Premier League

MAURICIO POCHETTINO has told his Chelsea players exactly how to nullify Everton’s attacking threat when the two sides meet on Sunday.The Blues boss has strictly instructed his team to avoid giving away cheap free-kicks and corners.
Mauricio Pochettino has told his team to avoid conceding cheap free kicksCredit: Getty
Everton are the tallest team on average in the Premier LeagueCredit: Getty
That’s because Everton are statistically the tallest team in the Premier League, boasting an average height of 1.85 metres per player, or just over 6ft.
Pochettino said: “It can be a problem but we need to be more aggressive and we need to avoid conceding chances by corners and giving away free-kicks.
“We need to be clever in the way that we are going to work and try to stop them. But yes, it can be a problem but maybe not.
“You never know because in football it’s about the way you approach the game with your attitude and being clever.
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“It’s about stopping the opponent from using their strengths.”
Pochettino also expressed his frustration at Chelsea’s failure to defend crosses.
Reflecting on the Blues’ 2-1 defeat to Manchester United this week, he went on to add: “Two things that are important to know, we didn’t put pressure on the crosser to try and avoid crosses. If the ball is there, it’s difficult to stop.
“We are working on these types of situations and we need to improve. Conceding this way, I’m not showing too much but I am really upset because we need to work much more.
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“It’s organisation and desire because we need to stop the crosser.
“It’s not a case of ‘it’s not my problem’ because it’s so hard for the defensive line to defend these types of situations once the ball comes in.”
Chelsea’s defeat to Man Utd left them 10th in the Premier League table, 11 points adrift of the top four.
Meanwhile, Everton jumped out of the relegation zone for the first time since their 10-point deduction on Thursday with a 3-0 win over Newcastle. More

JORGINHO has won the Champions League, European Championship and come third in the Ballon d’Or during his illustrious career.He is aiming to add a Premier League title to his already-enviable trophy collection with Arsenal this season.
Jorginho has become a Premier League stalwart with Arsenal and ChelseaCredit: Getty
The 31-year-old won the Champions League with ChelseaCredit: Getty
The Italian tasted Euro 2020 gloryCredit: Getty
But his career nearly ended before it had even got off the ground when he was betrayed by someone that he thought had been looking after his best interests.
Born in Brazilian coastal town Imbituba, Jorginho moved to Italy as a teenager in order to chase his football dream.
During his early years in Hellas Verona’s academy he had to make do with very little while living in a monastery.
Little did he know that things needn’t have been so difficult.
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Opening up while appearing on the The Athletic Football Podcast., Jorginho revealed: “Basically I went to Italy, I was getting 20 euros per week, I was living in a monastery.
“We wouldn’t see the priest, there was one part with the priest but there was this other part with a corridor of bedrooms for students and young players – I used to live in there with five boys.
“There were six of us in the room and we were treated so well. We had breakfast, lunch and dinner there and at that point when I went there I was 15.
“We used to live with 20 euros per week for one-and-a-half years. After one-and-a-half years I found out that the agent took money. I don’t want to say how much, but in that situation it was a lot.
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“I found out. I went crazy, for me, football was over in that moment. I wanted to go back home. I wanted to give up. I called home crying and I said ‘this is enough for me’.”
Luckily for the midfielder, his nearest and dearest talked him around.
“I missed so much, I missed my teenage years, I missed my friends, my family,” he added.
“I missed home and I’m living with 20 euros per week. I can’t help my mum and my dad so what am I doing here?
“I called home crying and fortunately I had parents who said no to me. They said you’ve come to far now so you’re not coming back.
“At that time I was training with the first team, I was 17 and I was training with the first team and my parents said no, you are too close, you cannot give up now.
“They convinced me to stay fortunately and then things started to change.”
On his former agent, he added: “I was 17 and I didn’t have a pre-contract, nothing. In that situation it was unusual because another boy had one even though he wasn’t training with the first team.
“I asked my agent why I didn’t have a pre-contract and he used to say, ‘sorry, they don’t want to do one for you.’
“Then I met one of my best friends and he spoke to his agent about it. It came out that basically the team would speak with him because I was underage – he would ask for more money and tell me that the team didn’t want to have a contract.
“I consider myself a good guy and I thought my dad was right, this world wasn’t right for me. But then I met good people.”
During a previous piece for the Players’ Tribune, Jorginho recounted the reality of life in Hellas Verona’s academy.
He said: “I’d go to the main square in Verona and buy a milkshake at McDonald’s.
“It cost one euro. Fries? Burger? Forget it, man! Happy Meals were for the rich kids.”
Jorginho, now 31, went on to burst onto the scene with Hellas Verona’s first team, earning a switch to Napoli in 2014.
After nearly winning the Serie A title, the midfielder followed Maurizio Sarri to Chelsea in 2018.
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Four-and-a-half years later he moved to Arsenal, where he is currently thriving under Mikel Arteta.
The midfielder began his career with Hellas VeronaCredit: Getty Images – Getty More

MANCHESTER UNITED legend Rio Ferdinand has hit back at Antony after the Brazilian criticised pundits for making “unfair and malicious” comments about him.Antony, 23, recently accused several pundits of failing to offer him support through “turbulence” amid his poor run of form.
Antony has accused pundits of making ‘malicious’ comments about himCredit: Reuters
Rio Ferdinand insists the criticism is just part of the gameCredit: Alamy
He also argued that they choose to make “malicious” comments rather than give constructive criticism.
Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Rio Ferdinand are among the former players that have lambasted the winger.
But Ferdinand has urged Antony to stop moaning as it is “part of” football.
The former defender told Vibe with FIVE: “Listen, Giggsy was getting booed at times.
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“Ryan Giggs! So I see people like Antony chatting in the paper about where’s the support and players not having the type of pressures I’ve had.
“I haven’t seen him get booed at Old Trafford yet. Ryan Giggs was getting booed week in and week out for a sustained amount of time. Let that sink in! And these man are talking about pressure.
“It’s different times and different pressures but it’s similar across the board and it’s about how you deal with pressure.  
“I wasn’t looking for no support from people, I had pressure when I came back from my drugs ban and I had to play, you think I weren’t under pressure to perform?
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Ferdinand recalled the period when Ryan Giggs received boos from the Man Utd crowdCredit: AFP
“You think I didn’t have all eyes on me every minute of the day? In training, in the matches, off the pitch do you think there weren’t paparazzi following me everywhere?
“I wasn’t moaning, this is part of it, this is Manchester United, this is what this emblem brings. It brings an extra level of pressure that a lot of other clubs bar the Real Madrids of this world don’t really feel.
“When you walk into the door at that club there’s going to be every type of pressure you can feel, or you didn’t even dream you could feel.
“Listen, I sympathise with Antony in some of things, he’s had a few big issues off the pitch. But listen, us ex-players, we ain’t a vindictive bunch, we’re not a personal bunch. None of us have called him out personally, we’re just saying what we see.”
Ferdinand went on to add: “If there’s a player [that] isn’t doing and we think he should be doing, we’re within our rights in the job that we do to call it out. Simple as that.
“Listen, how many of these players are going to accept a DM from most of these guys who are talking?
“Listen bruv you need to sort yourself out, you need to start doing this or doing that. You think man are going to call you back and thank you for it? I doubt it very much.”
Antony has made 15 appearances so far this season but is yet to score or assist any goals. More