Taking it one game at a time is one of football's favourite but well-worn cliches, deployed regularly to deflect talk of the long term, of what a team might achieve and what their wider ambitions are.
Sometimes, however, managers do not take it one game a time. Sometimes they look into the future, prioritising one game and sacrificing another. It is a risky policy, one which can backfire badly. It is one that means judgment has to be withheld: whatever the verdict on a weakened team's performance, the approach may be justified if a stronger side wins the match deemed more important.
And that is Everton's hope, that losing to Liverpool with a lesser outfit is overlooked if Sunderland are overcome today, propelling them into the FA Cup semi-finals. For some, it is, and always will be, heresy to downgrade the Merseyside derby. Yet if anything David Moyes was guilty of understatement when branding this "a big week".
Indeed, an 11-day spell containing clashes with Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, Sunderland and Arsenal, three of them at Goodison Park, makes it huge. Beat Sunderland, however, and Everton are only 180 minutes away from a first trophy in 17 years.
Resting players in FA Cup weeks is nothing new, but Moyes is going against the grain. Many of his peers spare their premier players an outing in the knockout competition to save them for the Premier League. Indeed, in Moyes' only previous semi-final, in 2009, he encountered a Manchester United side featuring Danny Welbeck, then 18, and Federico Macheda, 17, rather than Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo. Everton won on penalties, but United lifted the Premier League and reached the Champions League final that season. Sir Alex Ferguson seemed to have few regrets.
And he has more high-quality players to perm from than Moyes, who made six changes at Anfield. Admittedly one of those alterations certainly strengthened the side as Steven Pienaar, ineligible against Tottenham last week and Cup-tied today, returned. But there can be a fine line between squad rotation and naming a weakened team. It is a matter of interpretation and a cause of controversy.
Wolverhampton Wanderers were given a suspended fine of £25,000 (Dh145,210) for making 10 changes when they visited Old Trafford in December 2009. The notion that it was essentially a reserve team was reinforced when they made a further nine for the following game, a 2-0 win against Burnley. Yet while what seemed a second-string side were comfortably beaten, they took six points from the three games that week. To some it was a betrayal of the competition, to others a pragmatic appraisal of the fixture list.
Blackpool went down by one point, so it is a moot point if Holloway made the right move. Three seasons earlier, another relegation-threatened club were unapologetic. Gary Megson left seven first-team players at home when Bolton Wanderers lost at Sporting Lisbon in the Uefa Cup. Wanderers have not been in Europe since, and may not be again, so it was an anticlimactic way to exit. Nor did they reap an immediate reward, taking a solitary point from their next five league games. They stayed up anyhow.
The following year, Aston Villa took the same decision, to the anger of fans who had travelled to Moscow to see them face CSKA. Their bid for a top-four finish took priority; instead it collapsed, Villa failing to win any of their next nine league games. With the benefit of hindsight, it was the beginning of end of the supporters' love affair with manager Martin O'Neill.
There is unlikely to be a repeat at Everton, but after an underwhelming derby display, beating Sunderland becomes more significant.
"After Tuesday's result it puts a little bit more pressure on the Cup," said defender Phil Jagielka.
And after Tuesday's game, we will know if Moyes was right to rotate at Anfield.
sports@thenational.ae
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
South Africa squad
Faf du Plessis (captain), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Theunis de Bruyn, AB de Villiers, Dean Elgar, Heinrich Klaasen (wicketkeeper), Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Morne Morkel, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada.
ENGLAND SQUAD
Joe Root (captain), Dom Sibley, Rory Burns, Dan Lawrence, Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Ben Foakes (wicketkeeper), Moeen Ali, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, Jack Leach, Stuart Broad
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The National photo project
Chris Whiteoak, a photographer at The National, spent months taking some of Jacqui Allan's props around the UAE, positioning them perfectly in front of some of the country's most recognisable landmarks. He placed a pirate on Kite Beach, in front of the Burj Al Arab, the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland at the Burj Khalifa, and brought one of Allan's snails (Freddie, which represents her grandfather) to the Dubai Frame. In Abu Dhabi, a dinosaur went to Al Ain's Jebel Hafeet. And a flamingo was taken all the way to the Hatta Mountains. This special project suitably brings to life the quirky nature of Allan's prop shop (and Allan herself!).
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Third-place play-off: New Zealand v Wales, Friday, 1pm
If you go
Flying
Despite the extreme distance, flying to Fairbanks is relatively simple, requiring just one transfer in Seattle, which can be reached directly from Dubai with Emirates for Dh6,800 return.
Touring
Gondwana Ecotours’ seven-day Polar Bear Adventure starts in Fairbanks in central Alaska before visiting Kaktovik and Utqiarvik on the North Slope. Polar bear viewing is highly likely in Kaktovik, with up to five two-hour boat tours included. Prices start from Dh11,500 per person, with all local flights, meals and accommodation included; gondwanaecotours.com
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
