Each week sports reporter Mina Rzouki answers a selection of readers' questions submitted via social media. If you have a question for Mina, you can ask her on either X or Instagram – both @MinaRzouki.
Q: What are your thoughts on Fabio Capello’s criticism of Pep Guardiola. Do you agree or disagree and why?
Naseinb via Instagram
A: Just for reference, Fabio Capello, former England, Real Madrid and AC Milan coach was speaking to Sky Italia when he labelled Guardiola "arrogant" and said his desire to be the "main character" through tactics had cost his team in big games. He also accused him of harming football, adding: “Everyone spent 10 years trying to copy him, and that destroyed the essence of Italian football."
Who doesn’t love a little bit of drama? My opinion is that the desire to replicate Guardiola’s style of football has somewhat harmed football. We see many teams trying to play in similar fashion with less adaptable and capable players, leading to dogmatic tactics that at times do little to exploit the talents of the individuals. Coaches grow too obsessed with their own philosophy. But it’s hardly Guardiola’s fault that he spawned so many sycophants eager to copy rather than innovate in the way he did so himself.
So much of Guardiola’s football has been influenced by many greats including Johan Cruyff, Arrigo Sacchi and even Luciano Spalletti’s Roma that played with Francesco Totti as a false number nine. He combined so many of those influences to create his own style and that too has changed and adapted over the years to suit the clubs and leagues he has managed in. Obsessed with football, Guardiola was inspired and innovated rather than copied. Sadly those who admire him tend to copy.
As for Guardiola’s penchant for springing a tactical surprise in big games, it’s difficult to disagree. Guardiola famously overthought a match against Real Madrid when he was the Bayern coach. Losing 4-0, the coach was distraught. According to journalist Marti Perarnau’s book on Guardiola, the Spanish coach changed his mind multiple times as to what shape he ought to field to stop Real Madrid. He went from a 3-4-3 to a 4-3-2-1 to a 4-2-4 and it all ended in disaster.
As coach of Manchester City, the 2019 loss to Tottenham is also difficult to forget. Guardiola used Fabian Delph at full back, left Kevin De Bruyne on the bench until the 88th minute and used Ilkay Gundogan in a defensive role. They were duly defeated in the tie, but I disagree that Guardiola made these tactical decisions due to arrogance. If anything, I think sometimes it’s out of genuine fear and respect for the opponent. He doesn’t change things to be clever but rather because he’s so hungry for the win that he overthinks every move.
Incidentally, Capello, for me, is the greatest ever coach. Big claim, I know. Milan’s destruction of Cruyff’s Barcelona in 1994 in the Champions League final, despite the overwhelming number of absences and with only Dejan Savicevic up front is the single greatest achievement in my book. Winning a title with Roma is also close to impossible considering the noise from the capital city and he did it.
Q: Is Liverpool’s season catching up with them?
Neiloparchio10 via Instagram
A: I’m assuming you are referring to Liverpool’s recent losses to Newcastle and PSG that have dashed hopes of multiple trophies.
Well they’re 99 per cent certain of winning the league so that’s pretty impressive, especially considering it’s Arne Slot’s first season. But I think going forward, asking any club to challenge and win trebles is becoming a tall order. There are ever more competitions to contend with, old competition formats are expanding, and the endless amount of injuries are ruining the spectacle. Playing relentlessly is catching up with everyone.
To be fair, I don’t actually agree that the season has been catching up with them. I think PSG have been heavily underrated this season and yes, they did have a poor start to their Champions League campaign but they have since developed into a very good team in these past four to five months. Luis Enrique has addressed the weaknesses and is putting the players into positions to show their best. How hopelessly unlucky that Liverpool, a team that topped the Champions League league phase should be pitted against a European giant.
As for Newcastle, it is difficult to defend that performance from Slot’s men, yet I will dole out the excuses nonetheless. Fatigue is a real thing - not always physical but mental. It is hard to play a European match against a strong team that goes to extra time. The nerves, the emotions and then to lose in that manner… it’s hard to then get back up and go to Wembley a few days later.
If there is one criticism then it could be a lack of rotation at times. Why, as an example, has Federico Chiesa not been played more often? He merits more opportunities and will only grow should he be offered consistency, yet it seems clear he is not one Slot is keen to count on even if he can score goals like the one at Wembley. The team is too dependent on the brilliance of Mo Salah and the rest of the attack hasn’t been able to measure up, so why not give the Italian a few more minutes?
It's important to note that I’m just nitpicking at this point. This is a team that’s likely to win the grand prize at the end of the season so, yes it’s been a bit rocky but Liverpool remain one of the mightiest in Europe and surely soon to be crowned the best in England.
Q - Which player has impressed you the most in the Saudi Pro League this season?
Manamaayad via Instagram
There have been many to be honest, it’s been a really fun season thus far. Despite Moussa Diaby’s long injury lay off (from November to February), he always makes a difference when he plays and set up both the first and last goal in the Saudi clasico when his team, Al Ittihad smashed Riyadh giants Al Hilal 4-1. A creative force, he was the record signing from Aston Villa and Bayer Leverkusen’s player of the season in 2020.
Perhaps what I didn’t expect was how impressive Al Hilal’s Salem Al Dawsari continues to be at 33 years of age. I love nothing more than a clutch player, the man who shows up in the big moments and Al Dawsari is just that. Al Ittihad may be the best team in Saudi Arabia at the moment but Hilal captain Al Dawsari has come up with the goods in key moments to keep his side in the hunt for the title.
One need only remember his performance in the match against Al Kholood. His side were comprehensively defeated the week prior and needed a strong reaction and he provided it. He not only created the first goal but scored twice to help his side secure a 5-1 victory.
Last week, he became the player with the most assists in Saudi Pro League history when he delivered his 54th in the 2-0 win against Al Taawoun. The club captain, who once played for Villarreal, is not only a legend but a hero at international level, scoring in Saudi Arabia’s crucial World Cup qualifier against China only days ago.
Q - What’s next for Paul Pogba? Now a free agent, will he go back to Italy, move to Saudi Arabia or another Middle Eastern club?
From Leo Haider via Twitter.
A: Is he the most coveted free agent? His 18-month doping ban finally expired on March 11 and he’s now free to play wherever he wants but securing his next contract will not be an easy feat.
Leaving Juventus by mutual consent, the Frenchman hasn’t played a professional game since September 2023, even if he’s been training hard in hopes of securing a move that would help him restart his career.
He was recently in Miami to watch the Premier Padel P1 and has been linked with a move to Inter Miami to join up with the likes of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. So far, this is the rumour that has gained the most traction, and the likes of Fichajes seem adamant the move is near completion. A move stateside would make the most sense considering the impact the player would make on a commercial level, but I wouldn’t discount Saudi Arabia.
Former Juve director Pavel Nedved is now the sporting director of Saudi Pro League club Al Shabab, while Al Ittihad remains a possibility. It will be interesting to see where he goes and whether he’ll ever be able to recapture some of his old form. He deserves an opportunity to light up the pitch again.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
How to turn your property into a holiday home
- Ensure decoration and styling – and portal photography – quality is high to achieve maximum rates.
- Research equivalent Airbnb homes in your location to ensure competitiveness.
- Post on all relevant platforms to reach the widest audience; whether you let personally or via an agency know your potential guest profile – aiming for the wrong demographic may leave your property empty.
- Factor in costs when working out if holiday letting is beneficial. The annual DCTM fee runs from Dh370 for a one-bedroom flat to Dh1,200. Tourism tax is Dh10-15 per bedroom, per night.
- Check your management company has a physical office, a valid DTCM licence and is licencing your property and paying tourism taxes. For transparency, regularly view your booking calendar.
The bio
Who inspires you?
I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist
How do you relax?
Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.
What is favourite book?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times
What is your favourite Arabic film?
Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki
What is favourite English film?
Mamma Mia
Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?
If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.
Brief scores:
Day 1
Toss: India, chose to bat
India (1st innings): 215-2 (89 ov)
Agarwal 76, Pujara 68 not out; Cummins 2-40
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
How it works
Each player begins with one of the great empires of history, from Julius Caesar's Rome to Ramses of Egypt, spread over Europe and the Middle East.
Round by round, the player expands their empire. The more land they have, the more money they can take from their coffers for each go.
As unruled land and soldiers are acquired, players must feed them. When a player comes up against land held by another army, they can choose to battle for supremacy.
A dice-based battle system is used and players can get the edge on their enemy with by deploying a renowned hero on the battlefield.
Players that lose battles and land will find their coffers dwindle and troops go hungry. The end goal? Global domination of course.
Crops that could be introduced to the UAE
1: Quinoa
2. Bathua
3. Amaranth
4. Pearl and finger millet
5. Sorghum
THREE POSSIBLE REPLACEMENTS
Khalfan Mubarak
The Al Jazira playmaker has for some time been tipped for stardom within UAE football, with Quique Sanchez Flores, his former manager at Al Ahli, once labelling him a “genius”. He was only 17. Now 23, Mubarak has developed into a crafty supplier of chances, evidenced by his seven assists in six league matches this season. Still to display his class at international level, though.
Rayan Yaslam
The Al Ain attacking midfielder has become a regular starter for his club in the past 15 months. Yaslam, 23, is a tidy and intelligent player, technically proficient with an eye for opening up defences. Developed while alongside Abdulrahman in the Al Ain first-team and has progressed well since manager Zoran Mamic’s arrival. However, made his UAE debut only last December.
Ismail Matar
The Al Wahda forward is revered by teammates and a key contributor to the squad. At 35, his best days are behind him, but Matar is incredibly experienced and an example to his colleagues. His ability to cope with tournament football is a concern, though, despite Matar beginning the season well. Not a like-for-like replacement, although the system could be adjusted to suit.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
SPECS
Nissan 370z Nismo
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 363hp
Torque: 560Nm
Price: Dh184,500
Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
The specs: 2018 Kia Picanto
Price: From Dh39,500
Engine: 1.2L inline four-cylinder
Transmission: Four-speed auto
Power: 86hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 122Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.0L / 100km
Mica
Director: Ismael Ferroukhi
Stars: Zakaria Inan, Sabrina Ouazani
3 stars
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
U19 World Cup in South Africa
Group A: India, Japan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka
Group B: Australia, England, Nigeria, West Indies
Group C: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Scotland, Zimbabwe
Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, South Africa, UAE
UAE fixtures
Saturday, January 18, v Canada
Wednesday, January 22, v Afghanistan
Saturday, January 25, v South Africa
UAE squad
Aryan Lakra (captain), Vriitya Aravind, Deshan Chethyia, Mohammed Farazuddin, Jonathan Figy, Osama Hassan, Karthik Meiyappan, Rishabh Mukherjee, Ali Naseer, Wasi Shah, Alishan Sharafu, Sanchit Sharma, Kai Smith, Akasha Tahir, Ansh Tandon
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.
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
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Results
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