Argentina boss Deigo Maradona dished out praise for Lionel Messi, amid the team's diminished chances of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup. The Barcelona superstar was criticized following his below-par displays with his country in recent games, and was partly blamed for Argentina's unenviable situation in the World Cup qualifying stage. But Maradona, who has always been an ardent admirer of Messi, believes the 22-year-old is capable of steering the two-time world champions to qualification. "Barcelona are a team where (coach Pep) Guardiola can train for a whole month, trying different (tactical) variations and see how they work. Here, we don't have much time," Maradona was quoted by El Mundo Deportivo as saying. "But we will give 'Lio' everything that he needs so that he can do his best for the team. That is the big challenge for the coaching team. "We will always wait for him (to produce something special) - he is our ace of spades. "We want him to replicate what he does on training on the pitch. 'Lio' will always start in my team. "Was it Messi's suggestion that I pick Aimar? No one suggested anything to me… I went to see 'Pablito' in January - he is a delight and will give us some great moments together with Messi." Argentina, who lie fifth in the CONMEBOL qualifying group, face Peru this weekend before playing their final qualifier at Uruguay.