Everything ends somewhere and someday. Jose Mourinho’s time at Porto concluded in an Uefa Champions League final, with the Portuguese tossing his medal away in the manner of a man who knew he would win another in the future.
His time at Inter Milan finished in the stadium that would be his home for the next three years. He won the Champions League at the Bernabeu and decamped to Real Madrid.
Yet one spell at Chelsea has already ended in anti-climax. Mourinho was fired in 2007, the day after a draw with Rosenborg. A second may finish amid a more spectacular sense of everything unravelling.
Perhaps the trip to Stoke City will prove the day a revival gathers pace, the occasion that the most ruthless winner of his generation finally and definitively halted an unprecedented slide.
Or perhaps it will prove Mourinho’s last stand. Given the evidence this season, that seems more likely.
Chelsea won at the Britannia Stadium last December with the physical power, pragmatism and mental strength of prospective champions.
They exited the League Cup there 11 days ago with the fragility of a side who have forgotten how to secure victories.
If their manager departs now, it may be with the ultimate ignominy: Mourinho’s last stand without Mourinho.
The most charismatic, compelling managerial presence of his generation will be confined to a hotel. Whereas the entire Mourinho family attended Wednesday’s win over Dynamo Kiev, a repeat will involve breaking the rules.
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A stadium ban, enforced for his conduct after the defeat to Southampton last month, means the Chelsea manager will be conspicuous by his absence. The spectre of Mourinho will loom large.
The man himself will be nowhere to be seen.
Not since the Samuel Beckett play, Waiting For Godot, will the protagonist have so few lines in a drama.
Assuming Mourinho does not indulge in the sort of vaguely comical skulduggery he did when lasted banned from attending a Chelsea game — he actually came to a Uefa Champions League game against Bayern Munich concealed in a laundry basket — and any motivational team talks will have to be delivered far in advance, any strategic masterplans unveiled before his side set off for the stadium.
It is an impediment. Should Chelsea’s last trip to Stoke be as awkward as the last, when Mourinho was serenaded with chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning” by the Stoke fans, it may be a blessing. He cannot be a focal point for the taunts.
He has to trust in players who have let him down. Wednesday’s match-winner was a fitting figure: Willian is the sole member of the Chelsea squad to improve this season.
While others have denied they are ringleaders against him or deliberately underperforming, the general trend has been a downturn which has given them an uncharacteristic frailty. This is precisely the sort of fixture that has taken Mourinho to the brink.
A serial accumulator of trophies used to exude an immunity to shocks.
Chelsea lost four of 54 games in all competitions last season. They have nine defeats in 18 this term. They have shown a sudden fallibility against supposed inferiors.
Chelsea have suffered disappointment against Crystal Palace, Everton, Southampton, Liverpool, West Ham and Stoke themselves already.
This is the worst start to a campaign made by reigning Premier League champions. Luiz Felipe Scolari, Andre Villas-Boas and Roberto Di Matteo were all sacked with Chelsea considerably higher up the table. So, indeed, was Mourinho in 2007.
The greats may deserve leeway and Mourinho’s record gives him a cast-iron guarantee of greatness but the usually intolerant Roman Abramovich has afforded him more of an opportunity than his predecessors.
Dismissing the club’s greatest manager twice would represent a statement in itself. So would keeping him.
Saturday’s events could force Abramovich into an invidious choice.
But if it is end game for Mourinho, he is curiously powerless, distanced from the ground where his fate may be determined in what feels a reflection of his growing impotence.
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THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance: the specs
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 plus rear-mounted electric motor
Power: 843hp at N/A rpm
Torque: 1470Nm N/A rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.6L/100km
On sale: October to December
Price: From Dh875,000 (estimate)
ENGLAND WORLD CUP SQUAD
Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Read more about the coronavirus
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA
The Dictionary of Animal Languages
Heidi Sopinka
Scribe
UAE%20FIXTURES
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Results:
Men’s wheelchair 200m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 27.14; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 27.81; 3. Rheed McCracken (AUS) 27.81.
When Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi
Known as The Lady of Arabic Song, Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi on November 28, 1971, as part of celebrations for the fifth anniversary of the accession of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as Ruler of Abu Dhabi. A concert hall was constructed for the event on land that is now Al Nahyan Stadium, behind Al Wahda Mall. The audience were treated to many of Kulthum's most well-known songs as part of the sold-out show, including Aghadan Alqak and Enta Omri.
How will Gen Alpha invest?
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
SHAITTAN
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Zimbabwe v UAE, ODI series
All matches at the Harare Sports Club:
1st ODI, Wednesday, April 10
2nd ODI, Friday, April 12
3rd ODI, Sunday, April 14
4th ODI, Tuesday, April 16
UAE squad: Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More on Quran memorisation:
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
The National selections
Al Ain
5pm: Bolereau
5.30pm: Rich And Famous
6pm: Duc De Faust
6.30pm: Al Thoura
7pm: AF Arrab
7.30pm: Al Jazi
8pm: Futoon
Jebel Ali
1.45pm: AF Kal Noor
2.15pm: Galaxy Road
2.45pm: Dark Thunder
3.15pm: Inverleigh
3.45pm: Bawaasil
4.15pm: Initial
4.45pm: Tafaakhor
The specs: Macan Turbo
Engine: Dual synchronous electric motors
Power: 639hp
Torque: 1,130Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Touring range: 591km
Price: From Dh412,500
On sale: Deliveries start in October
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Company%20profile
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MATCH INFO
Liverpool 4 (Salah (pen 4, 33', & pen 88', Van Dijk (20')
Leeds United 3 (Harrison 12', Bamford 30', Klich 66')
Man of the match Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN MARITIME DISPUTE
2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.
2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus
2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.
2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.
2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.
UAE’s revised Cricket World Cup League Two schedule
August, 2021: Host - United States; Teams - UAE, United States and Scotland
Between September and November, 2021 (dates TBC): Host - Namibia; Teams - Namibia, Oman, UAE
December, 2021: Host - UAE; Teams - UAE, Namibia, Oman
February, 2022: Hosts - Nepal; Teams - UAE, Nepal, PNG
June, 2022: Hosts - Scotland; Teams - UAE, United States, Scotland
September, 2022: Hosts - PNG; Teams - UAE, PNG, Nepal
February, 2023: Hosts - UAE; Teams - UAE, PNG, Nepal
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Bert van Marwijk factfile
Born: May 19 1952
Place of birth: Deventer, Netherlands
Playing position: Midfielder
Teams managed:
1998-2000 Fortuna Sittard
2000-2004 Feyenoord
2004-2006 Borussia Dortmund
2007-2008 Feyenoord
2008-2012 Netherlands
2013-2014 Hamburg
2015-2017 Saudi Arabia
2018 Australia
Major honours (manager):
2001/02 Uefa Cup, Feyenoord
2007/08 KNVB Cup, Feyenoord
World Cup runner-up, Netherlands
