Ralph Rangnick had his name on a contract, terms had been agreed and a vision outlined. The German was to be the leader of a red revival. Only this was not Manchester United’s but AC Milan’s.
Had everything gone to plan, Rangnick, now entering a key phase of his vaguely-defined managerial stint at United, would instead be guiding another set of fallen giants back towards the summit of their domestic, and ideally European, football.
Two years ago, the project to make Rangnick a rossonero was already well advanced, although Milan’s executives were divided about the German’s suitability, and especially about the wide remit he wanted, with extensive authority over club strategy.
What all Milan’s decision-makers agreed on was that the club were in deep trouble. A 5-0 loss to Atalanta had left Milan, seven times European champions, in the bottom half of the Serie A table at the end of 2019. Confidence in Stefano Pioli, already their second manager of that season, was draining fast.
What happened over subsequent months looks all the more significant now that Rangnick is playing would-be saviour in Manchester. Milan first delayed and then rescinded their agreement with him before Rangnick had a chance to move into his office.
Pioli, two years on, is still the manager and has overseen such a transformation that there was deemed no-need for the guru from Germany. After a first 10 games in which Pioli’s Milan gained only nine points, he then put together two years’ of league form averaging 2.15 points per game, just off the rate that would have won last season’s title.
As they resume the 2021/22 campaign, post-winter break, at home to Jose Mourinho’s Roma, Milan sit second in the Italian table, the position they finished last season.
The next challenge for Pioli is to turn Milan from principal chasers of the champions and league-leaders Inter Milan into a unit capable of overtaking their neighbours and rivals. He makes no firm forecasts, at this halfway stage of the fixture list, except to say “we need to play the second half of the season at full throttle” and that given so many variables, “we have to cope with unpredictable situations.”
Some of those variable are general to all clubs, namely the Covid-19 pandemic, which, it is hoped, is about to dip from its latest peak but which yesterday put several Italian fixtures under threat. Bologna, Inter's opponents, and Napoli, Juventus’ scheduled guests, reporting significant numbers of positive tests in their squads and support staffs.
Milan have players self-isolating, too, and are among the Italian clubs most obviously weakened by call-ups for the Africa Cup of Nations, which begins in Cameroon this weekend. Franck Kessie, the governor of the rossoneri’s midfield, is away with Ivory Coast and Ismael Bennacer, who might have compensated in that area of the field in Kessie’s absence, is with Algeria.
There is a long-term gap in the centre of defence, too, Simon Kjaer having suffered a cruciate ligament injury last month. Milan’s priority in the January transfer window is to find cover for the experienced Dane. “I have not made any other demands,” said Pioli of his transfer discussions with the club’s executives. “We need, if we can, an established defender. It’s important.”
But for one episode of defensive frailty, in which they shipped seven goals across successive defeats to Fiorentina and Sassuolo, Milan would be leading Serie A.
Instead they look up at an Inter with ominous momentum. The defending champions have dropped points only once in 10 league games, and that was in the drawn Milan derby.
On the red half of the city, there will at least be no distraction of European football up until May, Pioli’s men having finished bottom of a tough Champions League group, shared with Liverpool, Atletico Madrid and Porto. That should ease the workload on some of the older players. Pioli is acutely aware his attack leans on two veterans, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 40, and Olivier Giroud, 35.
Both may have a role against Roma, who are targeting a top-four finish, which will mean making up two places and a six-point lag on fourth-placed Atalanta.
Jose Mourinho’s return to Serie A after more than a decade since he left Inter, and three years since he was replaced at United, has had its ups and downs in Rome. But Pioli senses he is hitting his stride. “We are seeing a different mentality there now under Mourinho. He has done a good job.”
The%20specs%3A%20Taycan%20Turbo%20GT
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Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20WallyGPT%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2014%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESaeid%20and%20Sami%20Hejazi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20raised%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%247.1%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2020%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPre-seed%20round%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
The Bio
Favourite place in UAE: Al Rams pearling village
What one book should everyone read: Any book written before electricity was invented. When a writer willingly worked under candlelight, you know he/she had a real passion for their craft
Your favourite type of pearl: All of them. No pearl looks the same and each carries its own unique characteristics, like humans
Best time to swim in the sea: When there is enough light to see beneath the surface
Profile
Co-founders of the company: Vilhelm Hedberg and Ravi Bhusari
Launch year: In 2016 ekar launched and signed an agreement with Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi. In January 2017 ekar launched in Dubai in a partnership with the RTA.
Number of employees: Over 50
Financing stage: Series B currently being finalised
Investors: Series A - Audacia Capital
Sector of operation: Transport
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg
Real Madrid (2) v Bayern Munich (1)
Where: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
When: 10.45pm, Tuesday
Watch Live: beIN Sports HD
What is the definition of an SME?
SMEs in the UAE are defined by the number of employees, annual turnover and sector. For example, a “small company” in the services industry has six to 50 employees with a turnover of more than Dh2 million up to Dh20m, while in the manufacturing industry the requirements are 10 to 100 employees with a turnover of more than Dh3m up to Dh50m, according to Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development.
A “medium-sized company” can either have staff of 51 to 200 employees or 101 to 250 employees, and a turnover less than or equal to Dh200m or Dh250m, again depending on whether the business is in the trading, manufacturing or services sectors.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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BlacKkKlansman
Director: Spike Lee
Starring: John David Washington; Adam Driver
Five stars
ENGLAND TEAM
England (15-1)
George Furbank; Jonny May, Manu Tuilagi, Owen Farrell (capt), Elliot Daly; George Ford, Ben Youngs; Tom Curry, Sam Underhill, Courtney Lawes; Charlie Ewels, Maro Itoje; Kyle Sinckler, Jamie George, Joe Marler
Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ellis Genge, Will Stuart, George Kruis, Lewis Ludlam, Willi Heinz, Ollie Devoto, Jonathan Joseph
Liverpool’s fixtures until end of 2019
Saturday, November 30, Brighton (h)
Wednesday, December 4, Everton (h)
Saturday, December 7, Bournemouth (a)
Tuesday, December 10, Salzburg (a) CL
Saturday, December 14, Watford (h)
Tuesday, December 17, Aston Villa (a) League Cup
Wednesday, December 18, Club World Cup in Qatar
Saturday, December 21, Club World Cup in Qatar
Thursday, December 26, Leicester (a)
Sunday, December 29, Wolves (h)
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
Bugatti Chiron Super Sport - the specs:
Engine: 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16
Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto
Power: 1,600hp
Torque: 1,600Nm
0-100kph in 2.4seconds
0-200kph in 5.8 seconds
0-300kph in 12.1 seconds
Top speed: 440kph
Price: Dh13,200,000
Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport - the specs:
Engine: 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16
Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto
Power: 1,500hp
Torque: 1,600Nm
0-100kph in 2.3 seconds
0-200kph in 5.5 seconds
0-300kph in 11.8 seconds
Top speed: 350kph
Price: Dh13,600,000
How tumultuous protests grew
- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
- Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
- Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
- An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital
Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier
ICC Academy, November 22-28
UAE fixtures
Nov 22, v Malaysia
Nov 23, v Hong Kong
Nov 25, v Bhutan
Nov 26, v Kuwait
Nov 28, v Nepal
ICC T20I rankings
14. Nepal
17. UAE
25. Hong Kong
34. Kuwait
35. Malaysia
44. Bhutan
UAE squad
Chaya Mughal (captain), Natasha Cherriath, Samaira Dharnidharka, Kavisha Egodage, Mahika Gaur, Priyanjali Jain, Suraksha Kotte, Vaishnave Mahesh, Judit Peter, Esha Rohit, Theertha Satish, Chamani Seneviratne, Khushi Sharma, Subha Venkataraman
