On the overall balance of a year spent in steady decline, Barcelona’s 1-1 draw at Sevilla on Tuesday counts as a dignified end to 2021. Sevilla, after all, are currently the leading challengers to Real Madrid’s pace-setting pursuit of the Spanish league title.
Against clubs with that sort of competitive authority, Barca have been in the regular habit of quaking. In the last 12 months, they have lost two clasicos to Real Madrid, lost 2-0 to Atletico Madrid, and built up a hefty catalogue of defeats by three-goal margins against heavyweights in Europe - two 3-0 losses to Bayern Munich, a 4-1 home beating from Paris Saint-Germain.
That’s on the pitch. Off it? Too many setbacks to list alongside the exit of Lionel Messi, the suffocating debt, the sad, enforced retirement of Sergio Aguero with cardiac problems.
The encouraging signposts to a better 2022 are to be found in the number of fresh Barcelona faces barely touched by the dreary fatalism that a poor year spread across the senior squad.
Against Sevilla, much of the vigour was supplied by two teenagers, Gavi, Nico Gonzalez, by the young Moroccan winger Abde Ezzalzouli who reached the age of 20 only last week, and by a pair of 22-year-olds, Ferran Jutgla and Ronald Araujo. Four of those five have made their first-team debuts within the last four months.
Gavi, a midfielder of bristling energy and disciplined passing, has risen so rapidly he has already been promoted to the senior Spain national team; he, Nico and Abde have clear assigned roles under new head coach Xavi Hernandez. Jutgla will soon be on first-name terms - plain Ferran - to the fans if he continues the very strong impression he has made since his debut less than two weeks ago.
Jutgla scored on his first start, the 3-2 win at the weekend against Elche; he showed no reluctance to unleash shots, from all distances, against a compact Sevilla defence in his second start.
He is part of a list that bodes well for a club who have said goodbye to so many experienced, reliable goalscorers - Messi, Aguero, Antoine Griezmann, Luis Suarez - in the last 18 months. In their last three Liga matches, the six Barca goals have been scored by Gavi, 17; 19-year-old Nico - twice - and Abde, Jutgla and Araujo.
So strong is this youthful breeze that Xavi found himself exasperated by a little-known Spanish league rule that stipulates every top-flight team must have on the pitch at all times at least seven players registered only with the senior squad.
So many of those whom Xavi has promoted and backed in the month or so since he replaced Ronald Koeman began the season assigned to the Barca B, he has run a risk of having more than four of them in action, potentially risking forfeiting a fixture.
“It’s a rather stupid rule,” said Xavi, “but presumably it’s there for games late in the season" when clubs with nothing at stake might field weakened teams, to blood young players, and risk giving opponents with much at stake an easier match. "But from the point of view of developing players it’s closing off their progression.”
Barca expect to assign roles in the first-team squad to some of the recently-promoted players in January, when the opening of the transfer window allows.
One footballer at the opposite end of his career will also have his name added to the roster. Dani Alves, 38, has been training with Barcelona for several weeks, on the understanding that he, out of contract since he left Sao Paulo in September, would in January make a fairytale return.
He represented Barcelona for eight years until 2016, accumulating in dazzling Barca sides many of his 43 career trophies. His most recent was the gold medal as one of Brazil’s over-aged players at the Tokyo Olympics.
The combination of Alves’ leadership and the youthful promise of so-called ‘Baby Barcelona’ - a nickname that will seem even more appropriate when Pedri and Ansu Fati, both 19, return from injury lay-offs next month - enthuses Xavi.
“I’m proud of the team. It’s competing, and it’s improving, and that’s the right path,” he said after the draw with Sevilla, who had been reduced to 10 men for the last half hour following Jules Kounde’s flash-of-temper red card for throwing the ball into the face of Jordi Alba. “But I’m not pleased with the result.”
Barcelona, eliminated from the Champions League at the group stage this season, are still shy of the top four berth that would qualify them for next season’s edition of the main European competition. Without that, some of those talented youngsters may feel more tempted to consider a future elsewhere.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
