Juventus begin their Fifa Club World Cup campaign against Al Ain on June 19 looking to rebuild after a season that collapsed in disastrous fashion after a promising start.
The match at Audi Field in Washington, DC provides the UAE club with a real test when they take on one of European football's most illustrious clubs in a challenging Group G that also features Manchester City and Wydad AC.
So, what can Al Ain expect from the Serie A giants? As Pep Guardiola once said, the Bianconeri are “a truly great club," the most decorated in Italian football with a record 36 Scudettos, while boasting the country’s largest fan base.
However, this season has proved to be a challenging one for the Turin side.
Juventus launched a new project last summer following Massimiliano Allegri’s sacking just two days after leading the side to a Coppa Italia final triumph over Atalanta.
Nearly €200 million was spent in the transfer market on the likes of midfielders Teun Koopmeiners and Douglas Luiz, both for around €50m.
Thiago Motta, who had just guided Bologna to fifth in Serie A and Uefa Champions League qualification, was brought in to replace Allegri.
The beginning was promising; Juventus won their opening two Serie A games 3-0 (against Como and Hellas Verona), did not concede a goal until Matchday 7 and remained unbeaten in the league until January's loss at Napoli.
Youth players were given their chance to shine, and the team exhibited a coherent tactical plan – something many felt had been lacking under Allegri.
Optimism soared after a dramatic 3–2 comeback win over RB Leipzig in the Champions League. In that match, the Bianconeri lost key centre-back Gleison Bremer to injury, conceded a penalty, and were reduced to 10 men – yet still went on to win.
It was a landmark moment – Motta fielded the youngest starting XI in Juventus history. For a while, it felt like the beginning of something truly promising.
Bremer’s injury and subsequent absence proved to be a body blow. Juve did not just lose their most experienced and reliable defender, they lost a vocal leader on the pitch. From that point on, the cracks began to show, exposing the fragile construction of the squad.
Juventus may not have been losing many, but they had forgotten how to win. They recorded 13 draws in their first 21 league matches and finished 20th in the Champions League group stage.
Eliminated in the Champions League knockout phase play-off by PSV Eindhoven – 4-3 on aggregate after recording a 2-1 win in the Turin first leg – Juventus' season quickly unravelled.
The early optimism faded, replaced by growing criticism from all sides. Sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli’s transfer dealings, once seen as ambitious, were now under intense scrutiny.
Douglas Luiz, Juventus’ second most expensive signing, started just three league games and played only 515 minutes of Serie A football.
Struggling with injuries and unable to adapt to Motta’s system, the Brazilian never resembled the player who had shone at Aston Villa. His low point came when he conceded penalties in consecutive matches against RB Leipzig and Cagliari.
Then there was the decision to sell centre-half Dean Huijsen last summer and bring in Lloyd Kelly as a replacement in January, a move that continues to baffle Juventus fans.
Dutch-born but Spanish-raised, Huijsen was sold to Premier League side Bournemouth for a cut-price €15m. His form in England has just earned the 20-year-old a €67m move to Real Madrid.
English defender Kelly, meanwhile, moved from the substitutes bench at Newcastle United to Juventus in a loan move that turned into a permanent deal of €17.5m plus add-ons for the 26-year-old.
Letting go of a gifted talent such as Huijsen – who had come through the club's youth set-up and has just earned a call-up to the Spanish national side – put Giuntoli's decision-making firmly in the spotlight.
The problems did not stop there. Experienced captain Danilo had his contract terminated in January, with Motta no longer seeing him as part of his plans.
Meanwhile, Moise Kean and Nicolo Fagioli were allowed to leave, only to thrive at Fiorentina.
One by one, the Bianconeri let go of players who were eager to fight for the shirt, casting off loyalty in pursuit of a vision that never materialised.
Market missteps aside, Motta’s tactics often felt too rigid, further exacerbating the club’s problems as players struggled to adapt to his system.
Koopmeiners, previously a commanding presence in Atalanta’s midfield, became an obvious casualty. Played out of position, he lost the rhythm and influence that once defined him.
Motta was eventually dismissed after heavy defeats against Atalanta and Fiorentina with Juve fifth in the table – 12 points behind then leaders, Inter Milan – paving the way for Igor Tudor, a former Bianconero, to take charge.
Under Tudor, Juventus transitioned from a possession-heavy approach towards a more aggressive, direct style. The team pressed high, attacked with urgency, and aimed to overwhelm opponents through sheer intensity.
Control and precision gave way to momentum and force, with less focus on dictating tempo and more on seizing moments.
The team finished 12 points behind champions Napoli but having secured their place in next season's Champions League thanks to a nervy last-day win at Venezia.
Off the pitch, the club has since reshuffled the entire management structure, with Giuntoli departing and Damien Comolli coming in as the new general manager.
Comolli arrives with a strong reputation, having transformed Toulouse in France and helping them return to Ligue 1. He was also pivotal in bringing stars such as Thierry Henry, Luka Modric and Luis Suarez to the Premier League during his spells at Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool.
Giorgio Chiellini, the legendary Juventus and Italy defender, has been promoted while the hunt is on to secure a new sporting director.
Tudor will remain as coach for the Club World Cup, but how Juventus perform in the US could well decide whether he is given the role long-term.
Juventus would do well to treat the Club World Cup as a moment of reflection, a chance to observe, recalibrate, and lay the groundwork for what must be a more coherent and sustainable future.
How will Gen Alpha invest?
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
TICKETS
Tickets start at Dh100 for adults, while children can enter free on the opening day. For more information, visit www.mubadalawtc.com.
BLACK%20ADAM
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Cry Macho
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Dwight Yoakam
Rating:**
Company%20Profile
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Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
Hotel Silence
Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
Pushkin Press
LEAGUE CUP QUARTER-FINAL DRAW
Stoke City v Tottenham
Brentford v Newcastle United
Arsenal v Manchester City
Everton v Manchester United
All ties are to be played the week commencing December 21.
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
EXPATS
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SANCTIONED
- Kirill Shamalov, Russia's youngest billionaire and previously married to Putin's daughter Katarina
- Petr Fradkov, head of recently sanctioned Promsvyazbank and son of former head of Russian Foreign Intelligence, the FSB.
- Denis Bortnikov, Deputy President of Russia's largest bank VTB. He is the son of Alexander Bortnikov, head of the FSB which was responsible for the poisoning of political activist Alexey Navalny in August 2020 with banned chemical agent novichok.
- Yury Slyusar, director of United Aircraft Corporation, a major aircraft manufacturer for the Russian military.
- Elena Aleksandrovna Georgieva, chair of the board of Novikombank, a state-owned defence conglomerate.
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
Five films to watch
Castle in the Sky (1986)
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Only Yesterday (1991)
Pom Poki (1994)
The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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RESULTS
5pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 2,200m
Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Fernando Jara (jockey), Ahmed Al Mehairbi (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: AF Seven Skies, Bernardo Pinheiro, Qais Aboud
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m
Winner: Almahroosa, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m
Winner: AF Sumoud, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,200m
Winner: AF Majalis, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Adventurous, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Details
Through Her Lens: The stories behind the photography of Eva Sereny
Forewords by Jacqueline Bisset and Charlotte Rampling, ACC Art Books
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
THE%20STRANGERS'%20CASE
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Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
