It is five years since one of the more controversial transfers of recent times, one that propelled a club to new heights. Arguably, it spurred a second to success as well.
Perhaps, given the time that has passed and the shared taste of glory, the animosity should be over. Certainly there will be no Liverpool fans present on Sunday to accuse Raheem Sterling of greed. That may benefit Manchester City: Sterling’s sole league goal against his old employers came at an empty Etihad Stadium in July.
If some in the Liverpool support have savoured Sterling’s unhappy returns to Anfield, they progressed after his sale. Whether it is despite it or because of it is a moot point.
The proceeds of his £44 million ($58m) sale were spent on Christian Benteke, who floundered on Merseyside.
They also helped fund the purchase of Roberto Firmino, the most important player in Jurgen Klopp’s tactics, one whose Liverpool career was kickstarted when he opened his account in a 4-1 win over City, but one who faces a battle for his place with Diogo Jota today.
It is easy to envisage Sterling suiting Klopp’s system. He has kicked on instead under Pep Guardiola. The winger scored 10 and 11 goals in his last two seasons at Liverpool, 11 and 10 in his first two at City.
Since then, there have been 84 in just 158 games, helping to yield six major trophies. Potential has been translated into performance, and yet his manager believes the best is yet to come.
“I think he is a better player than when he arrived and hopefully in three, four, five years he will be a much, much better player than he is now,” said Guardiola.
“He is an exceptional player. Especially because of his mentality and desire to win he improves a lot and all the credit is for him.”
Part of Sterling’s strength lies in his durability. He has only sat out eight minutes each in the Premier and Champions Leagues this season, all when games were won. “Of course, there will be a moment when he will take a rest but in this moment he is a very important player for us and why we count on him,” Guardiola said.
His time at Barcelona and Bayern Munich has given Guardiola ample experience of coaching World Cup winners; the brightest star in the galaxy of talent he has managed is Lionel Messi.
He believes Sterling is among his finest players, while telling him not to concentrate on whether he is one of the best footballers in the game today.
“My advice I would say to him is don't think about this,” he said. “It's no sense. Just enjoy life, focus and the destiny will dictate who he is as a player. I know he's one of the most fantastic players I have in my career as a manager.”
Guardiola drew on his past, too, to put Liverpool into context. Theirs has become an epic modern-day rivalry, notably in 2018-19 when they amassed 198 points between them, with City edging the Merseysiders for the title by a solitary point, aided by a goal-line clearance from John Stones when Liverpool were 11mm from scoring at the Etihad.
“I faced Borussia Dortmund with Thomas Tuchel and Jurgen, incredible teams,” Guardiola recalled.
“When I was at Barcelona, the rivalry with Real Madrid was so, so tough when Jose Mourinho was there.
"But Liverpool in the last years and Luis Enrique’s Barcelona, when I played the semi-finals of the Champions League with Bayern Munich, were the toughest opponents I ever faced.”
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Results
United States beat UAE by three wickets
United States beat Scotland by 35 runs
UAE v Scotland – no result
United States beat UAE by 98 runs
Scotland beat United States by four wickets
Fixtures
Sunday, 10am, ICC Academy, Dubai - UAE v Scotland
Admission is free
Last 10 NBA champions
2017: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-1
2016: Cleveland bt Golden State 4-3
2015: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-2
2014: San Antonio bt Miami 4-1
2013: Miami bt San Antonio 4-3
2012: Miami bt Oklahoma City 4-1
2011: Dallas bt Miami 4-2
2010: Los Angeles Lakers bt Boston 4-3
2009: Los Angeles Lakers bt Orlando 4-1
2008: Boston bt Los Angeles Lakers 4-2
'Midnights'
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EArtist%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Taylor%20Swift%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ELabel%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Republic%20Records%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Liverpool's all-time goalscorers
Ian Rush 346
Roger Hunt 285
Mohamed Salah 250
Gordon Hodgson 241
Billy Liddell 228
Also on December 7 to 9, the third edition of the Gulf Car Festival (www.gulfcarfestival.com) will take over Dubai Festival City Mall, a new venue for the event. Last year's festival brought together about 900 cars worth more than Dh300 million from across the Emirates and wider Gulf region – and that first figure is set to swell by several hundred this time around, with between 1,000 and 1,200 cars expected. The first day is themed around American muscle; the second centres on supercars, exotics, European cars and classics; and the final day will major in JDM (Japanese domestic market) cars, tuned vehicles and trucks. Individuals and car clubs can register their vehicles, although the festival isn’t all static displays, with stunt drifting, a rev battle, car pulls and a burnout competition.
The%20specs%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%204cyl%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E261hp%20at%205%2C500rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E400Nm%20at%201%2C750-4%2C000rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10.5L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh129%2C999%20(VX%20Luxury)%3B%20from%20Dh149%2C999%20(VX%20Black%20Gold)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Fifa Club World Cup quarter-final
Kashima Antlers 3 (Nagaki 49’, Serginho 69’, Abe 84’)
Guadalajara 2 (Zaldivar 03’, Pulido 90')
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Vaccine Progress in the Middle East
Top 10 most polluted cities
- Bhiwadi, India
- Ghaziabad, India
- Hotan, China
- Delhi, India
- Jaunpur, India
- Faisalabad, Pakistan
- Noida, India
- Bahawalpur, Pakistan
- Peshawar, Pakistan
- Bagpat, India
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
%E2%80%98FSO%20Safer%E2%80%99%20-%20a%20ticking%20bomb
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Tips on buying property during a pandemic
Islay Robinson, group chief executive of mortgage broker Enness Global, offers his advice on buying property in today's market.
While many have been quick to call a market collapse, this simply isn’t what we’re seeing on the ground. Many pockets of the global property market, including London and the UAE, continue to be compelling locations to invest in real estate.
While an air of uncertainty remains, the outlook is far better than anyone could have predicted. However, it is still important to consider the wider threat posed by Covid-19 when buying bricks and mortar.
Anything with outside space, gardens and private entrances is a must and these property features will see your investment keep its value should the pandemic drag on. In contrast, flats and particularly high-rise developments are falling in popularity and investors should avoid them at all costs.
Attractive investment property can be hard to find amid strong demand and heightened buyer activity. When you do find one, be prepared to move hard and fast to secure it. If you have your finances in order, this shouldn’t be an issue.
Lenders continue to lend and rates remain at an all-time low, so utilise this. There is no point in tying up cash when you can keep this liquidity to maximise other opportunities.
Keep your head and, as always when investing, take the long-term view. External factors such as coronavirus or Brexit will present challenges in the short-term, but the long-term outlook remains strong.
Finally, keep an eye on your currency. Whenever currency fluctuations favour foreign buyers, you can bet that demand will increase, as they act to secure what is essentially a discounted property.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
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.
