As much as Manchester City fans have come to love May, the traditional time for dishing out domestic trophies in England, the month of November also has a place fixed in their hearts.
Not only is it the time of the year when the reigning Premier League champions nearly always shift into overdrive on the pitch, it is also now the month Pep Guardiola chooses to deliver news on his future.
There will come a time, of course, when he tells supporters what they don’t want to hear.
But, for the third time since his arrival at the Etihad Stadium, he has quickened their pulses in November with an announcement that he is to stay beyond this season with a new two-year deal until 2027.
Guardiola staying to complete a decade and more in charge of City in a bid to add to the 18 major trophies he’s already won is a decision that has elicited relief and joy in equal measure.
Crucially, he will be the man calling the shots as the first-team squad undergoes a necessary overhaul across the next three or four transfer windows, and at the same time, he will be the public face of the club when the independent hearing delivers its verdict on the 115 charges brought by the Premier League.
City’s senior management were always confident that Guardiola would not jump ship when they needed him most. There had been a feeling, first expressed privately last June, that he would see out at least a decade in charge.
However, owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, and club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak have not exerted any pressure on the Catalan maestro as he grappled with the alternatives of a year off, or a move into international management with England and Brazil reported to be among those keen to make use of his extraordinary skills.
Conversations were had in Abu Dhabi earlier this season but no deadline for a decision was set. There is complete trust, respect and admiration between the three key men, each grateful to the other for playing such a major role in City’s recent domination of the Premier League.
In signing for another two years, 53-year-old Guardiola becomes only the fourth manager in City history to reach double figures in terms of years in charge.
Wilf Wild still leads the way with 14 years (1932-46), Les McDowall managed for 13 years (1950-63), and Ernest Magnall for a dozen seasons (1912-24).
As he approaches 500 games in charge, Guardiola has already surpassed everyone but McDowall who oversaw 590 matches.
The Catalan’s scarcely believable 72 per cent win percentage over more than nine seasons, eclipses every other City manager who has completed a whole year or more and his trophy haul of 18 is a huge 13 more than Joe Mercer, the man in second place.
While Guardiola has won four Premier League titles in succession – a unique historical feat – and brought City a domestic treble, 100 points in a season, a first ever Uefa Champions League crown and a Fifa Club World Cup, he is entering what promises to be the toughest 18 months since his first year in charge.
Not only are City lagging behind Liverpool at the Premier League summit but they lost their last European outing 4-1 in Portugal to Sporting Lisbon and are operating with an injury-depleted and ageing first-team pool.
In addition, Guardiola will soon be without the day-to-day counsel of his long time friend and Director of Football Txiki Begiritstain, who has decided to step down from his role at the end of the season and will be replaced by Hugo Viana from the aforementioned Sporting Lisbon.
Crucial decisions are coming at Guardiola thick and fast. He will have to deliver verdicts on the futures of long-time collaborators Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, John Stones, Kyle Walker, Ederson and Ilkay Gundogan.
The fact that he is staying may crystalise the thinking of some or all of those players, and should deliver an immediate boost after weeks of constant speculation and loss of form.
Begiristain’s decision to depart for an extended rest and then a new challenge didn’t impact on Guardiola’s own choice to stay, as he had known for two years that his former Barcelona colleague was leaving.
Of course, Guardiola is now much nearer the end of his reign at City than the beginning, and he won’t get close to the 20-year plus stints of Alex Ferguson at Manchester United and Arsene Wenger at Arsenal, but he is still a relatively young man in managerial terms and will undoubtedly coach again after City.
Such are the long hours that he works and the intensity that he brings to the job of winning and improving players, that he is likely to want a rest when he departs the Etihad – as he did after leaving Bayern Munich.
Managing City to amazing heights has not only taken a mental toll on Guardiola but has exerted a physical one, too. He has been battling a painful back issue for the past couple of years but ultimately decided the buzz he gets from winning and from pitting his wits against the new breed of Premier League bosses was just too big a lure.
His decision was never about financial reward or just about him – it never is. Guardiola asked himself if he could bring more success to City and at the same time remain content in his work and home life. The affirmative answers came after some soul searching and lengthy discussions with his wife, Cristina, and family.
Now the hard work begins again with a visit from Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday and then a vital home Champions League game against Feyenoord on Tuesday evening.
Guardiola is sure of a hero’s reception on Saturday at a packed stadium where only last month the 1894 fan organisation raised £1,000 in 24 hours to create a banner that read ‘Pep Guardiola, we want you to stay’ in his native Catalan.
He told those fans that he’d been in love since the first day he arrived at the club, it seems that love is not yet ready to die.
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Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
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The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Company%20Profile
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How to help
Donate towards food and a flight by transferring money to this registered charity's account.
Account name: Dar Al Ber Society
Account Number: 11 530 734
IBAN: AE 9805 000 000 000 11 530 734
Bank Name: Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
To ensure that your contribution reaches these people, please send the copy of deposit/transfer receipt to: juhi.khan@daralber.ae
RESULTS
1.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,400m
Winner: Dirilis Ertugrul, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Ismail Mohammed (trainer)
2.15pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,400m
Winner: Kidd Malibu, Sandro Paiva, Musabah Al Muhairi
2.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,000m
Winner: Raakezz, Tadhg O’Shea, Nicholas Bachalard
3.15pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,200m
Winner: Au Couer, Sean Kirrane, Satish Seemar
3.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,600m
Winner: Rayig, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
4.15pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,600m
Winner: Chiefdom, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
4.45pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,800m
Winner: King’s Shadow, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2-litre%204-cylinder%20petrol%20(V%20Class)%3B%20electric%20motor%20with%2060kW%20or%2090kW%20powerpack%20(EQV)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20233hp%20(V%20Class%2C%20best%20option)%3B%20204hp%20(EQV%2C%20best%20option)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20350Nm%20(V%20Class%2C%20best%20option)%3B%20TBA%20(EQV)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMid-2024%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETBA%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
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Portugal 1 (Ronaldo 72' pen)
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Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
if you go
The flights
Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes.
When to visit
March-May and September-November
Visas
Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.
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
The details
Heard It in a Past Life
Maggie Rogers
(Capital Records)
3/5
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