The new Galatasaray coach Roberto Mancini will finally have a chance to get to know his players after his team’s 2-2 Uefa Champions League draw with Juventus.
The former Manchester City manager was thrown in at the deep end after taking charge only two days before Wednesday’s match in Turin.
“At the moment, I don’t even know the names of my players,” Mancini, appointed to replace Fatih Terim who was sacked last week by the Turkish champions, told reporters.
“I couldn’t do much in two days apart from giving some logic to the team. Now I need to get to know them.”
Mancini said he was knocked back by the performance of Didier Drogba, 35, who scored the first goal and set up the late equaliser.
“Drogba has been incredible,” he said. “I didn’t expect a performance like that. He played alone in attack, in the home of Juventus; extraordinary.”
He added: “In the first half we played well, but physically we struggled in the second. I don’t think Juventus are at their best at the moment, although they could be soon, it’s not unusual.”
Mancini had been out of a job since being dismissed by the English club in May after his team were shocked by Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup final and gave up their Premier League crown to Manchester United without much of a fight.
He spent three-and-half years at the Etihad Stadium, leading City to the Premier League title in 2012 and the FA Cup the previous year, bringing an end to the club’s 35-year trophy drought.
BAYERN MUNICH IN A HURRY
Bayern Munich were basking in the afterglow of a stunning 3-1 win over Manchester City that put the holders well on course for early qualification into this season’s knockout stage.
The dominant Bavarians made a mockery of pre-match predictions of a close encounter took a 3-0 lead before taking their foot off the gas and conceded a late consolation goal.
“For about 80 minutes we played an almost perfect game,” club president Uli Hoeness told reporters.
“I cannot remember ever having so much possession or having played such unbelievable football in an away game against such a big-name opponent. I can only congratulate the team. What they offered was summa cum laude (with highest honour).”
Arjen Robben, who chipped in with the third to seal the tally, said, “We certainly never imagined such a game.
“A huge compliment to the team. We used the spaces so well and there were some attacks from us that were just super.”
ROONEY SHOULD BE FINE
Manchester United manager David Moyes has confirmed Wayne Rooney will be fit for England’s crucial World Cup double header against Montenegro and Poland.
Rooney missed Wednesday night’s 1-1 Champions League draw with Shakhtar Donetsk after suffering a kick on his shin by Danny Welbeck in training on Tuesday.
With Roy Hodgson due to name his squad later today for the games that will determine whether his side make it to the Finals in Brazil next year, it must have been a worry.
However, those fears have already been dispelled, with Moyes confirming he expects Rooney to be available for Saturday’s Premier League trip to Sunderland.
“Wayne Rooney will be okay for Saturday,” said Moyes. “He clashed shins with Danny Welbeck (in training).
“At a push we probably could have risked him but we decided not to.”
TORRES OUT FOR THREE WEEKS
Chelsea striker Fernando Torres faces a race against time to return to action following the international break after the club confirmed he will miss three weeks due to a medial collateral ligament injury to his left knee.
The Spaniard limped out of Tuesday’s Champions League group game at Steaua Bucharest and the extent of the damage has now been revealed.
Jose Mourinho said, “It’s something in his knee, his ligament, and we have to wait for the scan. The doctor is very confident it’s not a big injury, like we had with Marco van Ginkel (who is out for six months).
“He knows that he doesn’t play against Norwich. He knows that he cannot go to the national team.
“He knows he has 15 days until the next match he can play, which is against Cardiff.
“Let’s see the scan. If the injury is an injury for 15 days, I think he’ll be fine. That’s okay.
If you go
- The nearest international airport to the start of the Chuysky Trakt is in Novosibirsk. Emirates (www.emirates.com) offer codeshare flights with S7 Airlines (www.s7.ru) via Moscow for US$5,300 (Dh19,467) return including taxes. Cheaper flights are available on Flydubai and Air Astana or Aeroflot combination, flying via Astana in Kazakhstan or Moscow. Economy class tickets are available for US$650 (Dh2,400).
- The Double Tree by Hilton in Novosibirsk ( 7 383 2230100,) has double rooms from US$60 (Dh220). You can rent cabins at camp grounds or rooms in guesthouses in the towns for around US$25 (Dh90).
- The transport Minibuses run along the Chuysky Trakt but if you want to stop for sightseeing, hire a taxi from Gorno-Altaisk for about US$100 (Dh360) a day. Take a Russian phrasebook or download a translation app. Tour companies such as Altair-Tour ( 7 383 2125115 ) offer hiking and adventure packages.
The specs
The specs: 2019 Audi Q8
Price, base: Dh315,000
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 340hp @ 3,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 2,250rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Intruder
Director: Deon Taylor
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Michael Ealy, Meagan Good
One star
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Fitness problems in men's tennis
Andy Murray - hip
Novak Djokovic - elbow
Roger Federer - back
Stan Wawrinka - knee
Kei Nishikori - wrist
Marin Cilic - adductor
Maestro
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