Pedro’s new lease of life at Chelsea, Coutinho injury ends Liverpool’s title challenge — PL talking points

Thomas Woods reflects on Saturday’s Premier League matches and offers his thoughts on some of the biggest talking points.

Pedro getting a second chance

Pedro was in a situation at Barcelona where there were constant doubts of just how good he was.

He scored 99 goals in 321 games for the Spanish giants but he was also part of a team that contained Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta. Surely chances fell into his lap and he just had to finish them.

Last season’s move to Chelsea seemed to back up the theory that he would not amount to much away from Barca. A bright start, particularly on debut against West Bromwich Albion when he scored one and set up another in a 3-2 win at The Hawthorns, soon turned into mediocrity as Chelsea’s season descended into chaos.

But manager Antonio Conte has found a role for Pedro and, and as with fellow wide man Victor Moses, the Spain international is repaying the Italian’s faith.

Chelsea suddenly have plenty of attacking options and Pedro is one. He’s not flashy but has technique in abundance and the pace to terrorise defenders, as Manchester United discovered to their detriment after 30 seconds during the 4-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge.

Pedro is a player who, given the right conditions and support, can be very effective.

Those conditions are the 3-4-3 formation, the support of Eden Hazard and the freedom to make runs in behind the opposition back four.

It worked well on Saturday with his stunning goal just before half-time sparking the comeback in Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur.

• Greg Lea from Stamford Bridge: Tottenham again come undone at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea cement title credentials

Llorente could be Swansea’s new Michu

Spanish striker Fernando Llorente came off the bench to great effect in Swansea City’s spectacular 5-4 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday.

It’s a result that could turn the Welsh side’s season and it may prompt manager Bob Bradley to have a re-think about his starting XI.

Bradley has been playing Gylfi Sigurdsson in a false nine position in a 4-3-3 formation, which is a fine idea in getting your best attacking player in the most prominent goalscoring positions.

Llorente is a very different player — 6ft 4ins tall, great in the air, and a huge physical presence. He’s also decent with his feet too and, at his peak, was banging goals in for Athletic Bilbao and being linked with big-money moves all around Europe.

In the end, a switch to Juventus was not a huge success but his quality hasn’t gone away. Swansea just need to get it out of him.

It seems obvious, but regular starts and a team playing to his strengths will only see Llorente improve. If he starts firing regularly he will be a handful for the best defences.

Swansea were inspired by a fine Spanish signing in goalscoring midfielder Michu four seasons ago and Llorente has the potential to have the same impact.

• PL results and round-up: Chelsea end Tottenham's unbeaten start, Swansea prevail in nine-goal thriller

Coutinho injury a nightmare for Liverpool

As well as Liverpool have performed this season, Philippe Coutinho is the one player whose mere presence on the pitch takes the team to another level and transforms them from top four hopefuls to title contenders.

The Brazilian was taken off on a stretcher during Saturday’s win 2-0 win over Sunderland and looks likely to face a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

This might be a knee-jerk reaction but here goes: Liverpool’s title challenge is over.

With such competition at the top of the table, there is a fine line separating Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool — the four main contenders.

Major injuries to Eden Hazard, Sergio Aguero and Alexis Sanchez would probably derail title challenges from their respective sides too.

Liverpool don’t have a player to replace Coutinho and this injury is going to be the difference between a top-four finish and winning the title.

• Richard Jolly at Anfield: Joy and despair for Liverpool as victory over Sunderland is marred by serious Coutinho injury

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The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

At a glance

Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances

The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

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

The National Archives, Abu Dhabi

Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.

Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en

How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?

The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg

While you're here

Hussein Ibish: Kamala Harris's views on the Middle East

Janine di Giovanni: America a dystopian city on a hill

Sulaiman Hakemy: Make America lose again

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Biog

Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara

He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada

Father of two sons, grandfather of six

Plays golf once a week

Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family

Walks for an hour every morning

Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India

2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business

Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE

Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:

• Buy second hand stuff

They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.

• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres

Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.

• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.

Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.

• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home

Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.

Where can I submit a sample?

Volunteers can now submit DNA samples at a number of centres across Abu Dhabi. The programme is open to all ages.

Collection centres in Abu Dhabi include:

Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC)
Biogenix Labs in Masdar City
Al Towayya in Al Ain
NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City
Bareen International Hospital
NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
NMC Royal Medical Centre - Abu Dhabi
NMC Royal Women’s Hospital.

DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin

Director: Shawn Levy

Rating: 3/5

Bahrain%20GP

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All%20We%20Imagine%20as%20Light

%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPayal%20Kapadia%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Kani%20Kusruti%2C%20Divya%20Prabha%2C%20Chhaya%20Kadam%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

FFP EXPLAINED

What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.

What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.

What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.

Electric scooters: some rules to remember

Riders must be 14-years-old or over
Wear a protective helmet
Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
Do not drive outside designated lanes

On Women's Day

Shelina Janmohamed: Why shouldn't a spouse be compensated fairly for housework?

Samar Elmnhrawy: How companies in the Middle East can catch up on gender equality

The National Editorial: Is there much to celebrate on International Women's Day 2021?

Justin Thomas: Challenge the notion that 'men are from Mars, women are from Venus'

The specs

Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo

Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm

Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm

Transmission: Eight-speed auto

Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km

On sale: December

Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Saudi Cup race day

Schedule in UAE time

5pm: Mohamed Yousuf Naghi Motors Cup (Turf), 5.35pm: 1351 Cup (T), 6.10pm: Longines Turf Handicap (T), 6.45pm: Obaiya Arabian Classic for Purebred Arabians (Dirt), 7.30pm: Jockey Club Handicap (D), 8.10pm: Samba Saudi Derby (D), 8.50pm: Saudia Sprint (D), 9.40pm: Saudi Cup (D)