World Football

MADRID, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Argentina should play Lionel Messi wide on the right and Sergio Aguero as a central striker, according to designated director of football Carlos Bilardo.

Bilardo, who coached Argentina to their second World Cup victory in Mexico in 1986, is likely to be confirmed as number two to then-captain Diego Maradona when the new coaching regime is officially announced in Buenos Aires on Tuesday.

"For me, Messi should play on the extreme right with a tendency to cut in to the centre," Bilardo said in an interview published in the Spanish newspaper Marca on Saturday.

"That is Messi, though I need to discuss it with him and see where he feels more comfortable," added the 69-year-old, who is affectionately known as Narigon (big nose).

Bilardo told Marca that Atletico Madrid's Aguero was "an outright forward. He has to be up there as the highest point or the second-highest."

Barcelona's Messi and Aguero have been outstanding in the Primera Liga this season but have not managed to regularly produce the same scintillating form for their country.

Bilardo said he was considering moving to Europe so he could keep a close eye on the Argentine players there.

"That's what I did in 1986," he said. "My method to track the form of the players was as follows: I would arrive (at Madrid airport) and the taxi driver would give me an idea.

"Then, I would talk to the receptionist at the hotel and he would give me more details. Finally, I would consult the relevant coach. With all this information I would decide."

For a Reuters soccer blog about Bilardo, see http://blogs.reuters.com/soccer