SID’S PLOTTING TO SOCK IT TO UNITED
EVERTON’S Djibril Sidibe is part of the best WhatsApp group in football.
Paul Pogba’s in it, so are Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and Hugo Lloris.
The group is called “Les Champions du Monde 2018”.
Its 23 members are reigning world champions, the men who lifted the World Cup for France.
When Sidibe steps out for Carlo Ancelotti’s Toffees against Manchester United at Goodison today, the defender could well be up against a player who missed out on being part of that elite band of brothers: Anthony Martial.
The United striker is an injury doubt after failing a fitness test prior to Thursday’s Europa
League defeat of Club Bruges.
But Martial has scored in United’s last two Premier League games, after rising to the challenge of spearheading Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s top-four push in Marcus Rashford’s absence.
Sidibe said: “I played for Lille against Anthony at Monaco, and with him on the French national team, so I am aware of how much of a handful he can be.
“If he plays, it is going to be a hard game for me.
“Now he is more experienced in the Premier League I think he is an even bigger danger.
“And because they have players missing, such as Rashford, Pogba and Jesse Lingard, he has an increased level of responsibility.
“Sometimes, if you know someone, you will have a bit of a chat and some mickey-taking with them in the tunnel.
“But on the pitch it gets serious – and the biggest thing, as a defender, is to win your first one-to-one individual battle.
“You let him know that you’re there and you mean business.
“If you establish yourself with that first contact, first challenge, go in hard, then he knows that he’s in for a difficult time.
“Go in physically hard, then psychologically you’ve also made your mark.”
Sidibe followed Martial to the Premier League in a loan deal from Monaco last summer.
He wants to make his stay at Goodison more permanent – despite literally being told by his manager to pull his socks up.
Sidibe got a close-up view of Ancelotti’s famously arched eyebrow after being told he was going on as a first-half substitute in the Blues’ 3-1 defeat of Crystal Palace last month.
Sidibe recalled: “I had tracksuit bottoms on when we were warming up before the game – and had only put one sock on!
“I only realised when the manager told me I was going on that my other sock was still in the dressing room.
“I even thought about asking Moise Kean to give me his socks but thought it would look a bit stupid. Thankfully, the manager could laugh about it.
“The next morning, when I turned up for training, he said, ‘Have you remembered your socks today?’, still taking the mickey.
“It is a small example of why I have loved my time here. Everton is like a real family.”