Diego Milito: a key for Argentina at the World Cup

 
Tony Tannous Columnist

By , 23 May 2010 Tony Tannous is a Roar Expert

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Inter Milan forward Diego Milito

Inter Milan forward Diego Milito celebrates scoring during the Champions League final soccer match between Bayern Munich and Inter Milan at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Saturday May 22, 2010. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)

As we cast our mind forward to the World Cup and reflect on this morning’s Champions League final win for Inter Milan, you just marvel at the attacking weaponry at Diego Maradona’s disposal.

That’s because another Diego, Inter Milan’s Milito, has taken the next step this season to become one of the world’s top strikers, as he proved again this morning with two wonderfully taken counter attacking strikes that sunk a gun-shy Bayern Munich, who relied too heavily on Arjen Robben.

When you think about the other front-men at Argentina’s disposal – Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez, Sergio Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain (not to mention the old man, Martin Palermo) – you just wonder how on earth Maradona will find room for Milito.

But on the evidence of this season, and the UCL final, he must.

In the modern era of small front-men with mobility, technique and incredible work-rate, Milito is almost a throw-back to the days when strikers combined size, mobility and lethal finishing.

I’m thinking of other great Argentine strikers of the past 20 years, the likes of Gabriel Batistuta and Abel Balbo.

In many ways, Milito is an old-fashioned front man, a deadly executor.

Witness his finishing throughout the knock-out stages of the Champions League. This morning was a classic example.

The way he composed, faked and waited that brief second for Hans-Jorg Butt to commit himself for the first, the way he skinned Daniel van Buyten for the second. Superb feet.

But he is also blessed with all the modern attributes that dictate that a striker must be selfless, working for and linking with his team.

He is as effective outside the box as he is inside.

Not only is he able to absorb a long ball with his chest or meet it with a header, he then has even better ability on the ball, able to peel off to the flank and cut inside defenders, or carry the ball on the counter.

All the while he has his head up, assessing his options.

Rarely do you see him cough-up the ball. When you combine it with the workrate and will-to-win of Tevez and the mastery of Messi, it’s tantalising.

But a question remains.

Milito has proved he can do it in a team like Inter, who sit back and counter with incredible efficiency. In Jose Mourinho’s template, he has space to utilise his obvious gifts.

Can he do it in a team, like Argentina, which is likely to dominate possession and come up against teams that are likely to “do an Inter” by sitting on their 18 yard box and making life difficult?

I’m thinking of the two fairly solid defensive units in South Korea and Greece.

Can Milito find the space and continue to have an influence? His temperament suggests that little will faze him, and I, for one, am looking forward to seeing if he can emerge on the world stage.

With so much focus on Messi and Tevez, and the others, Milito could well be Diego’s main man.

Follow Tony on Twitter @TonyTannousTRBA
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