given a tactical formation built around his strengths, Milito has thrived.

My mistake, based on what I had seen for Argentina, was that I thought he was too ordinary to deliver at the highest level, even given such favourable circumstances.

It is always nice to be proved wrong when someone exceeds your expectations - certainly much more so than when the opposite happens.

The value of Milito's short running stride was perfectly illustrated by the second of his goals against Bayern Munich in the Champions League final.

He generated the pace to beat Daniel Van Buyten to the left, but was quickly able to get in position for a right-footed cross-shot. Both that and the first goal, when he waited for his moment with impressive calm, bore the hallmark of a striker full of confidence.

And no wonder. Not only has he won the Champions League, he is also going to the World Cup. A few months ago it looked unlikely but, with all those goals for Inter, the striker has taken a giant leap on to the plane to South Africa.

He may also have given the Argentina squad something of a problem. They now seem to have an excess of number nines.

Gonzalo Higuain is first choice, although he will be feeling the pressure from Milito and will be hoping to do well in Monday's friendly at home to Canada. And Maradona has persisted with his Martin Palermo fixation, including the lumbering 36-year-old striker as a substitute to be brought on when his side are desperate for a goal.

Three centre forwards, plus Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguero make a total of six strikers in his 23 and inevitably leaves the squad short of cover in other areas, like central midfield.

There are doubts that 35-year-old Veron wil last the pace

Especially, there is a lack of cover for Juan Sebastian Veron, the man Maradona refers to as "my Xavi". Veron no longer has quite the dynamism of the Barcelona man, but his passing over distance is better - in midweek he set up a goal for Estudiantes in a Copa Libertadores quarter-final with as fine a diagonal ball as you could wish to see. The old warhorse is in good form but he is 35, and may struggle to last the pace.

Javier Pastore is inked in as Veron's deputy and the elegant youngster is an outstanding prospect. He has adapted surprisingly quickly to Italian football, and makes the point that after a year at Palermo the defensive side of his game and his tactical awareness are greatly improved. He is at his best, though, higher up the pitch than the role filled by Veron. Maradona has surely left himself short of options in terms of genuine all-round midfielders.

Many would argue that Esteban Cambiasso should be in the squad - on the basis of his club form rather than his displays for Argentina, because he was not missed by anyone when Maradona dropped him. I would prefer Ever Banega of Valencia or Fernando Gago of Real Madrid but certainly one of three should be in.

Having three number nines, though, means that some other area is bound to be light.

It is worth it? Palermo is a gamble. At his age can he really score goals at the highest level? And despite his club form, so is Milito. Argentina's system and personnel are different. So far Milito has been unable to combine with Messi. Can he suddenly learn to do so now?

I have my doubts but, then again, I have been wrong before - and when it comes to Diego Milito, very wrong indeed.

Comments on the piece in the space below. Other questions on South American football to vickerycolumn@hotmail.com, and I will pick out a couple for next week.

A quick note of apology - I have got so much on at the moment that I do not have time to get back individually to all the questions, so I am very sorry if you have not had a reply. But please keep sending them in - they all get read and considered, and they all help in formulating themes for future columns.

From last week's postbag;



Q) I was leafing through my Panini-sticker book just now and Uruguay sort of popped out at me. I'd like to know what you make of their chances in South Africa. They have a good, although sometimes slightly erratic, keeper in Muslera, quality full-backs in the Perreiras and the pure undiluted class of Suarez and Forlan in attack. Not to mention Godin, Lugano, Fucile and other Caceres. I am not saying they are my red-hot favourites right away but I was considering sticking a tenner on them, as an amusing outsider bet. They seem like a strong team or is that only on paper?

Thomas Liekens

A)Hard to see them going all the way but they can certainly travel with a bit of confidence. Forlan and Suarez, plus big Abreu off the bench - there is plenty of firepower. In qualification, though, they did not find goals easy against the strong. That is why the emergence of Nicolas Lodeiro is so important - the young, left-footed playmaker adds so much more subtlety to their game and allows Forlan to get further forward. He joined Ajax at the start of the year and has not had much playing time - will inactivity have taken the edge of his game? It is a key question for Uruguay's campaign.



Q)I was interested in your opinion on Lucas Barrios, Argentine by birth but now holding a Paraguayan passport. He has a very good scoring record in German football for this season and was the surprise inclusion in the provisional Paraguay World Cup squad. Can you see him muscling out the front line who helped Paraguay to the top of the South American qualification or will he have to settle for a supporting role? If he does, I can see him propelling his adopted nation deep into the tournament.

Brent Horner



A)He has a Paraguayan mother, so there is nothing fishy about his inclusion. An interesting case. He has always scored goals but it was only when he did it for a big club (Colo Colo in Chile) that people started to take notice. I think that is because he looks ungainly, as if he was running in Wellington boots that are too big for him.

He will have a chance with Paraguay - remember that Salvador Cabanas, top scorer in qualification, is recovering after being shot in the head and will miss the World Cup. With Santa Cruz, Haedo Valdez and Cardozo, Paraguay have strength in depth with their strikers, and Barrios will have to make a quick impression in the warm up friendlies, against the Republic of Ireland this Tuesday and then Ivory Coast and Greece. As an outsider, he'll have to do better than the others to get into the first team in South Africa, so his World Cup starts in Dublin.



