John Terry, the Chelsea captain, believes his side will head to Southampton on Wednesday buoyed by having produced their best performance of the season in the victory over Liverpool.
Jose Mourinho, the Chelsea manager, has maintained that his team are in a period of transition, playing down their chances of taking the Premier League title.
But Sunday’s 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge, against one of their main rivals at the head of the table, ensured that Mourinho’s side remained two points off the top.
And Terry believes there were signs in the Liverpool win that confirmed there is more to come from the team.
The centre-back, who clocked up his 600th Chelsea appearance against the Anfield club, said: “I think the first half was the best we’ve played all season, actually; the pressing was spot on, as were the tactics from the manager.
“Hopefully we can continue that, as it’s been coming. We’ve been playing OK, but feeling like we’ve got a little bit more to give and I thought we did that in this game.”
Terry believes Mourinho has succeeded in forging a togetherness within the squad and continues to draw the best out of the defender and the rest of his senior players.
“The manager has been asking for togetherness from everyone,” Terry said.
“Whether you play or you are on the bench, everyone’s got a part to play. When the guys are not playing, it’s important they maintain their fitness and their sharpness.
“The older boys in the squad have still got a lot to give, too. We see that every week.
“There is new talent coming through the squad and one day it will come to an end -- we all realise that -- but it certainly won’t be for the want of trying from us, trying to keep our place in the team.”
David Luiz will miss the trip to Southampton after collecting a fifth booking, while Frank Lampard and Branislav Ivanovic are likely to be sidelined after picking up injuries against Liverpool.
Liverpool will rebound, says Rodgers
Brendan Rodgers insists Liverpool will not repeat the costly mistakes from their last meeting with Hull when they face the Tigers at Anfield on Wednesday.
Rodgers’s team suffered a surprise 3-1 defeat against Hull at the KC Stadium on December 1 after an error-strewn performance which saw Reds defender Martin Skrtel score an own goal.
But Rodgers remains confident that sloppy display was a one-off and he expects Liverpool to return to winning ways after damaging back-to-back defeats against fellow title contenders Manchester City and Chelsea in their last two matches.
“It’s very simple – we are at home and we expect to win,” Rodgers said.
“We were very disappointed in our performance level in the game there. We were nowhere near the standard we would expect, but you have to give credit to Hull – they exposed that on the day.
“But we aim to make sure that no matter what squad or team we put out, we don’t make the same mistakes again because home games are vitally important for us.
“We know it’s going to be like any other game at this level; a very tough game.
“They’re coming off the back of a 6-0 victory [against Fulham] that doesn’t happen too often when you’re in the Premier League, especially when it’s 0-0 at half-time. It was a terrific result.”
Rodgers could welcome back captain Steven Gerrard for the match after he returned to training following a hamstring problem which has kept him on the sidelines since December 7.
However, Liverpool will definitely be without midfielder Joe Allen and centre-back Mamadou Sakho who both limped out of their 2-1 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
“Joe will probably be a few weeks with an abductor strain,” Rodgers added.
Pellegrini reckons City in strong position
Manuel Pellegrini, the Manchester City manager, believes that his side’s profitable December has set them up to regain the Premier League title in 2014.
City won six of their seven league games in December, only dropping points in a draw at Southampton, and are now just a point off leaders Arsenal heading into their first game of 2014 at Swansea City on Wednesday.
The 2012 champions were eighth in the table at one point in November and looking in danger of being cut adrift by their title rivals, only to recover the deficit.
“I think it was a fantastic month for us,” Pellegrini said.
“In the Premier League, from the last seven we won six. It was very important for us to recover points. Arsenal were six points ahead of us so it is very important to finish the year in the position we wanted to be.
“To recover six points in a month is not easy. We continue in the Capital One (League) Cup and Champions League also, so I think the first six months of the year (season) was very good for us. Now in the second half we try to continue winning.”
Goalkeeper Joe Hart suffered a nasty cut below his eye in City’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday, but he will be fit to face Swansea after having six stitches in the wound.
Hart has been in good form since returning to Pellegrini’s starting line-up in the Premier League after a period on the bench following a number of high-profile errors early in the season.
“Joe Hart has a cut beneath his eye, but nothing important,” explained Pellegrini. “It is not dangerous and he can play without any risk.
sports@thenational.ae
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
THE BIO
Ms Davison came to Dubai from Kerala after her marriage in 1996 when she was 21-years-old
Since 2001, Ms Davison has worked at many affordable schools such as Our Own English High School in Sharjah, and The Apple International School and Amled School in Dubai
Favourite Book: The Alchemist
Favourite quote: Failing to prepare is preparing to fail
Favourite place to Travel to: Vienna
Favourite cuisine: Italian food
Favourite Movie : Scent of a Woman
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
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- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
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Armies of Sand
By Kenneth Pollack (Oxford University Press)
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
Teachers' pay - what you need to know
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Results
6.30pm Madjani Stakes Rated Conditions (PA) I Dh160,000 I 1,900m I Winner: Mawahib, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
7.05pm Maiden Dh150,000 I 1,400m I Winner One Season, Antonio Fresu, Satish Seemar
7.40pm: Maiden Dh150,000 I 2,000m I Winner Street Of Dreams, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
8.15pm Dubai Creek Listed I Dh250,000 I 1,600m I Winner Heavy Metal, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
8.50pm The Entisar Listed I Dh250,000 I 2,000m I Winner Etijaah, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson
9.25pm The Garhoud Listed I Dh250,000 I 1,200m I Winner Muarrab, Dane O’Neill, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
10pm Handicap I Dh160,000 I 1,600m I Winner Sea Skimmer, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
More on animal trafficking
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
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
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
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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
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Walls
Louis Tomlinson
3 out of 5 stars
(Syco Music/Arista Records)
RESULT
Huddersfield Town 2 Manchester United 1
Huddersfield: Mooy (28'), Depoitre (33')
Manchester United: Rashford (78')
Man of the Match: Aaron Mooy (Huddersfield Town)
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
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.”
