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World Cup Draft Picks Thread *NO DISCUSSION*
Comments
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Need a striker, and going to plump for the in form guy from Italy.
Antonio DI NATALE
Fantastic season in Serie A this season, with 28 goals, and certainly the on form striker in the Italian side.
Would bang the goals in for my side.0 -
Luis Suarez
It would be all to easy to belittle Luis Suarez’s goalscoring efforts in the Dutch Eredivisie and similar jibes were made of the likes of Ronaldo, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and the great Romario before they stepped up to the plate in other ‘bigger’ European leagues.
The 23 year old Ajax man scores goals for fun but what is most remarkable is the ability the Uruguayan has to put the ball in the back of the net in a number of different ways. From the simple tap in to a long range effort to a standard header from a set piece. Along with Diego Forlan the hopes of a nation rest and with veteran Sebastián Abreu also on hand to lead the attacks the South American side may well cause an upset or two.
With 39 goals for his Amsterdam employers this season there will be fewer more in form strikers at the World Cup this summer and Uruguay may have enough in them to make it out of a fairly average group.
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Ricardo Carvalho
For a period one of the very best defenders in the world, injuries have limited his gametime somewhat in recent seasons. When he plays though, he locks the opposition up. A great player.
Team thus far
Kaka
Mascherano
Carvalho0 -
Might be a bit early for him, but I think he's a fantastic player and will show it during this WC.A complete midfielder who would be at home in any of the top sides at club level, he can score and create goals. His role of captain at international level shows the level of influence he exudes at such a young age. One of the most promising midfielders in the world, he will provide a strong creative presence in my midfield and be able to showcase his goalscoring ability.
Marek Hamsik
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My next choice is Pepe of Real Madrid and Portugal.
This man is a top notch centre half and gives me real solidity to me outfit. Who can ever forget his performence against Barcelona in his debut season at Barcelona when he almost single handedly stopped Barca's attacks in a famous 1-0 win. Witness how solid Madrid were before he got injured in December. He never played for his native country Brazil but since Being capped by Portugal has been a pivotal figure at centre half or defensive midfielder. He scored a crucial winner against Hungary in qualification for SA and was also named on the UEFA team of the tournament at Euro 2008. I now have a relly good looking team with Pepe joining Samuel E'too and Franck Ribery. 0 -
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Florent Malouda
Now one of Chelsea's most important players, Malouda has been on fire for the past year, and is one of the most in form players in world football. I'll buffer this write up more later on, a bit busy at the moment.
My Picks:
1. Arjen Robben
2. Andrea Pirlo
3. Florent Malouda0 -
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Jose Manuel Reina
Pepe Reina
Reina is one of the top goalkeepers on the planet. I need to look after the spine of my team now and he makes the most sense. I watched him put on a wonderful display against Blackburn Rovers at Anfield this season, he did it many times. He is one of the few players that cannot take any blame for Liverpool's huge drop in form this term, if anything he was better than previously. He won't see much time in the World Cup but I honestly think that right now he is the best Spanish goalkeeper. I've been a huge fan of Ikor Casillas for a long, long time but I think he has just had his poorest season since he first claimed the Real Madrid no. 1 jersey.0 -
Esteban Matias Camisasso Deleau
Esteban Cambiasso
The unluckiest man not at the World Cup. Esteban Cambiasso was an automatic pick as the best player not in South Africa for the World Cup. People say he is a defensive midfielder and he is one of the best in that position and its the main reason I want him but there is so much more to him than that. He is an intelligent world class passer of the ball also, he is extremely fast, he can score goals, he is excellent at indirect free kicks and corners too. He solidifies my midfield. My next two picks will likely be centrebacks but they don't need to be the best in the world with this man in front of them making sure they don't have much to deal with. The spine of my team is nearly complete.
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My next pick is Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Sweden and Barcelona.The man is a genius. There is quite simply no other way of describing him. He is vastly underrated by followers of the English game and were this draft taking place in mainland Europe I have no doubt that he would have been the first player picked this round. However I'm more than happy to take him! Combined with Samuel E'too they have the makings of an awesome strikeforce. Both bring different qualities, E'too pace and strength, Ibrahimovic skill, height and guile. Added to the frightening duo we have possibly the world's best winger feeding them ball in Franck Ribery with a bit of defensive solidity at the back. My team is looking the strongest of the lot so far. Some people might argue that I have comprimised myself by having two stikers picked thus leaving me with little room in later picks but frankly I'm not all that worried because the strikers I have are so good it is worth sacrificing a little bit of solidity.
Zlatan has won 5 Serie A, although Juvents were later stripped of two of these titles. He won two Eredivise titles with Ajax and many other cups as well as personal awards such as Serie A top scorer, Serie A footballer of the year twice and best foreign player 3 times. He is captain of his country and has participated in two World Cups, 2002 and 2006 and two European Championships, 2004 and 2008.0 -
I'll take another forward to pair with Luis Fabiano up front.He has been in spectacular form for club and country over the last 2 years and has resulted in him being linked with the best clubs in the world.His goalscoring ability, in which he got 9 goals in qualifacation, almost resulted in Bosnia and Herzegovina beating Portugal and gettting to the WC.He will provide me with a very strong partnership up front and plenty of goals in my side
Edin Dzeko
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Javier Zanetti
One of the more baffling omissions from a World Cup roster in the history of the tournament. This season just gone, Zanetti made 55 appearances as captain of an Inter side that swept all before him. Despite turning 37 in August, Zanetti is still going strong, remaining one of the premier defensive wide players in the world. His ability to still get up and down the pitch and play the game in an explosive fashion is a testament to his freakish athleticism and extraordinary hard work down through the years. A model professional, Zanetti has simply been getting on with the business of winning down through the years with the minimum of fuss. You don't read scandal about him, you don't hear controversial statements before or after games. He does his talking on the pitch.
Zanetti adds to the composure and maturity of my team. He is an excellent reader of the game, with the footballing instincts and versatility to make an impact in a variety of roles and formations. He is the type to constantly make good decisions with the ball, helping a team to keep possession and control a game. And he is smart and committed as a defender, capable of facing down the best forwards in the game while rarely having disciplinary issues.
Over the course of a glittering career, he has amassed 136 caps for his country while winning 5 League titles with Inter aswell as the UEFA Cup and Champions League.
Yesterday, Argentina started their World Cup campaign with Jonas Gutierrez at right back. One could only scratch their heads and wonder what Zanetti made of it all.
Team thus far:
Ricardo Carvalho
Javier Zanetti
Javier Mascherano
Kaka0 -
Rio Ferdinand
Armed with elegance, pace and an astute ability to read the game, Rio Ferdinand is one of the finest defenders in world football.
Any England fan will tell you that the loss of their captain is a big blow to their world cup chances, losing the quality pace and power of Rio Ferdinand is something that they certainly would have rather not happened.
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England could have done with him in their squad, but i'm gonna add him to mine.
On his day still one of the best in the world, and a great addition to my midfield. Gets stuck in (though maybe should not!!) and a fantastic passer of the ball. A quality addition to my midfield.0 -
Luka Modric
I thaught this lad would be picked up early on in this round.
Delighted to have him in my team.
Has garnered interest from Man United recently and for good reason.
Has really established himself as one of the premier league's top playmakers,capable of operating as a classic CAM or on the left of midfield.
Missed a big chunk at the start of this season and he was clearly missed,Spurs looked a lot more potent going forward upon his return.
Capable of passing,crossing,and scoring goals,I'm delighted to have this key man in my team.0 -
This is a pick that could make or break my team. Some may argue that Beckham is passed his prime, but his leadership and crossing of the ball more than make up for his age. With 100 caps and 17 goals to his credit at international level, I'm delighted to add David Beckham to my World Cup XI.
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Alex
Unlucky to be dropped from the Brazil 30 despite a fabulous season for Chelsea. I've decided to use this round to pick a stellar defender who would add to any starting XI.
He's also got a rocket of a shot so set pieces will be a major threat
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Round 4 - Shay Given
First the thought process behind the pick. IMO there are only a handful of truly excllent keepers at the World Cup, a lot of which have been picked already. That, coupled with the fact that for outfield players pretty much all the 'superstars' worth shouting about are in South Africa, led me to decide on this pick to sort my keeper.
So, the man himself. Given has excelled at the top level for more than a decade first at Newcastle and now Manchester City. His shot stopping skills are unreal and he has a cool head on him.
He has won over 100 caps for his country and seen as a picture of reliability.
Like any goalkeeper he has his critics but the pros far out weigh the cons and I think I have picked up a huge asset by bringing him on board to complete the spine of my team.
Picks so far -
Given
Lucio
Lampard
Milito0 -
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PETR CECH
With 70 international caps, Cech brings a commanding presence to my backline. This guy has 3 Premier League titles and 3 FA Cups to his name. As an individual he was UEFAs best European goalkeeper in 2005, 2007 and 2008.
1. Petr Cech
3. Ashley Cole
4. Giorgio Chiellini
10. Cesc Fabregas0 -
Andrei Arshavin
One of the players I'm saddened won't be at the World Cup. A player who is always capable of producing something special, who is versatile, and who is an important player for Arsenal. His international record is well known having been one of the stars for Russia at Euro 2008 and being a hero in his homeland.
I think I'm right in saying he once complained that he didn't have a big target man in the mould of Drogba to play with at Arsenal. Well, he can play with him in my team.
Pick 1: Didier Drogba
Pick 2: Carles Puyol
Pick 3: Walter Samuel
Pick 4: Andrei Arshavin0 -
Round 4 - Pick 75
Igor Akinfeev
Two Russki's in a row! I decided to take a keeper this round as imo none of the keepers bar maybe one or two still available that are playing in the WC are good enough for a place in a team in the draft.
At the age of only 24 Akinfeev already has 40 caps for the Russian national team. Long touted with moves to top European clubs such as Manchester United, Chelsea, Inter and Arsenal many believe that this will be the year he leaves his hometown club of CSKA Moscow to ply his trade with a bigger club with CSKA looking to cash in before his contract runs out.
Brought into the fold of the CSKA first team at the age of only 17 question marks were raised over whether such a young keeper could be a viable option for such an important position as goalkeeper, he answered his doubters superbly and has racked up 177 appearances for the CSKA first team and is now their captain.
Blessed with cat like instincts he is a brilliant shot stopper and can make some truly outstanding saves. A move to a bigger club this year will really propel him into the media spotlight and I'd expect him to be recognised as one of the best in the business.
Trophy Cabinet:
* UEFA Cup winner: 1
o 2004/05, CSKA Moscow
* Russian Super Cup winner: 4
o 2004, CSKA Moscow
o 2006, CSKA Moscow
o 2007, CSKA Moscow
o 2009, CSKA Moscow
* Russian Cup winner: 4
o 2005, CSKA Moscow
o 2006, CSKA Moscow
o 2008, CSKA Moscow
o 2009, CSKA Moscow
* Russian Premier League winner: 3
o 2003, CSKA Moscow
o 2005, CSKA Moscow
o 2006, CSKA Moscow
* UEFA European Football Championship bronze medalist: 1
o 2008, Russian Federation
Of course we also all know him as a FM legend.0 -
Had to double check to make sure this guy wasnt picked,I hope I'm right!
Michael Ballack,German captain,would have made 100 caps if it werent for injury.He's now a free agent,no doubt there will be a host of clubs queueing up to sign him should he decide where he wants to play.He has won every domestic honour in both England and Germany as well as various individual awards such as getting in both World Cups he has played in's team of the tournament in 2002 and 2006.
Germany Kaiserslautern
* Bundesliga: 1997–98
Germany Bayern Munich
* Bundesliga: 2002–03, 2004–05, 2005–06
* DFB-Pokal: 2002–03, 2004–05, 2005–06
* DFB-Ligapokal: 2004
England Chelsea
* FA Cup: 2006–07, 2008–09, 2009–10
* Football League Cup: 2006–07
* FA Community Shield: 2009
* Premier League: 2009–10
1.David Villa
2.Dani Alves
3.Robinho
4.Michael Ballack0 -
My fourth pick is Darren Fletcher.
Captain of Scotland, and although initially written off by many, he has become Manchester United’s most influential midfielder – one of the first names on the teamsheet for any big game.
He has an outstanding work-rate and brilliant attitude. He can tackle, he can pass, he plays from box-to-box, and even pops up with the odd goal.
Provisionally, he’ll be my team captain.0 -
there are certain players I'm surprised weren't picked up in this round. mine is not necessarily one of them, in fact, it could be seen as one out of left-field slightly.
while, admittedly, probably a half a yard of pace past his prime, at 34 years of age, he's still one of the elite CBs in world football.
he has won everything there is to win in Italian and European football.
he was part of the apex of the Italian defence that won them the 2006 World Cup.
he is in international retirement, but there were calls for him to return after another splendid season for AC Milan, particularly over the last few months.
he will also complement Terry so perfectly it's just mouthwatering.
he is Alessandro Nesta.
1. Xavi
2. John Terry
3. Nicolas Anelka
4. Alessandro Nesta0 -
Seydou Keita
I'm delighted to have the engine of the Barcelona/Mali's Keita. Despite the wealth of talent at Barcelona (and particularly in his position) he had a good season at the La Liga club, making 44 appearences and scoring 6 goals. He brings some class to the centre of my midfield, with surging forward runs, very good passing ability, and the tendency to do this:
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Fabbio Cannavaro
World Cup winner. About to captain Italy in his fourth World Cup. The most capped player in the history of the Italian national team. The first defender to win World Player of the Year in 2006. I give you: Fabbio Cannavaro.
I can already hear the arguements of my esteemed opponents; he's old, his legs aren't there anymore, etc. But I fully believe that his tremendous reading of the game, his leadership, and his experience makes him a decent pick, and good value at Round 5. I admit that I'm not an avid follower of Serie A, so my knowledge of his form at Juventus this season is based mostly on hearsay. But I'm banking on Cannavaro having a good World Cup and proving that he was a decent pick at this stage.0 -
Milos Krasic
a vital cog in the highly impressive Serbian qualifying campaign; he like the rest of the Serbian team had an off day against Ghana, and will struggle to make it out of their World Cup group now.
however...
do not be mistaken. i have no doubt this man is the real deal, and has shown as much for CSKA Moskow this season. he has been heavily linked with Liverpool and Manchester United, and will command a fee of around £20m when he does leave for wherever he ends up..
he's just reaching his prime now at 26, he's a neat and tidy player, provides much needed trickery, and a stunning goal threat from the right hand side. Xavi will enjoy providing him with the space he needs.
1. Xavi Hernandez
2. John Terry
3. Nicolas Anelka
4. Alessandro Nesta
5. Milos Krasic0 -
No doubt i'll be accused of jumping on the bandwagon. I'll admit, i've only had limited opportunities to see this lad, but he's been very impressive each time i have.
My fifth pick is Mesut Ozil
My reasons for picking him are:
- his obvious technical ability, physical attributes and potential
- his impressive record in Germany despite his young age
- his performances for the national team, not least against Australia on his world cup debut
- I have one attacking midfield role to fill and to be honest, there isn't a lot of talent left. One of my considerations was Krasic (who was picked just before) and i considered one other. There's not a lot of depth beyond this imo until the legends round comes up.
I know there's an element of risk about this pick, and i know how some people will perceive it. But i think he'll fit brilliantly into a very exciting line up i have going:
X
X
X
X
Evra
X
Fletcher
Ozil
Gourcuff
Ronaldo---
X
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Round 5 - Pick 85
Rafeal van der Vaart
van der Vaart is the epitome of a Dutch player. Flighty, technically very good, loves getting on the ball and also has a mean shot. Capable of playing either on the left wing or in the middle he offers versatility and another real attacking threat to my team and with the likes of himself and Silva supplying Rooney I don't think coming across goals is going to be a problem. On top of a strike ratio of one in less than every five games he poses a goal threat himself.
The pace and trickery of van der Vaart running at a defence will be enough to scare most defenders, as well as pull them out of position to give more room to my other forward players and make a team pay. He is a real threat from free kicks and his corner taking ability will benefit my team hugely. On top of his attacking attributes van der Vaart is also an ultra competitive player who won't shirk out of making any tackles and himself and Rooney will really bring a lot to making the team a compact unit and turning the forward line into the first line of defence when the opposition have the ball.
Trophy Cabinet:
Ajax
- Eredivisie: 2001–02, 2003–04
- KNVB Cup: 2002
- Johan Cruijff-schaal: 2002
Hamburg
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2005
Real Madrid
- Supercopa de España: 2008Also did I mention that his bird is amazing:
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Hugo Lloris
It's easy to forget sometimes that it wasn't just Thierry Henry's handiwork that denied Ireland a place in the 2010 World Cup. After the play-off with Ireland the French media dubbed Hugo Lloris "Saint Lloris" due to his heroics.
Despite being just 23 years old he has firmly established himself as France's first choice goalkeeper and started France's opening game a few days ago, keeping a clean sheet versus Uruguay.
At club level he helped take Lyon to the Champions League Semi-Final and was instrumental in helping Lyon see off Bordeaux in the Quarter-Finals with a series of stunning saves. He has been named the goalkeeper of the year, and been in the team of the year, in France's Ligue 1 the past two seasons. Here's a good video showing what he can do (featuring his saves against Ireland):
I was worried I might miss out on a top goalkeeper in the game so I'm delighted to get a guy who I believe to be one of the world's best.
Pick 1: Didier Drogba
Pick 2: Carles Puyol
Pick 3: Walter Samuel
Pick 4: Andrei Arshavin
Pick 5: Hugo Lloris
Team thus far:
Drogba (1)
----Arshavin (4)
Samuel (3)----Puyol (2)
Lloris (5)
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MARK VAN BOMMEL
The first non-German to captain Bayern Munich, this man is an all-action midfielder who will get the tackles in, pick out a pass and is always likely to pop up with a goal. With van Bommel I am adding more leadership and another player who is used to success to my team.
Team so far:
1. Petr Cech
3. Ashley Cole
4. Giorgio Chiellini
8. Mark van Bommel
10. Cesc Fabregas0 -
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Round 5 - Angel Di Maria
I was like Santa on Christmas with this pick checking the list twice....then three and four times to make sure this guy was still available.
There aren't many good wingers left and after scouring the squads this ended up being a bit of a no brainer for me. I first saw Di Maria really play at the Olympics and he was class, scoring a beautiful goal in the final to win gold.
His club form has been equally impressive and he has been linked with a whole host of big clubs. He's exactly what I need down the left and fits perfectly into the team.
Team so far -
Given
Lucio
Di Maria
Lampard
Milito0 -
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As quality goalkeepers get snapped up quickly, I find myself taking one that I'm quite familiar with as an Everton supporter. Howard has consistently been in the top bracket of premier league goalkeepers since he moved from his nightmare at Man United. He's been outstanding at International level as well. A measure of his progress was a clean sheet against a Spanish side in the 2009 Confederations Cup who had not failed to score in a match since 2007. He commands his area excellently as well which is a must with a goalkeeper.
Tim Howard
Alex
Yaya Toure
Iniesta
Aguero0 -
Landon Donovan is one of the USA's best players at the minute. He is a prolific goal scorer (averages one goal every three games for USA). He not only scores buckets of goals, but scores great goals. There is so much I can do with him, I can partner him with van Persie up top or have him on the wing or as an attacking midfielder. He is huge acquisition to my World Cup XI.
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Michel Bastos
Surprised this lad hasn't been picked up yet.
One of the worlds better left backs,solid defensively and great going forward,with a rocket of a shot on him.
Has shown his best a few times this season with Lyon.
Not quite on the same level as Cashley Cole of course but still not a bad acquisition.
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Seeing as injuries don't matter in this game, I'm going for the best defender on show in the PL when he played last season.
Ledley King.
Pace, Strength, Reading of the game, Tackling ability - he is brilliant at it all.
As Jamie would say, a TOP TOP defender.0 -
Alexis Sanchez
I was looking to let this one slip under the radar for another pick at least but based on todays performance im afraid he will get snapped up soon:
On the back of an amazing season for Udinese he is representing Chile for his 4th year at the age of 21 and has garnered interest from Real Madrid and Manchester United.
He is known as "El Niño Maravilla" (the Wonder Boy), and im sure he will turn a few heads at this tournament.
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Dejan Stankovic
This season just gone, Stankovic made 43 appearances for an all conquering Inter side. He has played in six league winning sides during his career, and for two elevens that won European club competitions. He has been capped 90 times for his country. For a player who never ever gets mentioned as a top European talent, he has certainly carved out a very respectable career for himself.
Stankovic is an industrious, chippy professional with a sweet left boot. He is physically strong and willing to throw his body on the line for the cause. He rarely dominates games all by himself, but he has been doing a job for winning teams for over a decade now. You can depend on him to fill a role in a great team and perform to a very high level. Stankovic is the perfect compliment to the marquee names I already have on board.
Team Thus Far:
Ricardo Carvalho
Javier Zanetti
Javier Mascherano
Dejan Stankovic
Kaka0 -
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Joan Capdevilla
He's a pretty good left back.Very good going forward, and will provide width on the left like Maicon will on the right.He's a steady defender too and will limit the threat of some of the wingers he'll be up against.0 -
My next pick is Glen Johnson of Liverpool and England. At this stage in proceddings quality full backs are going to be rather difficult to come by. He was bought by Liverpool for £17 million last summer from Portsmouth and as far as I'm concerned was most surely worth it. He bombs up and down that right flank and created numerous goals for Liverpool and scored the odd one himself as he gave Liverpool a dimension thay had previously been lacking. He has matured a lot as a footballer since his time at Chelsea and this is seen as Fabio Capello has him as his undisputed right back. A quality addition to my already fearsome outfit of E'too, Ribery, Pepe and Ibrahimovic.0 -
Proxy for Bounty Hunter
Imo he was vastly underated at Chelsea until Boswingwa's injury this year after which he proved himself to be argueably the best RB in the premiership. However he is also a CB and plays there for his national side, infact it is usually suggested that he is actually better in this position so he will give me options in defense. Therefore I give you my next pick and my first defender...Branislav Ivanovic
Team so far
GK: Iker Casillas
RB/CB: Branislav Ivanovic
CM: Gennaro Gattuso
CM: Juan Roman Riquelme
ST: Gonzalo Higuain0 -
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Lukas Podolski
I had to check every page three times to make sure he wasn't gone. He can play up front, he can play on the left but wherever he plays for Germany you will see goals. Power, pace and vision the man is just incredible. He has 39 goals in 74 appearances for his country which is just ridiculous. Most of you will be shocked to learn that he is only 25 years of age, its seems like he has been around a long time and with 74 internationals he has been around for a while alright. He will play down the left on my team and will also add more depth at free kicks and penalties. I'm delighted to have Lukas Podolski a total footballer to my team.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwfUovYA33E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScIHDGtVdk4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5NfTTk-F5I
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0rwpfIwDj0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiQ4L0E0AGA
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HY9FoCNlSsM
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