Dwight Yorke was at Manchester United’s training ground this week, schooling the club’s under 23 players in the art of goalscoring.
A finisher of his quality was sorely needed in United's opening league defeat to Crystal Palace and while United's young forward line is impressive and improving, there is an over reliance on it.
It would also look short if any of the established three of Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford or Mason Greenwood became injured.
Striker Odion Ighalo will return to China once his loan spell ends in January and Dan James needs to get his form back, while manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been hoping to bring in Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund, but there’s an impasse over the fee.
United also hope that their one new signing Donny van de Beek can act as a second striker and the attacking talents of Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba contribute, but the team needs strengthening up front ahead of an intense period of football which includes the Champions League.
Brighton and Hove Albion are the next opponents in the Premier League and despite United first playing the Seagulls more than 100 years ago, they didn’t actually have a match in Brighton until 1980 and have only contested nine away games there in their entire history. By next Wednesday when the two meet in the League Cup, that will be 11, with three of those games coming in a three-month period in 2020.
United’s 3-0 win at the Amex on June 30 was their most impressive in the post lockdown period with two goals from Fernandes and one from Greenwood. It partially made up for the dreadful defeats of the two previous seasons there under Jose Mourinho.
United’s record at home to Brighton is better with ten wins and two draws from 12 games, but Saturday’s game is a big one. A second consecutive league defeat and the mood will further darken among fans frustrated that only one signing has arrived so far in the transfer window.
United's best and worst kits
Given their form, a Brighton triumph would not be a complete shock since they have won their last three games convincingly without conceding a goal. Two have been against lower division sides in the League Cup, but last Saturday’s 3-0 victory at Newcastle was as impressive as United’s 1-3 home defeat against Crystal Palace was unimpressive.
Tactically, Brighton played a 3-4-3 formation at Newcastle, switching to five at the back when they defended. United struggle to break down teams who defend deep and did throughout much of last season when they had a better record against the best teams, though Solskjaer felt his side were much better in this respect after lockdown.
The National asked Solskjaer ahead of the trip to the South Coast if he was happy with the way his team performed against opponents who defend deep.
“I wasn’t happy with the way we defended against Palace,” said the Norwegian.
“We weren’t ready, we weren’t ready to play at the intensity that we needed, the quality. The runs weren’t there but after the restart in June, I thought we had taken big strides.
"Once in a while one game lives its own life and the Palace one was a very disappointing one. I’m still confident that we can break teams down with our quality, but we need more imagination.”
Not only do United find certain teams problematic, they also falter when they go behind, as football pundit Ashley Westwood, a former Youth Cup winner with United, explains.
“United play 4-2-3-1 and struggle against teams who sit off deep and play 4-4-2. Teams like Palace or Burnley sit back when they go ahead, they defend deep in two blocks of four and don’t leave the space which United’s forwards need and thrive off.
“United look more dangerous on the turnover of possession, on the counter. But Manchester United at home to Crystal Palace are not going to be a counter attacking team.
"It’s about trying to get the ball between the lines, which is why they signed Bruno Fernandes, but last week you had United’s midfielders almost sitting on top of the Palace back four. It was all fairly comfortable for Palace. You need to move the ball quickly and be a bit cuter, but you also want opponents to attack you to free up space.”
The Palace game underlined what teams have to do to beat United – and what United have to do to turn things around. Two intriguing encounters await.
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The biog
Hobby: Playing piano and drawing patterns
Best book: Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins
Food of choice: Sushi
Favourite colour: Orange
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
Arabian Gulf Cup FINAL
Al Nasr 2
(Negredo 1, Tozo 50)
Shabab Al Ahli 1
(Jaber 13)
The 12 breakaway clubs
England
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus
Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
Duterte Harry: Fire and Fury in the Philippines
Jonathan Miller, Scribe Publications
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
if you go
The flights
Emirates flies to Delhi with fares starting from around Dh760 return, while Etihad fares cost about Dh783 return. From Delhi, there are connecting flights to Lucknow.
Where to stay
It is advisable to stay in Lucknow and make a day trip to Kannauj. A stay at the Lebua Lucknow hotel, a traditional Lucknowi mansion, is recommended. Prices start from Dh300 per night (excluding taxes).
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
New schools in Dubai
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
RESULT
Huddersfield Town 2 Manchester United 1
Huddersfield: Mooy (28'), Depoitre (33')
Manchester United: Rashford (78')
Man of the Match: Aaron Mooy (Huddersfield Town)
The most expensive investment mistake you will ever make
When is the best time to start saving in a pension? The answer is simple – at the earliest possible moment. The first pound, euro, dollar or dirham you invest is the most valuable, as it has so much longer to grow in value. If you start in your twenties, it could be invested for 40 years or more, which means you have decades for compound interest to work its magic.
“You get growth upon growth upon growth, followed by more growth. The earlier you start the process, the more it will all roll up,” says Chris Davies, chartered financial planner at The Fry Group in Dubai.
This table shows how much you would have in your pension at age 65, depending on when you start and how much you pay in (it assumes your investments grow 7 per cent a year after charges and you have no other savings).
|
Age
|
$250 a month
|
$500 a month
|
$1,000 a month
|
|
25
|
$640,829
|
$1,281,657
|
$2,563,315
|
|
35
|
$303,219
|
$606,439
|
$1,212,877
|
|
45
|
$131,596
|
$263,191
|
$526,382
|
|
55
|
$44,351
|
$88,702
|
$177,403
|
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
