Last season began with James Rodriguez illuminating Times Square, the Albert Dock and Goodison Park. The current campaign started with Everton’s most glamorous signing for many a year in self-isolation, issuing corrections on social media after a phrase he tweeted turned out to be Atletico Madrid’s motto.
The former Real Madrid man is not bound for a return to the Spanish capital, apparently. Instead, he languishes in limbo, an extraordinary talent who feels unwanted. Whether or not the Colombian is available for Saturday's trip to Leeds, regardless of how fit he is, it is unlikely he will start.
A team that was built around him is being reconstructed without him. Rafa Benitez’s game plan will be concentrated around wingers and crosses. He is looking for new signings Demarai Gary and Andros Townsend to supply Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison. The role of the No 10, the fantasista afforded special privileges however he is crowbarred into the team, has been abolished.
The descent from flagship signing to fringe figure can be traced to the departure of his mentor Carlo Ancelotti back to the Bernabeu and his replacement with Rafa Benitez, who had wanted to drop Rodriguez when at Real himself.
Cracks in the relationship had appeared before, however, with an unusually unsympathetic Ancelotti attributing Rodriguez’s absence from the final home game of last season to “fatigue.” It was not a reason to impress Evertonians; couple in Rodriguez’s tactless tweet of him on a plane heading across the Atlantic before their campaign culminated in the 5-0 thrashing at Manchester City and sympathy for him has been reduced.
Rodriguez could have been a cause célèbre, especially for fans antagonised by Benitez’s Liverpool past. Rewind a year and he was a coup: Everton displayed his image on Merseyside and in New York, as well as Miami and Bogota, in an advertising ploy. The hype felt justified. He introduced himself to Goodison with three goals and two assists in his first two home games. Everton went top.
There were more sporadic sightings of his magic subsequently: spectacular goals in the home draws with Leicester and Crystal Palace, a high-class strike at Old Trafford and a wonderful pass to unlock the Liverpool defence for Richarlison’s opener in Everton’s first win at Anfield since 1999. His quality was undoubted, his fitness rather more fragile. His absences became longer.
Rodriguez’s eventual tally of 21 league starts was his highest for seven seasons. Everton only scored 16 goals in the 17 games he did not start. If they could be a two-tier team, with and without him, they were less potent without an increasingly unreliable figure.
There felt a contradiction in that Everton had one of the worst seasons at home in their history, but Rodriguez’s goals and assists were largely confined to Goodison. He was the natural crowd-pleaser in the season when Everton had no crowd.
He feels the great player most Evertonians never saw play. His brilliance came amid emptiness and in underachievement, as Everton tailed away to finish 10th. Their first defeat came at Southampton, who exposed Rodriguez’s lack of devotion to his defensive duties. Ancelotti’s task thereafter felt to hide him when Everton did not have the ball and find him when they did, a balancing act that involved many a formation.
Benitez evidently believes the trade-off is not worthwhile, that a luxury played cannot be accommodated. And the price of trading is instructive. Rodriguez felt a bargain when it was revealed Real gave him away. Now perhaps Everton would do the same, to get his huge wages off the bill, to fund another arrival, to prioritise the functional over the flair player.
Five expert hiking tips
Always check the weather forecast before setting off
Make sure you have plenty of water
Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
Take your litter home with you
Day 5, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Given the problems Sri Lanka have had in recent times, it was apt the winning catch was taken by Dinesh Chandimal. He is one of seven different captains Sri Lanka have had in just the past two years. He leads in understated fashion, but by example. His century in the first innings of this series set the shock win in motion.
Stat of the day This was the ninth Test Pakistan have lost in their past 11 matches, a run that started when they lost the final match of their three-Test series against West Indies in Sharjah last year. They have not drawn a match in almost two years and 19 matches, since they were held by England at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi in 2015.
The verdict Mickey Arthur basically acknowledged he had erred by basing Pakistan’s gameplan around three seam bowlers and asking for pitches with plenty of grass in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. Why would Pakistan want to change the method that has treated them so well on these grounds in the past 10 years? It is unlikely Misbah-ul-Haq would have made the same mistake.
West Asia Premiership
Dubai Hurricanes 58-10 Dubai Knights Eagles
Dubai Tigers 5-39 Bahrain
Jebel Ali Dragons 16-56 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20NOTHING%20PHONE%20(2a)
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RESULTS
ATP China Open
G Dimitrov (BUL x3) bt R Bautista Agut (ESP x5)
7-6, 4-6, 6-2
R Nadal (ESP x1) bt J Isner (USA x6)
6-4, 7-6
WTA China Open
S Halep (ROU x2) bt D Kasatkina (RUS)
6-2, 6-1
J Ostapenko (LAT x9) bt S Cirstea (ROU)
6-4, 6-4
ATP Japan Open
D Schwartzman (ARG x8) bt S Johnson (USA)
6-0, 7-5
D Goffin (BEL x4) bt R Gasquet (FRA)
7-5, 6-2
M Cilic (CRO x1) bt R Harrison (USA)
6-2, 6-0
Section 375
Cast: Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha, Meera Chopra & Rahul Bhat
Director: Ajay Bahl
Producers: Kumar Mangat Pathak, Abhishek Pathak & SCIPL
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz E 300 Cabriolet
Price, base / as tested: Dh275,250 / Dh328,465
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 245hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm @ 1,300rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km
THE LOWDOWN
Romeo Akbar Walter
Rating: 2/5 stars
Produced by: Dharma Productions, Azure Entertainment
Directed by: Robby Grewal
Cast: John Abraham, Mouni Roy, Jackie Shroff and Sikandar Kher
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.
THE SPECS
Jaguar F-Pace SVR
Engine: 5-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 680Nm
Price: Dh465,071
Astroworld
Travis Scott
Grand Hustle/Epic/Cactus Jack
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%3Cp%3EAverage%20amount%20of%20biofuel%20produced%20at%20DIC%20factory%20every%20month%3A%20%3Cstrong%3EApproximately%20106%2C000%20litres%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAmount%20of%20biofuel%20produced%20from%201%20litre%20of%20used%20cooking%20oil%3A%20%3Cstrong%3E920ml%20(92%25)%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ETime%20required%20for%20one%20full%20cycle%20of%20production%20from%20used%20cooking%20oil%20to%20biofuel%3A%20%3Cstrong%3EOne%20day%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EEnergy%20requirements%20for%20one%20cycle%20of%20production%20from%201%2C000%20litres%20of%20used%20cooking%20oil%3A%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%96%AA%20Electricity%20-%201.1904%20units%3Cbr%3E%E2%96%AA%20Water-%2031%20litres%3Cbr%3E%E2%96%AA%20Diesel%20%E2%80%93%2026.275%20litres%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
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