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Mauricio Pochettino called for Chelsea’s fans to believe and show trust in his side after Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Brentford left them in the bottom half of the Premier League table. The Stamford Bridge crowd booed Chelsea off at full-time against the Bees after a third home defeat piled pressure on Pochettino. The Chelsea boss understands the supporters’ frustration and suggested other reasons behind their inconsistent performances. Speaking ahead of Chelsea’s Carabao Cup last-16 clash against Blackburn on Wednesday, Pochettino said: “I think they need to be with us and I know it’s difficult to keep your feelings and it’s normal. “The fans want to win and are frustrated and they show emotion but the message is to believe and to show trust in us and for sure it’s about the process of trusting and believing. “There are so many details, what has happened (which contributed to Chelsea’s form) and you always need some luck. “One of the situations that happened is the injury of Christopher Nkunku – he is a player we signed with an objective to provide the team and to help put us in a different position. “In some games we created chances and did not score, we did not get what we deserved. I think we deserve more if we talk about our performance. We need to be more aggressive. “In the last game we created chances and we were better than Brentford who blocked very low. “It’s not enough and we need to criticise ourselves at the moment.” The message is to believe and to show trust in us Mauricio Pochettino A Carabao Cup trophy would soften the blow of Chelsea’s poor start to the 2023-24 campaign. Pochettino highlighted the importance of both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup and insisted that he will field a strong team in a bid to advance to the quarter-finals. He added: “It’s really important. The FA Cup and the Carabao Cup are really important for us and tomorrow (against Blackburn) we will play with our best team, some players need a rest after Saturday’s game so we cannot take risks.” Reece James has come off the bench in recent weeks as part of his recovery from a hamstring injury he sustained in August. And Pochettino confirmed the Blues skipper will start at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday. He said: “I can confirm he is going to start. The captain is ready, which is good for the team and good for him to start from the beginning of the game and we will check on him and see how he’ll perform.” Read More Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior signs new contract until 2027 Dawid Malan shifts blame away from England head coach Matthew Mott Captain Siya Kolisi says Springboks’ World Cup win was ‘for every South African’ Warren Gatland backs Andy Farrell to be next British and Irish Lions head coach England wing Jonny May announces his retirement from Test rugby Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova joins in with criticism of WTA Finals

Brazil forward Vinicius Junior has agreed a new contract extension with Real Madrid until the summer of 2027. Vinicius’ previous contract was set to expire in 2024, and it has been reported an updated deal – said to include a 1billion euro (£873,500m) release clause – had been agreed for some time before being made public. In a video clip on Real’s social media, Vinicius said: “Hello Madrid fans, I am very happy to renew my contract. It is a dream for me. “I hope I can continue here for many years, scoring many goals and winning many titles. Thank you very much for the love. Hala Madrid!” A short statement on the club’s official website read: “Real Madrid and Vini Jr have agreed to extend the player’s contract, which remains linked to the club until June 30, 2027.” After starting his career with Flamengo, Vinicius, 23, joined Real as an 18-year-old and has gone on to make 235 first-team appearances, scoring 63 goals. Vinicius has won the LaLiga title twice as well as the Champions League in 2022, with his goal securing a 1-0 win over Liverpool in Paris. At Monday night’s Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris, Vinicius was presented with the Socrates Award for his work to fight social inequality in Brazil and the ongoing battle against racism. Following defeat in El Clasico, reports emerged some Barcelona supporters had directed racist abuse towards the Real forward. Speaking about the ongoing issues when accepting his award, Vinicius said: “It’s boring to have to talk about racism all the time, but it’s an important thing and I will talk about it as often as I have to. “To have people abuse me at different stadiums is sad. I hope things can change, they are getting better. “(But) LaLiga, UEFA and FIFA can do more to make sure these people are not here among us.” Read More Dawid Malan shifts blame away from England head coach Matthew Mott Captain Siya Kolisi says Springboks’ World Cup win was ‘for every South African’ Warren Gatland backs Andy Farrell to be next British and Irish Lions head coach England wing Jonny May announces his retirement from Test rugby Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova joins in with criticism of WTA Finals On this day in 2011: Graham Henry steps down as New Zealand coach

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Vinicius Junior signs new long-term contract at Real Madrid. committing his future to the club until 2027.

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Eddie Howe denied Newcastle are on a revenge mission against Manchester United in the Carabao Cup as the Magpies boss weighs up his diminishing options for the fourth-round clash. Newcastle’s long wait for a first domestic trophy since 1955 was extended by Erik ten Hag’s United, who claimed a 2-0 victory in last season’s final between the teams at Wembley in February. United have been in patchy form this season and come into Tuesday’s encounter at Old Trafford reeling from being outclassed in the Manchester derby at the weekend as City walked away with a 3-0 win. But Howe anticipates Premier League form can be parked to one side for now, with both sides set to ring the changes, and he was adamant vengeance for eight months ago is not a motivation ahead of the trip. Howe said: “That’s not our emotion as I sit here now. Our emotion is just to try to prepare and win the game. One win and we’re into the quarter-final of the competition. We loved our run in it last year. “Manchester United are a top team with top players. One of the key tests of any team is how you respond to setbacks. That’s always what you’re looking to do when you’re in the manager’s position. “They’ve got some very good results lately and have won some games late. Whenever you play Manchester City, as we know they’re very, very difficult games. “When you go into a cup tie, to a degree you leave that form behind. This is a one-off game and I’m sure both teams will be motivated to try and win.” Injuries to several first-team players – including Alexander Isak, Harvey Barnes and Jacob Murphy – have been exacerbated by Sandro Tonali being handed a 10-month ban for breaching betting rules. Joe Willock has made a couple of substitute appearances since a long injury lay-off and Callum Wilson and Joelinton have shrugged off issues of their own, but Howe is wary of overburdening some players. Howe admitted he is uncharted territory as the Champions League has increased Newcastle’s workload – they play Borussia Dortmund next week after welcoming Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday. He said: “You just have to roll with the punches, absorb the hits and that’s what we’re going to try to do. It’s not ideal for us, especially with the season to last year – it’s a totally different feel. “We’re not in that position now so we’re going to need everybody in the squad to step up. The key message is everyone has to give a bit more. To not use our squad (on Tuesday) would be really foolish. “(Last season) whet the appetite for us, we want this on a more regular basis, we’re determined to get back there. That’s the challenge for us – can we? Tomorrow will dictate what we do in this competition. “It’s going to be a bit of a juggling act for us, but we do have the players that can be flexible and can play different positions. It’s one of the strengths of our squad.” Anthony Gordon could be up front in place of Wilson while Lewis Hall may start, having struggled for minutes since moving to Tyneside, initially on loan with an obligation to buy, from Chelsea. Howe added: “He has a big role. He’s a talented player, he can play various positions for us which in our current position we’re going to need. The best is yet to come, without a doubt. “He’s been training well and adapting to quite a big change in his life so for such a young player to move from London and settle in here, I think he’s done it well.” Read More Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova joins in with criticism of WTA Finals On this day in 2011: Graham Henry steps down as New Zealand coach Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum combine to keep Boston Celtics perfect Detroit Lions bounce back to beat Las Vegas Raiders Iga Swiatek recovers from slow start for opening win at WTA Finals Corey Seager fires Texas Rangers to win in World Series game three

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Emiliano Martinez was booed at the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris on Monday night as he collected the best goalkeeper’s Yashin Trophy. Martinez thwarted France in the 2022 World Cup final, making a crucial one-on-one save from Randal Kolo Muani in extra time to take the game to penalties, before making two more saves in the shootout to help clinch Argentina’s first World Cup since 1986. The Aston Villa goalkeeper was criticised in the aftermath of the final, however, for his overzealous celebrations when he was pictured carrying a doll of France captain Kylian Mbappe during the trophy parade in Buenos Aires. Martinez arrived at Ballon d’Or ceremony to chants of “Mbappe!” outside the venue. Later, after receiving his award from his father on stage, boos could be heard as he was interviewed by host Didier Drogba while a video played his famous save from Kolo Muani in the background. Martinez’s teammate Lionel Messi won a record eighth Ballon d'Or for the best player in the world, beating Norway's Uefa player of the year and treble winner Erling Haaland of Manchester City to the prestigious prize. The 36-year-old is now three Ballons d’Or clear of rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who won the last of his five trophies in 2017. Messi has now finished among the top three a record 14 times in total, finishing runner-up on five occasions. “I couldn’t imagine having the career that I’ve had. Everything that I’ve achieved. The fortune I’ve had playing for the best team in the world, the best team in history. It’s nice to win these individual trophies. To win the Copa America and then the World Cup, to get it done is amazing,” Messi said. “All of them (Ballon d’Or awards) are special for different reasons,” he added. “I’m happy to get that recognition that I'm getting thanks to what we have achieved with the national team,” Messi told Reuters. “This (World Cup) title we had been aiming for for so many years makes it even more special.” Asked if he would carry on until the 2026 World Cup, Messi said: “I don't think about it. I’ll enjoy (my career) day by day. There will first be the Copa America in the United States (in 2024). (The World Cup), I don’t think about it.” Spain’s World Cup winner and Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati won the women’s Ballon d’Or. “It’s an individual trophy but it can’t exist without a team,” she said. Messi, who won his first Ballon d'Or in 2009 and claimed four in a row until 2012, finished second to Haaland at the Uefa awards in August. Haaland, 23, was one of the firm favourites for his first Ballon d'Or after scoring 52 goals in 53 matches in all competitions last season as City won the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup. But Argentina's magical run at the World Cup in Qatar, where Messi earned the Golden Ball for best overall player and Silver Boot (seven goals and three assists), helped him pip the Norwegian striker to the award. The World Cup was the only major trophy missing from Messi's resume as Argentina made amends for losing the 2014 final to Germany while in March he became only the third player in history to score 100 international goals. Messi also won the Ligue 1 title with Paris St Germain before moving to Inter Miami, where he helped the Major League Soccer side win the Leagues Cup -- their first major trophy. Real Madrid and England midfielder Jude Bellingham won the Kopa Trophy for the best Under-21 player, while club team mate Vinicius Jr was awarded the Socrates Award for his humanitarian work off the pitch. Additional reporting by Reuters Read More Lionel Messi leaves the Ballon d’Or stage with his legacy complete Football is about to enter the ‘Jude Bellingham era’ Messi wins record eighth Ballon d’Or as Bonmati and Bellingham also pick up awards Ballon d’Or Awards LIVE: Latest updates as Messi and Bonmati win Georgia Stanway disappointed to miss ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ Ballon d’Or ceremony Sir Bobby Charlton: England’s greatest ever player and the artist of 1966