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Milito’s form shows why he was picked says Maradona

Buenos Aires: Diego Milito will have thesame chance as Argentina’s other in-form strikers to earn aplace in their World Cup side, coach Diego Maradona said on Sunday. Milito, one of six strikers in Maradona’s 23-man squad,reached the heights of European football by scoring both goalsin Inter Milan’s 2-0 win over Bayern Munich in Saturday’sChampions League final in Madrid. "I’m not surprised by Milito. He’s had a spectacular season,but then so have the others, Lio (Messi), (Carlos) Tevez, ’Kun’(Sergio Aguero)," Maradona told a news conference. "Milito has proved me right for picking him. Whoever is inthe best form will play," said Maradona, whose first-choice pairappear to be Messi and Gonzalo Higuain. "There are no first-team players and no reserves (in thesquad)," added Maradona, who wiped his face with a towel afterhis players practised in a downpour at their training base. Maradona, whose team face Canada in a farewell match atRiver Plate’s Monumental stadium on Monday (1930 GMT), said theplayers were all in great spirits and anxious to work towardsthe South Africa finals starting on June 11. "In 1986 we had a build up of 70 days, today we are barely20 days away and I still don’t have my full 23," said Maradona. Milito, Inter team mate Walter Samuel and Bayern’s MartinDemichelis had not yet joined up with the squad. "But the players have understood that you experience theWorld Cup the way we are living it," said Argentina’s 1986 WorldCup-winning captain, who has often stated that he knows what ittakes to win the trophy. "I want to have them all sharp... We can give anyone a goodfight, a footballing fight, because we have a good game and goodplayers. This squad are similar to that of ’86 because they havehunger for glory." Argentina face Nigeria, South Korea and Greece in Group B atthe finals in South Africa. Maradona, who had criticised Inter coach Jose Mourinho forhis side’s ultra-defensive performance in the second leg oftheir Champions League semi-final away to Barcelona, said hewould not give up on attack come what may. "Not at any price. If I renounced attack it would be a sinwith the players I have," he said. "I think that if we play theway we should we’ll do well."

                                                                                                               
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