International football in a time of pandemic sets many problems and Italy right now could provide a list of most of them.
The Azzurri are on the verge of making the Uefa Nations League finals, but this has been no ordinary lead-in. They face Bosnia-Herzegovina on Wednesday, a win guaranteeing progress, with neither of their regular captains, no manager on the premises and without 20 players who had been called up.
Roberto Mancini, the coach, has been self-isolating, having contracted coronavirus. He had hoped a negative test would allow him to return to the touchline in time for the trip to Sarajevo. He is still deemed infectious, although he has no serious symptoms.
Leonardo Bonucci, meanwhile, is unavailable and found himself in the bizarre position of giving the captain’s eve-of-match press conference ahead of the weekend’s 2-0 win against Poland to announce he was about to leave the camp.
The other regular skipper, Giorgio Chiellini was already ruled out with injury. By the time Mancini’s assistant Alberico Evani listed the starting XI, a group of more than 40 call-ups had been halved by withdrawals.
The vast initial squad was a precaution. Covid-19 cases, and the knock-on effects, are a fact of life in a sport where testing is frequent and protocols rigorous; but once elaborately designed ‘biosecure bubbles’ are being pierced by footballers having to travel across the globe it is wise to have a Plan B and Plan C at the ready.
Bonucci articulated one of the secondary effects of the pandemic, the fatigue caused by a crammed schedule. “We are programmed and trained to play a lot of football, but we started this year without a pre-season,” he said, explaining that to play for Italy this week risked aggravating injury. “With all the games, that increases injuries. I have been asking too much of my body.”
He was careful to acknowledge that elite footballers’ challenges were insignificant in the broader health crisis. “Covid is attacking the world,” he said, “but in every sphere, we need to have the right strategy for it.”
Bonucci joined Chiellini, Marco Verratti and Ciro Immobile on the list of Italy’s unavailables – to name just the very senior men who form the spine of Mancini’s ideal XI.
Immobile, winner of last season’s Golden Shoe for his 35 Lazio goals, is out because of conflicting results from two Covid-19 tests.
Gaetano Castrovilli and Cristiano Biraghi withdrew because of an outbreak of infections at their club, Fiorentina. A similar alarm at Roma has excluded a quartet of Italy players.
“To be honest, I lost count of how many players had to drop out,” sighed Evani, consulting regularly with Mancini about how to fill the many gaps. “By the weekend, we didn’t have too many left. But I always believed we give our best in adverse conditions.”
The Italy national team has been constructing legends around its strength in adversity for decades, evoking the last two Azzurri World Cup triumphs. In 1982 and 2006, Italy became champions after damaging match-fixing Serie A scandals overshadowed the lead-in to the tournaments.
On Sunday, Mancini watched his depleted team rise to the occasion on television, keeping in touch with Evani on the touchline.
A stylish, ebullient Italy beat Poland in Reggio Emilia. Poland’s Robert Lewandowski was kept quiet by a centre-half pairing – Francesco Acerbi and Alessandro Bastoni – who had 10 caps between them (Chiellini and Bonucci have more than 200).
There were lively showings from players who have spent periods of the club season feeling marginalised, such as Emerson Palmieri of Chelsea and Federico Bernardeschi of Juventus. Lorenzo Insigne, whose performances for the national team have not always matched his influence for Napoli, shone.
“A beautiful Italy,” said Mancini, “a great team performance with the right attitude when things had not been easy.”
Mancini quickly counted up not the absences but the coefficient points that a successful weekend had brought to Italy, meaning they will be seeded in the qualifying draw for the 2022 World Cup.
The Italian Federation hope Mancini will lead the Azzurri there. He has already guided them to the Euro 2021 finals and perhaps to a first Nations League finals.
All of which marks progress since the night, three years ago, when Italy lost 1-0 to Sweden in the first leg of their play-off for the 2018 World Cup, a deficit they could not recover.
Only one player, Andrea Belotti who was on the pitch when the Swedes scored the goal that kept the Italians out of that World Cup was involved against Poland, proof that Mancini has moved the country onwards and upwards, and has a genuinely broad base of talent in case of emergency.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Fifa Club World Cup quarter-final
Kashima Antlers 3 (Nagaki 49’, Serginho 69’, Abe 84’)
Guadalajara 2 (Zaldivar 03’, Pulido 90')
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%202-litre%20direct%20injection%20turbo%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%207-speed%20automatic%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20261hp%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20400Nm%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20From%20Dh134%2C999%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Alaan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Parthi%20Duraisamy%20and%20Karun%20Kurien%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%247%20million%20raised%20in%20total%20%E2%80%94%20%242.5%20million%20in%20a%20seed%20round%20and%20%244.5%20million%20in%20a%20pre-series%20A%20round%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
ON%20TRACK
%3Cp%3EThe%20Dubai%20Metaverse%20Assembly%20will%20host%20three%20main%20tracks%3A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEducate%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Consists%20of%20more%20than%2010%20in-depth%20sessions%20on%20the%20metaverse%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInspire%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Will%20showcase%20use%20cases%20of%20the%20metaverse%20in%20tourism%2C%20logistics%2C%20retail%2C%20education%20and%20health%20care%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EContribute%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Workshops%20for%20metaverse%20foresight%20and%20use-case%20reviews%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Adele: The Stories Behind The Songs
Caroline Sullivan
Carlton Books
Dhadak
Director: Shashank Khaitan
Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana
Stars: 3
The BIO:
He became the first Emirati to climb Mount Everest in 2011, from the south section in Nepal
He ascended Mount Everest the next year from the more treacherous north Tibetan side
By 2015, he had completed the Explorers Grand Slam
Last year, he conquered K2, the world’s second-highest mountain located on the Pakistan-Chinese border
He carries dried camel meat, dried dates and a wheat mixture for the final summit push
His new goal is to climb 14 peaks that are more than 8,000 metres above sea level
World Cricket League Division 2
In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.
UAE fixtures
Thursday February 8, v Kenya; Friday February 9, v Canada; Sunday February 11, v Nepal; Monday February 12, v Oman; Wednesday February 14, v Namibia; Thursday February 15, final
The past winners
2009 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
2010 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
2011 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2012 - Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus)
2013 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
2014 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2015 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)
2016 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2017 - Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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 five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Cinco in numbers
Dh3.7 million
The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown
46
The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.
1,000
The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
50
How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
3,000
The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
1.1 million
The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.
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
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
