The job of modern football manager is multi-tasked. All coaches know that when they enter the profession. But you can forgive Zinedine Zidane for thinking he has been pulled in abnormal directions ahead of Wednesday’s second leg of Real Madrid’s Champions League semi-final against Chelsea in London.
First he had to worry about the Madrid local elections. Not because of any strong view on whether the outcome swings to the political left or right but because Spanish law requires that a small number of residents from all walks of life be available to help out with polling duties.
They are selected by an arbitrary draw, and Madrid’s long-serving left-back Marcelo’s name was among those called up for Tuesday. He had to be at a voting centre first thing in the morning, and there was no certainty he would have completed his required tasks in time to catch Real Madrid’s flight to London.
Marcelo did make it, a little breathless. Then there was more suspense – around midfielder Fede Valverde. He has been self-isolating after a positive Covid test last month.
Valverde served his required quarantine but could not travel until he returned a negative test. He was swabbed on Monday, and the results were inconclusive. He took another PCR test Tuesday morning at 7am, and when the negative result came in, he rushed to join the rest of the squad on their midday flight.
Having fretted over those deadlines, Zidane faced the really hard decisions, calculations based on medical bulletins, recuperation timetables and, ultimately, his trust in two of his most valued players.
On the one hand, his captain, Sergio Ramos; on the other Eden Hazard, the player Zidane pressed hardest to sign but a phantom presence for most of the last two years because his Madrid career has been so disrupted by injury.
Gallery: Real 2 Osasuna 0
Against Osasuna on Saturday, Hazard started a game for the first time since January. It was a performance with flashes of promise, and, just as important, no physical breakdown. But he is a long way from his best rhythm.
There is risk in starting Hazard against Chelsea, but then again there could be no greater stimulus for the player than making his European comeback at Stamford Bridge, where Hazard spent seven dazzling years.
“Little by little he is coming back,” said Zidane of Hazard, who he has learned to watch through gritted teeth, so often has the Belgian returned from injury only to be immediately sidelined with a recurrence of the problem, or by a fresh muscle strain. But the manager’s vision of a fit Hazard as the ideal partner for Karim Benzema, his centre-forward and leading scorer, remains undimmed. "We'll need Eden, and this is a good moment for him," he added.
As for Ramos, perhaps only the now-departed Cristiano Ronaldo had more impact on making Madrid European champions four times between 2014 and 2018. But Ramos is rusty. The skipper was on the bench at the weekend, and has seen almost as little action, because of injury and testing positive for Covid-19, as Hazard over the past three months. "The main thing is that he is with us," said Zidane.
Raphael Varane is not, having suffered what is Madrid's 55th different injury setback of the season.
That makes the need for a senior central defender – Ramos – the more pressing. The compensation for Zidane is that, in a period of makeshift line-ups, the deputies to Ramos and Varane, namely Nacho and Gabriel Militao, have risen in the coach’s estimation.
They endured a tough opening 20 minutes in the 1-1 draw against Chelsea's zippy strikers in the first leg, but found ways to impose some control.
Zidane is reassured that, in the absence of his preferred right-backs – the injured Dani Carvajal and Lucas Vazquez – Nacho could fill in in that position. Ferland Mendy, the left-back who missed the first leg, should be fit enough to match the likes of Timo Werner, or Christian Pulisic or Kai Havertz for pace at Stamford Bridge.
The next puzzle for Zidane? A back three or a line of four? Zidane altered his default 4-3-3 in the first leg because of depleted resources and to match Chelsea in midfield.
This time, with Madrid kicking off one away goal in arrears, he needs to be proactive against a Chelsea boasting 17 clean sheets from the 23 matches since Thomas Tuchel took charge as manager.
It’s an ominous statistic to confront a partially-fit Hazard with on his West London return. He served at Chelsea through seven of Tuchel’s predecessors. None came in and so quickly constructed a defensive barrier as solid as Tuchel has.
UAE%20medallists%20at%20Asian%20Games%202023
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
SPEC%20SHEET
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How to come clean about financial infidelity
- Be honest and transparent: It is always better to own up than be found out. Tell your partner everything they want to know. Show remorse. Inform them of the extent of the situation so they know what they are dealing with.
- Work on yourself: Be honest with yourself and your partner and figure out why you did it. Don’t be ashamed to ask for professional help.
- Give it time: Like any breach of trust, it requires time to rebuild. So be consistent, communicate often and be patient with your partner and yourself.
- Discuss your financial situation regularly: Ensure your spouse is involved in financial matters and decisions. Your ability to consistently follow through with what you say you are going to do when it comes to money can make all the difference in your partner’s willingness to trust you again.
- Work on a plan to resolve the problem together: If there is a lot of debt, for example, create a budget and financial plan together and ensure your partner is fully informed, involved and supported.
Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
'The Lost Daughter'
Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal
Starring: Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Dakota Johnson
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine 60kwh FWD
Battery Rimac 120kwh Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) chemistry
Power 204hp Torque 360Nm
Price, base / as tested Dh174,500
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
SM Town Live is on Friday, April 6 at Autism Rocks Arena, Dubai. Tickets are Dh375 at www.platinumlist.net
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
Soldier F
“I was in complete disgust at the fact that only one person was to be charged for Bloody Sunday.
“Somebody later said to me, 'you just watch - they'll drop the charge against him'. And sure enough, the charges against Soldier F would go on to be dropped.
“It's pretty hard to think that 50 years on, the State is still covering up for what happened on Bloody Sunday.”
Jimmy Duddy, nephew of John Johnson
SPECS
Mini John Cooper Works Clubman and Mini John Cooper Works Countryman
Engine: two-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 306hp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: JCW Clubman, Dh220,500; JCW Countryman, Dh225,500
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
