Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has said that not having another international break until March will help his team recapture their best form after a woeful start to the season.
Mourinho was relentlessly optimistic in his Friday news conference and said he would not be asking for any new signings in the January transfer window.
The struggling Premier League champions go into Saturday’s home game against Norwich City in 16th place, having won only three of their 12 games.
The Portuguese, however, is backing his existing squad to come through the worst spell of his managerial career.
“Lots of matches are coming now, four months without the national teams, and we really believe good things are waiting for us,” he said.
“I think we are going to play very well (against Norwich) and will get a good result.
“The owner deserves it, the board deserve it, the supporters and we deserve it.”
[Preview: Jose Mourinho and Chelsea welcome Norwich in desperate need of victory to revive season]
Mourinho will be back in the technical area after serving a stadium ban for the last game, when Chelsea were beaten 1-0 away to Stoke City.
That was a third successive league defeat, but the Portuguese will not be seeking reinforcements to his squad.
“I’m happy with my players, I trust my players,” he said.
“I don’t need to ask the club to spend money in January. We were champions four months ago, not ten years ago.”
Chelsea have asked supporters to be in their seats at least five minutes before kickoff on Saturday for the singing of the French national anthem as an act of remembrance to those who died in the attacks in Paris last weekend.
“We will feature the tricolore on the cover of our match day programme, which also includes a tribute from France international Kurt Zouma,” the club’s website said.
“Players will wear black armbands incorporating the French flag and fans in the Matthew Harding Stand will display a new crowd-surfing flag as the teams emerge from the tunnel for the game.”
[Predictions: Manchester City too good for Liverpool, Chelsea earn a much-needed win]
Earlier, Norwich manager Alex Neil told a news conference that he was just hoping Mourinho’s team did not finally find their true form on Saturday.
“Everybody’s looking at Chelsea week after week expecting them to turn it round and get back to last year’s form,” he said.
“Jose will know better than me why that’s not the case but what we’re hoping is that they don’t turn it round this weekend.”
Chelsea play away to Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Uefa Champions League on Tuesday. They are second in Group G, three points behind Mourinho’s old club Porto.
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Barings Bank
Barings, one of Britain’s oldest investment banks, was
founded in 1762 and operated for 233 years before it went bust after a trading
scandal.
Barings Bank collapsed in February 1995 following colossal
losses caused by rogue trader Nick Lesson.
Leeson gambled more than $1 billion in speculative trades,
wiping out the venerable merchant bank’s cash reserves.
THREE POSSIBLE REPLACEMENTS
Khalfan Mubarak
The Al Jazira playmaker has for some time been tipped for stardom within UAE football, with Quique Sanchez Flores, his former manager at Al Ahli, once labelling him a “genius”. He was only 17. Now 23, Mubarak has developed into a crafty supplier of chances, evidenced by his seven assists in six league matches this season. Still to display his class at international level, though.
Rayan Yaslam
The Al Ain attacking midfielder has become a regular starter for his club in the past 15 months. Yaslam, 23, is a tidy and intelligent player, technically proficient with an eye for opening up defences. Developed while alongside Abdulrahman in the Al Ain first-team and has progressed well since manager Zoran Mamic’s arrival. However, made his UAE debut only last December.
Ismail Matar
The Al Wahda forward is revered by teammates and a key contributor to the squad. At 35, his best days are behind him, but Matar is incredibly experienced and an example to his colleagues. His ability to cope with tournament football is a concern, though, despite Matar beginning the season well. Not a like-for-like replacement, although the system could be adjusted to suit.
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
City's slump
L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1
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.
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
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Four tips to secure IoT networks
Mohammed Abukhater, vice president at FireEye in the Middle East, said:
- Keep device software up-to-date. Most come with basic operating system, so users should ensure that they always have the latest version
- Besides a strong password, use two-step authentication. There should be a second log-in step like adding a code sent to your mobile number
- Usually smart devices come with many unnecessary features. Users should lock those features that are not required or used frequently
- Always create a different guest network for visitors
