Three games in and Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United side look like strong contenders for the Premier League title. They’ve made a massive improvement since last season and are going toe-to-toe with Manchester City and Chelsea at the top of the table.
On the surface, Mourinho hasn’t made drastic changes. United only have three new signings in the side – Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paul Pogba and Eric Bailly – and they are playing the same formation as last season.
But there is more confidence and swagger about the side, and that can only be down to Mourinho’s influence.
• More: Liverpool, Tottenham draw in a feisty affair | PL Round-up
Despite having to wait until injury time to find the winner against Hull City on Saturday, United were in complete control of the game and failure to win three points would have been down to their profligacy in front of goal alone. Hull barely had a kick in United’s half.
Last season, United rarely dominated a game in such a way. Yes, they dominated possession on many occasions, but this was a domination of possession, territory and chances. United had 29 shots on goal.
What is striking are the options Mourinho has at his disposal. He named an unchanged side from the team that beat Southampton 2-0 at Old Trafford.
He talked midweek about why Bastian Schweinsteiger is unlikely to get a game in his United midfield, because Mourinho has five players ahead of him in that position. But it’s not just midfield where United have options. Chris Smalling can’t get a game in defence at the moment, and he was a near-ever present last season.
Marcus Rashford is an impact substitute. Big-money summer signing Henrikh Mkhitaryan can’t get in a game because Wayne Rooney has risen to the challenge of more competition.
United have the strength in depth and overall quality to absorb injuries and be challenging for a title in nine months time. The next question they have to answer is on the pitch. They’ve beaten two possible relegation contenders on the road and Southampton at home. Next up is their first major test – the Manchester derby.
Something up with Stoke
Stoke have finished ninth in the past two seasons, but they’re off to a poor start in the current campaign. In 2015/16, they failed to win the first six matches, so they’re not in all-out-panic mode, yet, but Mark Hughes’ team seem to be missing a spark.
When all Stoke’s players are fit, they have a fantastic team on paper, but star playmaker Xherdan Shaqiri is injuy-prone and their best goal scorer, Marko Arnautovic, can take a while to get going. He netted 14 goals for club and country last season, but only scored once in his first 10 in all competitions.
In the meantime, it’s like Stoke have gone back two years – they are playing Peter Crouch as centre-forward.
The 35-year-old striker didn’t score a league goal last season and has never scored more than 10 in a league campaign for Stoke. It’s surely only a temporary plan for Hughes, but as his side sit rock bottom of the table, he either has to get the cheque book out again before Wednesday’s deadline, or hope that key players regain fitness and form quickly.
If not, Stoke could be facing a surprise season of struggle.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
THE%20SPECS
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
