Anthony Gordon and Dwight McNeil have been busy on and off the pitch this week.
Pictures from Finch Farm show the pair taking on Ashley Cole - the first-team coach armed with a body pad - in specialist drills as Frank Lampard's side prepare for the upcoming clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers. Blues boss Lampard would lay the ball to their feet and they would have to protect it from Cole before eventually turning him and shooting.
The work comes as both are tasked with helping to address the side's goalscoring issues in the second part of the campaign. Away from the training complex they have also been hard at work, dedicating their spare time to helping others.
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Anthony Gordon was filling shopping trolleys at Asda in Bootle on Thursday morning before personally delivering the haul of food and toiletries to Everton in the Community's weekly food market at its Blue Base on County Road. The initiative is an invaluable pillar of support to families in the L4 area and Gordon's generosity was well-received - as was his presence as he joked with those reliant upon the service while helping them with their shopping.
On Friday he posted to Instagram a checklist of the items most valued by food pantry and foodbank schemes, potentially inspiring some of his audience of 140,000 followers to do the same. Gordon wrote alongside this: "The work they do at the Blue Base is amazing and, although we shouldn't live in a world where we need them, I'm very proud to help the area I grew up in."
I was at the Blue Base with Gordon and, in chatting to him and watching him interact with others, it was clear this was something that meant a lot to him. Top-level footballers are always under scrutiny and everything they do is the subject of attempts to interpret their actions and what it might mean about them as people. Much has been read into the 21-year-old's collection of yellow cards this season. But away from the cameras I've seen a young player who always appears to have the patience to engage - from giving his training shirt to a young fan after warming up following being dropped, to being the last to leave fan training sessions in Australia because he is willing to speak to everyone who wants to meet him.
Meanwhile, McNeil and his partner Meg were working in support of Radio City's Cash 4 Kids campaign this week. They bought and delivered gifts before volunteering their time to help prepare the parcels, which will be sent to children who may otherwise not receive a present this Christmas. In McNeil's case this is just one of several causes he is helping this Christmas as he dedicates his time, attention and money to supporting some of Merseyside's most vulnerable people.
Neither player sought publicity for their actions - both approached their club and expressed a desire to help. The reason I know about their efforts is because the organisations need to raise awareness about their valuable work and with the support of a footballer comes an opportunity for their important appeals and messages to be spread far and wide. Footballers are so often demonised and criticised by people and politicians looking to distract from wider issues. Gordon and McNeil are examples that Everton have players keen to help the areas they receive so much support from.
That support comes amid a cost of living crisis and for that reason it is even more important that football's governing bodies listen to the calls led by Everton's Fan Advisory Board for a price cap on cup tickets for travelling fans. Away tickets in the Premier League are limited to £30 but Blues heading to Old Trafford for the FA Cup third round game with Manchester United are facing prices of up to £46. The inconsistency in pricing is frustrating and, as ever, it is the football fan that loses out.
The Blues selling out their 9,400 allocation is sensational at this time of year, during this time of financial hardship. But that loyalty should not be taken for granted, a price cap similar to the one in place in the league surely makes sense for both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
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