Jose Mourinho dislikes looking back at his last adventure in the Champions League, where he was once a domineering figure. It needs a longer and longer memory to recall it. For more than three years, club football’s most glamorous competition has been rolling on nicely without him.
As he approached another landmark in his storied career – Wednesday's Europa League final between his Roma and Sevilla – Mourinho reflected on his many past employers. He singled out Tottenham Hotspur, his previous stop-off before Rome, as the club for which he retains least affection. The spell was trophyless, the exit fractious and the European campaigns ended badly: a 3-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League a month before he was sacked; a 3-0 loss at RB Leipzig the last time he stood to attention on a touchline while the Champions League anthem was being played.
Since then, there has been a global pandemic, two of Mourinho’s exes – Chelsea and Real Madrid – have lifted the European Cup, and Internazionale, one of the two clubs he guided to the prize, have reached its final. Mourinho, the self-styled Special One, might see all this and fear that in the so-called ‘Big Cup’, the Champions League, he is not as relevant as he used to be.
Avenues back into the competition have been closing down, too: at the weekend, Roma’s slender prospects of finishing in the top four of Serie A vanished with defeat to Fiorentina. Wednesday represents the last chance for Roma to scramble in, via the standby ticket that comes to the winner of the Europa League.
But lose to Sevilla in Budapest and the temptation for Mourinho to leave Rome and explore the managerial marketplace will grow. His Roma contract expires in 2024 but that has not made him deaf to suggestions Paris Saint-Germain are wondering if Mourinho, who brought the European Cup to Porto after a 17-year gap and to Inter after 45 years without it, might be the boss to finally end PSG’s long, expensively-funded yearning for a first European glory.
He can also survey next season’s Champions League and spot opportunity. Seasoned rivals will be missing, like Jurgen Klopp, who guided Liverpool to three of the last five finals but failed to lift them into the Premier League’s top four. Mauricio Pochettino, Chelsea’s new manager, will start that job with no European football on the schedule.
There’ll be no Luciano Spalletti, either, the architect of Napoli’s brilliant, Scudetto-winning season having chosen to take a year off. Max Allegri, a Champions League finalist in 2015 and 2017, will need to change jobs – a strong possibility – if he is to return to it. His Juventus, pending an appeal against the points deduction levied on them for false accounting, can finish no higher than fifth in Serie A.
Mourinho, who won the first of his five European trophies – the Uefa Cup with Porto – 20 years ago this month, and his most recent – Roma’s Conference League – 12 months back, sees a 2023/24 Champions League that looks as full of promise for rising managerial stars as it was for him two decades ago. Mikel Arteta, 41, of Arsenal, and Eddie Howe, 45, of Newcastle United, will make their coaching debuts in it. Feyenoord’s admired Arne Slot, 44, will be taking part in its group phase for the first time.
Others will be rewarded for resourceful work at clubs punching above their weight. Three years after coming up from Ligue 2 in France with Lens, Franck Haise has them in the Champions League for the first time in over a decade. Urs Fischer steered Union Berlin into the Bundesliga’s top flight in 2018 and, five years on, into Europe’s top competition for the first time. Real Sociedad’s qualification is reward for the enterprising Imanol Alguacil.
Roma reached Budapest having eliminated Imanol’s La Real, Slot’s Feyenoord and, in a cagey semi-final, the Bayer Leverkusen of Xabi Alonso, who is the brightest new prospect of European club management. In those contests, the 60-year-old Mourinho’s tactical nous was brought to bear. “I still have the same DNA,” he said, relishing “the pleasure of playing this final, thinking about the path we have taken here.
“A coach gets better with time, the brain gets sharper. If you lose motivation, you need to stop. But that’s not true of me. The only pity is that you can’t play in a final every week. Everything is secondary when you focus on a final. It’s not even about us getting into the Champions League if we win.”
It may not be, but he’d still appreciate that bonus, and an overdue return to the very biggest stage.
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In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
About Krews
Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: January 2019
Number of employees: 10
Sector: Technology/Social media
Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Generation Start-up: Awok company profile
Started: 2013
Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 600 plus
Stage: still in talks with VCs
Principal Investors: self-financed by founder
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
Dolittle
Director: Stephen Gaghan
Stars: Robert Downey Jr, Michael Sheen
One-and-a-half out of five stars
Credit Score explained
What is a credit score?
In the UAE your credit score is a number generated by the Al Etihad Credit Bureau (AECB), which represents your credit worthiness – in other words, your risk of defaulting on any debt repayments. In this country, the number is between 300 and 900. A low score indicates a higher risk of default, while a high score indicates you are a lower risk.
Why is it important?
Financial institutions will use it to decide whether or not you are a credit risk. Those with better scores may also receive preferential interest rates or terms on products such as loans, credit cards and mortgages.
How is it calculated?
The AECB collects information on your payment behaviour from banks as well as utilitiy and telecoms providers.
How can I improve my score?
By paying your bills on time and not missing any repayments, particularly your loan, credit card and mortgage payments. It is also wise to limit the number of credit card and loan applications you make and to reduce your outstanding balances.
How do I know if my score is low or high?
By checking it. Visit one of AECB’s Customer Happiness Centres with an original and valid Emirates ID, passport copy and valid email address. Liv. customers can also access the score directly from the banking app.
How much does it cost?
A credit report costs Dh100 while a report with the score included costs Dh150. Those only wanting the credit score pay Dh60. VAT is payable on top.
Karwaan
Producer: Ronnie Screwvala
Director: Akarsh Khurana
Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar
Rating: 4/5
Key developments in maritime dispute
2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.
2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus
2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.
2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.
2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
Roll of honour 2019-2020
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Hurricanes
Runners up: Bahrain
West Asia Premiership
Winners: Bahrain
Runners up: UAE Premiership
UAE Premiership
}Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes
UAE Division One
Winners: Abu Dhabi Saracens
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes II
UAE Division Two
Winners: Barrelhouse
Runners up: RAK Rugby
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
The specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: nine-speed
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh848,000
On sale: now
OPTA'S PREDICTED TABLE
1. Liverpool 101 points
2. Manchester City 80
3. Leicester 67
4. Chelsea 63
5. Manchester United 61
6. Tottenham 58
7. Wolves 56
8. Arsenal 56
9. Sheffield United 55
10. Everton 50
11. Burnley 49
12. Crystal Palace 49
13. Newcastle 46
14. Southampton 44
15. West Ham 39
16. Brighton 37
17. Watford 36
18. Bournemouth 36
19. Aston Villa 32
20. Norwich City 29
Company profile
Name: Tratok Portal
Founded: 2017
Based: UAE
Sector: Travel & tourism
Size: 36 employees
Funding: Privately funded
Details
Through Her Lens: The stories behind the photography of Eva Sereny
Forewords by Jacqueline Bisset and Charlotte Rampling, ACC Art Books
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
The five new places of worship
Church of South Indian Parish
St Andrew's Church Mussaffah branch
St Andrew's Church Al Ain branch
St John's Baptist Church, Ruwais
Church of the Virgin Mary and St Paul the Apostle, Ruwais
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
