No striker in Europe polarizes opinion like Milan’s Filippo Inzaghi. Consult pundit print and you will find grudging admiration for his goal scoring knack but dramatic condemnation for his ability to go to ground too easily.

There are many who do acknowledge Inzaghi’s phenomenal scoring record, which stretches back to his days in Serie C1’s Leffe side and continues with menacing purpose today, without qualification. Yours truly is one of them.

The much-maligned Inzaghi has scored over 200 goals in Italian football and was the chief architect of Milan’s Champions League triumph in 2003, netting twelve times that season in Europe.

Just ask Lyon players who personifies opportunism and they will ignore notorious politicians and point to Inzaghi. Gerard Houllier’s side were minutes away from qualifying for the Champions League semi-final this season when Inzaghi shattered their dreams by pouncing on a loose ball in the area and tapping in with typical alacrity.

It was vintage Inzaghi, a confirmation that Superpippo , even at 32 years of age, has an unquenchable thirst for goal.

Inzaghi’s explosive form has urged journalists and fans alike to clamour for his inclusion in the World Cup Azzurri squad. Italy coach Marcello Lippi, however, will take some convincing.

The former Juventus boss took over an Italy side short on confidence in 2004. Giovanni Trapattoni, who was so successful at club level, had led Italy to disastrous World Cup 2002 and Euro 2004 campaigns.

Lippi took over and almost immediately stated that he intended to create a “club atmosphere” within the squad. If that was one of Lippi’s main goals then continuity within the Italy squad will be paramount for him.

Inzaghi is on red-hot form but he has barely played a part in Italy’s qualifying campaign for the upcoming World Cup, largely due to injury. Lippi has relied on Francesco Totti, Luca Toni, Alberto Gilardino, Alessandro Del Piero, Christian Vieri and Vincenzo Iaquinta to do the business up front. By introducing Inzaghi, Lippi would have to sacrifice one of the names mentioned and possibly a bit of team chemistry.

Indeed, one has to wonder how the team would feel about Inzaghi coming into the mix at such a late stage. Perhaps some would be resentful that he will not have earned his keep in the side.

On the other hand, Lippi has stated many times that he will pick the players most in form for his squad. With that in mind, it will be increasingly difficult for him to ignore Inzaghi.

Lippi is a flexible coach and recently hinted in an interview that he has still not finalized his squad. When asked about Inzaghi he said: “I can only say that I didn’t take too kindly to the recent newspaper headline that said, ‘Change your mind, Lippi!’ Change your mind implies that a decision has already been made, and I can assure you that that is not the case. I’m thinking about it, that’s all. All will be revealed on 15 May.”

If Inzaghi is included in the squad list on May 15 then Italy can count on a penalty-box poacher of the highest order.

Former Italy great Paolo Rossi, who was also renowned for his positional sense within the penalty area, recently opined that Inzaghi was the kind of player who could turn the game for you in an instant.

"Inzaghi is the forward who is most similar to me. Sometimes you don’t see him for a full match, but when you are least expecting it, he changes the game,” said the former 1982 World Cup winner.

“He is always focused and even if he is not the strongest attacking player, he knows where to lurk in the penalty area.”

Inzaghi’s ruthless decisiveness often masquerades as anonymity during a game. But just when opponents least expect it, he comes out of disguise and strikes.

The World Cup is a tournament in which a team has a few games to make an impact and Inzaghi’s predatory attributes could prove crucial. If Lippi wants brilliance and creativity in attack he already has that in abundance.

But if he still wants to make way for supreme pragmatism then Inzaghi waits in the wings.

- Hasan Saiyid has a burgeoning section on the World Cup, including player profiles, team profiles and a special ’Italia focus section’, on his site at: www.totalsoccer.ca