BURNLEY 1 SOUTHAMPTON 0
Burnley - Barnes 73'
BURNLEY // The reversal in their fortunes is stark. There were eight wins in 10 English Premier League games, then a draw. Now there have been four successive losses.
Southampton have gone from winners to winless. The context is that they have only slipped from second to fifth, a station that still far out-strips initial expectations after a summer of departures. But context did not console Ronald Koeman at Turf Moor.
If resources dictated that defeats to the Manchester clubs and Arsenal were only to be expected, there was something remarkable about this defeat to a Burnley team with the division’s smallest budget. Southampton missed a penalty.
Such things happen to other clubs, but rarely them. They had converted 29 consecutive top-flight spot kicks and, courtesy of Matt Le Tissier and Rickie Lambert, had been probably the most reliable side in Premier League history from 12 yards. Then George Boyd tripped Ryan Bertrand and Tom Heaton dived to his left to turn Dusan Tadic’s penalty away.
“Okay, it is good goalkeeping but it is a bad penalty,” said Koeman, a perfectionist in his playing days carrying the same traits into management.
Heaton’s acrobatics rendered this an historic occasion. In years to come, however, it may be remembered for other reasons by Southampton. Introducing and improving players is what they do. The homegrown element to their side provides an underlying stability, even after a summer when they were stripped of five first-team regulars by transfer-market predators. There was a long-term aspect to a short-term setback.
The Southampton academy proved profitable in the summer, when three of its graduates, Adam Lallana, Luke Shaw and Calum Chambers, brought in £68 million.
The latest off the production line, Jake Hesketh, an Andres Iniesta wannabe, made his full debut after a cameo against Manchester United on Monday. A slight figure, he was granted the No 10 position and stood out, both for his precociousness in possession and an ill-judged lunge at Heaton, as the Burnley goalkeeper gathered Sadio Mane’s cross, that might have resulted in a red card.
A similarly late tackle, from Burnley’s Michael Keane, resulted in the withdrawal of a clearly upset Hesketh, whose contribution had been limited to half an hour.
Yet his selection was a sign Southampton are rarely afraid to blood youngsters. They are also short of short of viable midfield options, with their resources stretched by the absence of the irreplaceable Morgan Schneiderlin.
They rose to second place on merit but never had the squad of a top-four team. When the attacking trio of Graziano Pelle, Tadic and Mane struggled to maintain their initial impact, Saints have lost a little potency, with their collective bluntness summed up by the Serbian’s squandered penalty. Pelle’s goal against United is the only one they have mustered between them since October.
“In the last two games, we had more chances,” noted Koeman. “Football is all about scoring chances and [not making] mistakes in defence.”
Suddenly, he feels his side are failing on both fronts. Southampton are starting to miss the former Burnley forward Jay Rodriguez, scorer of 15 Premier League goals last season but yet to feature in the current campaign as he recovers from a cruciate ligament injury.
And, instead, the crucial attacker was one who made the opposite journey. Danny Ings was released by Southampton as a teenager. He closed down Nathaniel Clyne’s clearance. The ball rebounded to Ashley Barnes, whose shot was deflected past Fraser Forster by Toby Alderweireld for the only goal. Burnley, with three wins in six, are now in better form than Southampton.
sports@thenational.ae
Follow us on twitter at @SprtNationalUAE
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
The biog
Favourite Quote: “Real victories are those that protect human life, not those that result from its destruction emerge from its ashes,” by The late king Hussain of Jordan.
Favourite Hobby: Writing and cooking
Favourite Book: The Prophet by Gibran Khalil Gibran
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
Tips for newlyweds to better manage finances
All couples are unique and have to create a financial blueprint that is most suitable for their relationship, says Vijay Valecha, chief investment officer at Century Financial. He offers his top five tips for couples to better manage their finances.
Discuss your assets and debts: When married, it’s important to understand each other’s personal financial situation. It’s necessary to know upfront what each party brings to the table, as debts and assets affect spending habits and joint loan qualifications. Discussing all aspects of their finances as a couple prevents anyone from being blindsided later.
Decide on the financial/saving goals: Spouses should independently list their top goals and share their lists with one another to shape a joint plan. Writing down clear goals will help them determine how much to save each month, how much to put aside for short-term goals, and how they will reach their long-term financial goals.
Set a budget: A budget can keep the couple be mindful of their income and expenses. With a monthly budget, couples will know exactly how much they can spend in a category each month, how much they have to work with and what spending areas need to be evaluated.
Decide who manages what: When it comes to handling finances, it’s a good idea to decide who manages what. For example, one person might take on the day-to-day bills, while the other tackles long-term investments and retirement plans.
Money date nights: Talking about money should be a healthy, ongoing conversation and couples should not wait for something to go wrong. They should set time aside every month to talk about future financial decisions and see the progress they’ve made together towards accomplishing their goals.
From Europe to the Middle East, economic success brings wealth - and lifestyle diseases
A rise in obesity figures and the need for more public spending is a familiar trend in the developing world as western lifestyles are adopted.
One in five deaths around the world is now caused by bad diet, with obesity the fastest growing global risk. A high body mass index is also the top cause of metabolic diseases relating to death and disability in Kuwait, Qatar and Oman – and second on the list in Bahrain.
In Britain, heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s remain among the leading causes of death, and people there are spending more time suffering from health problems.
The UK is expected to spend $421.4 billion on healthcare by 2040, up from $239.3 billion in 2014.
And development assistance for health is talking about the financial aid given to governments to support social, environmental development of developing countries.
MATCH INFO
Who: UAE v USA
What: first T20 international
When: Friday, 2pm
Where: ICC Academy in Dubai
What went into the film
25 visual effects (VFX) studios
2,150 VFX shots in a film with 2,500 shots
1,000 VFX artists
3,000 technicians
10 Concept artists, 25 3D designers
New sound technology, named 4D SRL
Indika
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