Schneiderlin wants to do old boss a favour
GIVING Mauricio Pochettino a helping hand in the title race is added incentive for Morgan Schneiderlin when Everton face Chelsea this afternoon.
The Tottenham boss had a big role in establishing Schneiderlin as a top midfielder during their time together at Southampton.
After an unhappy spell at Manchester United, Schneider lin moved to Merseyside while the Argentinian headed for North London.
With Chelsea having a four- point lead over Spurs, the French midfielder knows that victory at Goodison Park would blow the title race wide open.
“Pochettino ( right) changed how I see football and how I look at myself,” he reflects.
“What he is doing as a manager at Tottenham is amazing. When I was at Southampton, everyone liked him.
“We still have a good relationship and I hope that he gets the title this season. If not, I am sure he is going to win it in the next few years.
“But you don’t need to be good at maths to know that if we beat Chelsea and Spurs win against Arsenal, the gap is one point.
“After that, there are only four games left for them. Everything is possible in football and I am sure Spurs think that way.
“Our job is to win, and after that we will see what happens. But it is up to Chelsea and Tottenham to keep up the momentum.
“I haven’t played against Chelsea yet this season, but Tottenham are the team that has impressed me most.
“Tthey play the more attractive football. When I watch them, I just say: ‘ Wow’. It’s very entertaining.” But getting the better of the league leaders will be no easy task as Schneiderlin will come up against the PFA Player of the Year, N’Golo Kante, in midfield.
He voted for his fellow Frenchman and knows all about his qualities from facing him and being team-mates for France.
“We all saw his performances last year for Leicester, but I had heard of him before that. He was playing very well for Caen in France,” he says.
“The first time I met him was with the French squad. He does his talking on the pitch.
“Off it he is very shy and he doesn’t talk a lot – but he always does his job.
“He runs and runs, he gets the ball back and he plays simple but good passes.
“He doesn’t make many mistakes and he deserves to be Player of the Year.
“He impresses me with the way he handles things.
“He has won the title with Leicester and now he might win it with Chelsea.
“Of course, N’Golo scores few goals but the thing he does best is reading the game, making tackles and intercepting passes.
“He gets up and down and gives good stability to the players in front of him, like Eden Hazard and Diego Costa. That’s what Chelsea need. “Every team needs players to do the things N’Golo does.” Winning at Goodison is far from a given for Chelsea, as Everton have lost only once there all season.
Schneiderlin has also been a lucky charm since his arrival in January, only being on the losing side once, and he has settled in seamlessly.
“Life is about taking chances and opportunities,” he admits.
“I was very happy and very proud to play for Manchester United but I did not play a lot.
“It’s very nice to have writing on Wikipedia that you play for United but who cares when you’re not playing!
“I am 100% happy with my choice to come to Everton. It was the best choice I could have made.
“I am enjoying football again. I am very happy with my team-mates and the fans and I am just glad to be at this club.”
Morgan Schneiderlin was visiting St. Aloysius Catholic Primary School as part of Premier League Primary Stars, a national education programme that uses the appeal of the Premier League and football clubs to inspire children. Find out more at www.PLPrimaryStars.com