Barcelona loom large in any analysis of Manuel Pellegrini’s managerial career. Sadly for the beleaguered Chilean, they have been a roadblock to his ambitions. Albeit indirectly, they caused him to lose one elite job. They may direct him to the exit again.
Perhaps Pellegrini’s time at Manchester City will be book ended, though in different ways, by Barcelona. There is a theory that the Catalans were considering appointing him when Tito Vilanova stood down. City beat Barcelona to Pellegrini’s services in 2013.
Defeating them on the field has proved altogether harder. Back-to-back Uefa Champions League campaigns have pitted Pellegrini’s team with one of Europe’s superpowers.
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Three games have brought three City red cards and three Barcelona wins. If they complete a grand slam tonight, Pellegrini will probably be denied a fifth chance.
His appeal to City rested partly on his track record of taking clubs to territory they had not charted in Europe, but the Premier League champions seem set to stall in the last 16 again.
Pellegrini was a semi-finalist with Villarreal and a quarter-finalist with Malaga – and in each case, could have reached the next stage – but his continental returns are diminishing.
His prowess with Villarreal earned him the Real Madrid job. He secured a then club-record points total in his first season, just as his debut year at City saw them score a record 156 goals.
Yet because of Barcelona, Madrid did not win the Primera Liga and he was dismissed.
Because of Barcelona, City’s European campaign will be curtailed, unless they somehow overturn a 2-1 deficit, and another dismissal may beckon.
The sense is that Pellegrini comes up short too often against the best. If his sides have rarely been favourites against Barcelona, a record of four wins in 25 attempts is unpromising.
If City played well during last season’s 2-1 defeat at Camp Nou, Pellegrini’s tactics contributed to both home reverses. City were too cautious last season, too reckless this.
Pellegrini’s obstinate faith in 4-4-2 left him looking naive when City granted a numerical advantage in the centre of midfield to the world’s most precise passers. It was a schoolboy error by a 61-year-old manager.
It would be astonishing if Pellegrini replicates those tactics, not least because target man Edin Dzeko was dreadful at Burnley on Saturday, and yet he has played 4-4-2 in each of their last five games.
A visit to Barcelona calls for a 4-2-3-1 formation. Pellegrini has not trialled it of late.
He has seemed more stubborn in his systemic preference even when his decision-making, such as the removals of David Silva and Yaya Toure when City required a goal at Turf Moor, has grown more erratic. The sense is that pressure has not brought the best from Pellegrini.
Nor, indeed, has the competition where he was supposed to be a specialist. City procured 15 points in the group stages last season and salvaged a remarkable recovery to reach the knockout stages this, but they have failed too many of the tougher tests.
Pellegrini has overseen two of their three wins against Bayern Munich, but each came against a weakened team.
It is why the search for a breakthrough victory continues. Considering the context, December’s 2-0 success against Roma at the Stadio Olimpico ranks as the modern-day City’s best European result.
Perhaps it only delayed an exit that may feel inevitable: both City’s from the Champions League and, barring a remarkable turnaround in the Premier League title race, potentially Pellegrini’s from the club.
Thus far, the evidence is that they have regressed domestically. That had to be balanced by progress on the continent which, in turn, implies a quarter-final place.
But Barcelona stand in Pellegrini’s way. They often seem to.
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Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
OIL PLEDGE
At the start of Russia's invasion, IEA member countries held 1.5 billion barrels in public reserves and about 575 million barrels under obligations with industry, according to the agency's website. The two collective actions of the IEA this year of 62.7 million barrels, which was agreed on March 1, and this week's 120 million barrels amount to 9 per cent of total emergency reserves, it added.
A meeting of young minds
The 3,494 entries for the 2019 Sharjah Children Biennial come from:
435 – UAE
2,000 – China
808 – United Kingdom
165 – Argentina
38 – Lebanon
16 – Saudi Arabia
16 – Bangladesh
6 – Ireland
3 – Egypt
3 – France
2 – Sudan
1 – Kuwait
1 – Australia
THE DETAILS
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Dir: Ron Howard
Starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson
3/5
SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
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Visa changes give families fresh hope
Foreign workers can sponsor family members based solely on their income
Male residents employed in the UAE can sponsor immediate family members, such as wife and children, subject to conditions that include a minimum salary of Dh 4,000 or Dh 3,000 plus accommodation.
Attested original marriage certificate, birth certificate of the child, ejari or rental contract, labour contract, salary certificate must be submitted to the government authorised typing centre to complete the sponsorship process
In Abu Dhabi, a woman can sponsor her husband and children if she holds a residence permit stating she is an engineer, teacher, doctor, nurse or any profession related to the medical sector and her monthly salary is at least Dh 10,000 or Dh 8,000 plus accommodation.
In Dubai, if a woman is not employed in the above categories she can get approval to sponsor her family if her monthly salary is more than Dh 10,000 and with a special permission from the Department of Naturalization and Residency Dubai.
To sponsor parents, a worker should earn Dh20,000 or Dh19,000 a month, plus a two-bedroom accommodation
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The years Ramadan fell in May
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
