By Tim Vickery South American football reporter

Read my answers to this week's questions

As Sven-Goran Eriksson is quickly finding out at Manchester City, being the foreign manager of a club side can be an easier task than flying in to take charge of someone else's national team.

At international level the coach has a limited time available to work with his squad, and he is also severely restricted in his choice of players.

Bielsa has the gift, rare indeed among coaches, of being quite happy to own up to his mistakes

He cannot buy in whoever he wants from anywhere in the world to put his philosophy into action.

Football is all about identity. It might be a simple game, but it can be interpeted in many different ways.

If the coach and his players don't share a common feel for the game then the outcome can be a great leap forward, but a confused and disappointing mismatch is more likely.

South America now throws up a fascinating example of such possibilities.

The last coach in the continent is now in place for the coming set of World Cup qualifiers. After surprisingy resigning as coach of his native Argentina nearly three years ago, Marcelo Bielsa has been coaxed back to take charge of Chile.

Bielsa is a one-off. A deeply studious and serious man, he is a tortured intellectual of the game, liable to stay awake all night brooding on tactical solutions.

My first encounter with him came during the 1999 Copa America in Paraguay. His team had just been beaten 3-0 by Colombia, his centre-forward Martin Palermo had missed three penalties and Bielsa had been sent off for dissent.

After the game, he was asked what he thought about the refereeing. In his standard news conference monotone, staring straight ahead as if he was talking to himself, he started with the stock line of: "Well, I usually don't like commenting on referees, but..."

We braced ourselves for the usual "but this one should never be let near a football pitch." Instead he said that "in respect of my expulsion the referee was quite correct because I protested in all ill-mannered form."

Look out for Brazil's attacking midfielder Lulinha at the World Under-17 Cup

Bielsa has the gift, rare indeed among coaches, of being quite happy to own up to his mistakes. His players have usually loved him for his work ethic, his intelligence and his honesty.

It is very hard to find anyone who played under Bielsa who doesn't consider him a phenomenon of the game - or at least, it is in Argentina.

But what will the Chileans make of him?

First, players in Chile have acquired a reputation for off-the-field indiscipline. Indeed, Bielsa's predecessor Nelson Acosta lost his job after some of his squad stepped over the mark with hotel high jinks in the Copa America in Venezuela. Will Bielsa be able to keep them in line?

More important is the style of play. On the global stage Bielsa is judged for Argentina's failure to get out of the group stage in the 2002 World Cup, but that unfortunate fortnight aside, his record with Argentina is impressive.

The team qualified for 2002 in exhilirating style, were very unlucky not to win the 2004 Copa America and then cruised to Olympic gold.

But the method was not to everyone's taste. Bielsa controversially had no place for Juan Roman Riquelme in his midfield.

Instead of the elegant pause, the foot-on-the-ball while options are surveyed, Bielsa wanted speed - high-intensity football, pressing the opposition, smothering them close to their goal. Many in Argentina thought it was too European.

Now he takes charge of Chile, where the pace of domestic football is notoriously slow. As Claudio Borghi, an Argentine who has coached in Chile with great success, puts it, "we'll have to see if the Chilean players are open to the kind of change that Bielsa is proposing."

It is an intriguing question - and one which will begin to be answered in the most fascinating context.

Chile start their World Cup qualification campaign in Buenos Aires, away to Argentina.

Got a question about South American football for Tim Vickery? Email him at vickerycolumn@hotmail.com

Just this week a number of clubs in England have been linked with Argentine 'wonderkid' Franco Di Santo from Chilean side Audex Italiano. Obviously he is being compared to Diego Maradona, but realistically how good is he? And is his style of play suited to the Premiership?
James Roughneen

The Maradona comparison is a disgrace to journalism - put three Diegos one on top of the other and they'd still be smaller than Di Santo, who is a striker with a beanpole build. Also, the wonderkid thing is exaggerated - Argentina left him out of their squad for the recent World Youth Cup.

That said, the 18-year-old is a very interesting prospect, who reminds me of the young Roque Santa Cruz - same type of build, aerial threat but can be very neat on the ground.

He had a good Copa Libertadores campaign with his club, Audax Italiano in Chile, and looks to have a bright future. As far as the Premiership goes, way too early. He'd get snapped in half if he tried it now.

The World Under-17 Cup kicks off later this week in Korea. With Argentina and Brazil both playing, clearly two of the favourites, which players could make a real impact on the tournement, a la Giovani dos Santos in 2005?
Mark Higgins

Brazil - runners up last time and winners of three of the last five - look to be South America's best bet. Look out for attacking midfielder Lulinha, whose finishing in the qualification tournament was exceptional. Manchester United-bound left-back Fabio was hugely impressive too.

Argentina's pedigree at this level is not so good - they've never reached the final though they have made the semis in four of the last eight tournaments.

Thay have been hit by injuries, but striker Salvio looks interesting. Colombia, semi finalists in 2003, have a promsing centre-forward, Nazarith, whose leap is very good, and Peru are very excited about qualifying, and even more excited about their skilful striker Manco.