Manchester // The quadruple is still on for Manchester City. The treble is off for Jose Mourinho.
The Chelsea manager went hat-trick hunting, looking for a third triumph over his favourite enemy, Manuel Pellegrini, this season. And, for once, he lost. Instead of a repeat for Mourinho, there was revenge for Pellegrini.
His City side had been eviscerated by Chelsea a dozen days earlier; he had been subjected to special attention by the “Special One”.
The Portuguese can be Pellegrini’s tormentor on the pitch and in the press-conference room alike, but a manager who believes in allowing his players to do the talking for him saw them at their most eloquent and effective. Theirs was a dominant display, an example of playing on the front foot and forcing the opposition to worry about them.
Pellegrini’s positive approach worked. Goals from Stevan Jovetic and substitute Samir Nasri brought a 2-0 win as Chelsea became the fifth member of the Premier League’s top nine to exit the FA Cup.
Mourinho’s options for glory are narrowing. City’s horizons remain as broad as ever.
There are times when many have wondered why City spent £24 million (Dh147.6m) to bring Jovetic in from Fiorentina last summer. It seems an exorbitant amount for a fourth-choice forward, let alone one who is rarely fit.
The answer was belatedly supplied on Saturday: for cool, clinical finishing; for a stand-in who can breach England’s most frugal defence; for a place in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
Along the way, he ended the season’s strangest goal drought. City had been stuck on 115 goals since January – a problem many teams would welcome – but the 116th ranked among the most important.
It should have arrived a minute earlier. Uncharacteristically, Petr Cech spilt Yaya Toure’s shot, crisply struck as it was, and Jovetic reacted first. The Montenegrin beat the flailing goalkeeper, but his shot had too much elevation, clipping the bar on the way over.
Redemption came quickly. His radar, slightly awry earlier, functioned perfectly as he brought a suitable conclusion to a classy passing move.
David Silva found Edin Dzeko who slid the ball into Jovetic’s path. He, in turn, angled his shot across goal and in off the far post.
It was a finish that was reminiscent of Sergio Aguero.
This, however, was City’s B-team in attack combining slickly. With Aguero injured and Alvaro Negredo benched, Pellegrini had put his faith in the understudies. It was justified.
Indeed, while he, with a Uefa Champions League meeting with Barcelona in mind, rested a handful of Tuesday’s probable starters, Mourinho had named his strongest available side.
It should render City’s triumph all the sweeter. Many a manager rotates in cup competitions. Mourinho, eyeing opportunities to add to his sizeable medal collection, rarely does.
He deployed the same blueprint he used when Chelsea won 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium 12 days earlier. The Pellegrini plan was similar, too, but this time he had the goal to reward his side for a fast start. This time, too, they blunted the Chelsea attack.
The visitors mustered a solitary shot in the first half, prompting Mourinho to withdraw his sole striker, Samuel Eto’o.
City carried rather more menace. Cech had to parry a stinging shot from Dzeko. The Bosnian should have doubled the lead when he somehow failed to apply the finishing touch to James Milner’s inviting cross.
Then Pellegrini introduced Nasri. Out for five weeks with a knee injury, he scored six minutes into his comeback.
He settled in where he had left off, exchanging passes with Silva to slice through the Chelsea defence, and was left with a tap-in.
It condemned Chelsea to their first defeat of 2014. With Vincent Kompany and Toure in imperious form, the message from City was clear: bring on Barcelona.
sports@thenational.ae
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Kat Wightman's tips on how to create zones in large spaces
- Area carpets or rugs are the easiest way to segregate spaces while also unifying them.
- Lighting can help define areas. Try pendant lighting over dining tables, and side and floor lamps in living areas.
- Keep the colour palette the same in a room, but combine different tones and textures in different zone. A common accent colour dotted throughout the space brings it together.
- Don’t be afraid to use furniture to break up the space. For example, if you have a sofa placed in the middle of the room, a console unit behind it will give good punctuation.
- Use a considered collection of prints and artworks that work together to form a cohesive journey.
Going grey? A stylist's advice
If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”
Pox that threatens the Middle East's native species
Camelpox
Caused by a virus related to the one that causes human smallpox, camelpox typically causes fever, swelling of lymph nodes and skin lesions in camels aged over three, but the animal usually recovers after a month or so. Younger animals may develop a more acute form that causes internal lesions and diarrhoea, and is often fatal, especially when secondary infections result. It is found across the Middle East as well as in parts of Asia, Africa, Russia and India.
Falconpox
Falconpox can cause a variety of types of lesions, which can affect, for example, the eyelids, feet and the areas above and below the beak. It is a problem among captive falcons and is one of many types of avian pox or avipox diseases that together affect dozens of bird species across the world. Among the other forms are pigeonpox, turkeypox, starlingpox and canarypox. Avipox viruses are spread by mosquitoes and direct bird-to-bird contact.
Houbarapox
Houbarapox is, like falconpox, one of the many forms of avipox diseases. It exists in various forms, with a type that causes skin lesions being least likely to result in death. Other forms cause more severe lesions, including internal lesions, and are more likely to kill the bird, often because secondary infections develop. This summer the CVRL reported an outbreak of pox in houbaras after rains in spring led to an increase in mosquito numbers.
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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
Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
- Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
- Rational thinking: Breathe and avoid emotional decision-making; let logic and planning guide your actions.
- Strategic patience: Understand why you’re investing and allow time for your strategies to unfold.
