Liverpool and Chelsea occupied ninth and tenth in the Premier League at the start of Saturday, and after a goalless meeting, it was apparent why given the standard of football on show at a bitterly cold Anfield.
Jurgen Klopp spoke too soon when he said last week that Liverpool’s defeat at Brighton was the worst performance of his Reds tenure. This dourest of draws that belied the individual quality on the pitch and money spent on both teams was equally as putrid.
It was no way for Klopp to mark his 1000th game in management.
A combined outlay of £1 billion should have resulted in better entertainment, but these two crisis clubs are where they are for a reason.
Nobody can be quite sure what has happened to Liverpool this season. There were not many who had the Reds down as anything other than the biggest threat to Manchester City’s hopes of retaining the title again, given they strengthened a squad in the summer that went within a hair’s breadth of the quadruple last term.
So many stars who were near imperious last season have fallen off a cliff this time around. Fabinho, for so long the calming influence to keep the Liverpool juggernaut on its path to success, was dropped in favour of 18-year-old Stefan Bajcetic, given his first Premier League start, while Jordan Henderson was also usurped in the starting lineup.
The biggest disappointment after yet another anonymous display was Mohamed Salah. Ever since smashing their previously strict pay structure and handing over the keys to the city to persuade the Egyptian to stay at Anfield in the summer, the player who has made the difference for so long has looked a shadow of his former self.
The worrying thing for the club which bet so much on Salah is not only is he short of form, but the fire inside that burned when at his unrelenting best appears to be cooling.
Last season, Salah averaged four and a half shots per game in the league, creating more than two chances on every match for teammates. His only offering on Saturday was one wayward effort from a promising position in the opening period, while he did not provide any key passes in the entire match.
Salah was not alone in his substandard performance.
On the back of successive league defeats for the second time this season following their humbling at Brighton, Liverpool looked to be up against it once more from the off as Kai Havertz fired home from close range, but after a lengthy VAR review, the German was ruled to be offside.
Otherwise, both sides struggled to make inroads. The hosts especially were unable to create many clearcut openings of note in the first half, with new signing Cody Gakpo blazing two presentable opportunities over the top.
Chelsea should have gone into the break in front but another January arrival, defender Benoit Badiashile, headed too close to Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson from close range.
The second half brought little improvement. Chelsea introduced new signing Mykhailo Mudryk from the bench, but while he looked likely, with one mazy run resulting in the Ukrainian finding the side-netting, he was unable to inspire his side to a second successive league win.
Another big-money arrival, Darwin Nunez had Liverpool’s best chance of the second half, but his miserable start to life in England continue as he fired straight at the otherwise untroubled Kepa Arrizabalaga.
A winner for either side would not have been a true reflection of where these two teams are at. The road back to the top will be a long and troubling one indeed for both of these fallen giants.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Rain Management
Year started: 2017
Based: Bahrain
Employees: 100-120
Amount raised: $2.5m from BitMex Ventures and Blockwater. Another $6m raised from MEVP, Coinbase, Vision Ventures, CMT, Jimco and DIFC Fintech Fund
The Cockroach
(Vintage)
Ian McEwan
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Indoor Cricket World Cup
When: September 16-23
Where: Insportz, Dubai
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
ENGLAND SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Jack Butland, Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope
Defenders: John Stones, Harry Maguire, Phil Jones, Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, Gary Cahill, Ashley Young, Danny Rose, Trent Alexander-Arnold
Midfielders: Eric Dier, Jordan Henderson, Dele Alli, Jesse Lingard, Raheem Sterling, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Fabian Delph
Forwards: Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, Marcus Rashford, Danny Welbeck
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
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
'My Son'
Director: Christian Carion
Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis
Rating: 2/5
Bio
Born in Dubai in 1994
Her father is a retired Emirati police officer and her mother is originally from Kuwait
She Graduated from the American University of Sharjah in 2015 and is currently working on her Masters in Communication from the University of Sharjah.
Her favourite film is Pacific Rim, directed by Guillermo del Toro
