Hector Cuper could scarcely differ more from the previous Argentinian hired as head coach at Al Wasl.
If Diego Maradona, even in his 50s, remains impulsive, whimsical, given to extravagant gesture, Cuper has always seemed the professional epitome of stoicism, a person for whom order and discretion are bred into his bones.
But like Maradona, he is addicted to the sport which has given him a good living, 20 years of it as a coach.
What football has not provided Cuper, at crucial moments, is good fortune. His burden is to carry the label of serial runner-up.
It may be an unfair caricature of a man who has tackled a variety of jobs, in a range of places, and excelled at some of them. Most notably, at Inter Milan and Valencia, he gained global respect and renown.
At both of those jobs he lifted the clubs. But at both of them, he could not quite burnish a body of sound, impressive work with the silverware he came so close to that he could almost touch it.
At Inter, the Cuper era – which lasted just over two seasons – is now remembered chiefly for the lost title. Inter had hired him as the umpteenth solution to a neurotic, 12-year period without a league title, a pursuit at which huge money had been hurled.
He got nearer than many of his predecessors, and enjoyed unusually sustained support from Massimo Moratti, Inter’s president at that time. But on the last day of his first season, 2001/02, Inter blew their big chance.
They led the table going into the final fixture, away at Lazio, a point clear of Juventus. They took an early lead, then suffered an equaliser.
They led again, and then were drawn back to parity by Lazio. This was a Lazio side with little to play for and a Lazio side whose fans, in many cases, were urging their own team to lose to keep the title from Juve – a fiercer enemy of the Rome club than are Inter.
Lazio won 4-2. Once again Inter had turned brittle, the frailty that Cuper, stern, organised and unemotional, had been brought in to cure. Juventus won the league that year and the next, in which Inter finished second, a greater distance behind.
Cuper had been recruited by Inter after his successes in Spain. He moved there after spells in charge of Lanus and Huracan, the latter the Buenos Aires club where he spent the final years of his career as a centre-back good enough to have won five caps for Argentina in the Maradona epoch.
On Real Mallorca’s bench, he made an instant impact. Playing disciplined, not especially decorative football, Mallorca reached a domestic cup final in 1998. The next year, they made it to an unprecedented European final, the old Cup Winners Cup. They lost both, although the idea that silver medals, never golds were some sort of Cuper jinx had not yet taken hold.
At Valencia, he guided a rugged team to successive Uefa Champions League finals, in 2000 and 2001. To get there at all exceeded anything Valencia had ever achieved, although for many Spaniards the sharp-minded engineer behind the Valencia juggernaut seemed an enigma.
He gave little away about himself or his feelings, his face inscrutably tough, his public statements terse and his mood apparently unaltered whether he was talking about triumph or setback.
His tactics did not charm purists, either. Cuper’s Valencia were ruthless on the counterattack, fast and intense. They blitzed some very talented opponents. But they lost 3-0 to Real Madrid in the first of their European Cup finals and, in heart-breaking fashion, lost on penalties to Bayern Munich 12 months later.
Two years after that, in the same competition, Cuper’s Inter exited at the semi-final stage on away goals against AC Milan.
The past decade has been spent further from the elite, though it has still been busy for Cuper. He helped save Mallorca from relegation in 2004/05. He could not repeat the trick when Parma hired him for a short-term rescue job in 2008.
There have been brief stints at Real Betis and Racing Santander, an unfulfilling 16 months as manager of Georgia’s national side and, most recently, a Turkish adventure, with Orduspor. There were also some rewarding times in Greece, coaching Aris Thessaloniki.
They reached a cup final under his watch. The outcome? Silver, again.
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The specs: 2017 Maserati Quattroporte
Price, base / as tested Dh389,000 / Dh559,000
Engine 3.0L twin-turbo V8
Transmission Eight-speed automatic
Power 530hp @ 6,800rpm
Torque 650Nm @ 2,000 rpm
Fuel economy, combined 10.7L / 100km
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Expert input
If you had all the money in the world, what’s the one sneaker you would buy or create?
“There are a few shoes that have ‘grail’ status for me. But the one I have always wanted is the Nike x Patta x Parra Air Max 1 - Cherrywood. To get a pair in my size brand new is would cost me between Dh8,000 and Dh 10,000.” Jack Brett
“If I had all the money, I would approach Nike and ask them to do my own Air Force 1, that’s one of my dreams.” Yaseen Benchouche
“There’s nothing out there yet that I’d pay an insane amount for, but I’d love to create my own shoe with Tinker Hatfield and Jordan.” Joshua Cox
“I think I’d buy a defunct footwear brand; I’d like the challenge of reinterpreting a brand’s history and changing options.” Kris Balerite
“I’d stir up a creative collaboration with designers Martin Margiela of the mixed patchwork sneakers, and Yohji Yamamoto.” Hussain Moloobhoy
“If I had all the money in the world, I’d live somewhere where I’d never have to wear shoes again.” Raj Malhotra
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Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Day 5, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day When Dilruwan Perera dismissed Yasir Shah to end Pakistan’s limp resistance, the Sri Lankans charged around the field with the fevered delirium of a side not used to winning. Trouble was, they had not. The delivery was deemed a no ball. Sri Lanka had a nervy wait, but it was merely a stay of execution for the beleaguered hosts.
Stat of the day – 5 Pakistan have lost all 10 wickets on the fifth day of a Test five times since the start of 2016. It is an alarming departure for a side who had apparently erased regular collapses from their resume. “The only thing I can say, it’s not a mitigating excuse at all, but that’s a young batting line up, obviously trying to find their way,” said Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach.
The verdict Test matches in the UAE are known for speeding up on the last two days, but this was extreme. The first two innings of this Test took 11 sessions to complete. The remaining two were done in less than four. The nature of Pakistan’s capitulation at the end showed just how difficult the transition is going to be in the post Misbah-ul-Haq era.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
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Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
From Europe to the Middle East, economic success brings wealth - and lifestyle diseases
A rise in obesity figures and the need for more public spending is a familiar trend in the developing world as western lifestyles are adopted.
One in five deaths around the world is now caused by bad diet, with obesity the fastest growing global risk. A high body mass index is also the top cause of metabolic diseases relating to death and disability in Kuwait, Qatar and Oman – and second on the list in Bahrain.
In Britain, heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s remain among the leading causes of death, and people there are spending more time suffering from health problems.
The UK is expected to spend $421.4 billion on healthcare by 2040, up from $239.3 billion in 2014.
And development assistance for health is talking about the financial aid given to governments to support social, environmental development of developing countries.
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2
Vinicius Junior (71') Mariano (90 2')
Barcelona 0
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
