Argentina: So Good Diego Can't Screw It Up?

Ian Hawkey has an interesting piece today in the Johannesburg Times.

In it, he suggests that Argentina is a legitimate threat to win South Africa 2010. Not because of Diego Maradona, but in spite of him.

Hawkey suggests Argentina has so many elite scorers (only Brazil seems as gifted) ... that it will be hard to screw this up. Unless the back falls apart, and it could.

Among the names Diego can put on his lineup card:

--Lionel Messi. Perhaps the best player in the world, and a guy who appears to be in from, with five goals in his last two matches with Barcelona. Yikes. He leads the Spanish League in goals with 22.

--Then there is Gonzalo Higuain, who scored three goals of his own last Sunday and now has 19 goals.

--And Diego Milito of Inter Milan, second in Seria A scoring.

--And Carlos Tevez, who has 16 goals for Manchester City, a total exceeded by only three men in the Premiership.

--And Lucas Barrios, fourth in scoring in the Bundesliga.

He also mentions 21-year-old Sergio Aguero of Atletico Madrid (the father of Diego's grandchild), Javier Saviola of Benfica and Lyon forward Lisandro Lopez.

Most teams in the World Cup would be happy to have one of those guys. Ecstatic to have two of them.

Hawkey, like this writer, is less than enthralled with Coach Diego, describing him as "a former cocaine addict, tax evader and all-around rascal."

But Hawkey suggests Diego may have such trouble settling on who will play for him because, especially in the attack, he is "spoiled for choice" -- as the Brits say.

Certainly seems that way. How to get all those guys on the field?

A problem about 28 teams World Cup teams would love to have.