Tottenham Hotspur 2 Southampton 1
Tottenham: Eriksen (14'), Alli (33' pen)
Southampton: Ward-Prowse (52')
Man of the match: Christian Eriksen (Tottenham)
LONDON // Antonio Conte has done more than anyone to popularise the 3-4-2-1 formation this season. Yet while Chelsea’s position at the top of the Premier League table makes them the system’s biggest success story in 2016/17, Tottenham Hotspur have also done extremely well when using the division’s in-vogue configuration.
Mauricio Pochettino first deployed the formation in a 2-1 victory over Watford last season, before returning to it for the trip to Arsenal in his side’s 11th match of this campaign.
The Argentine has often favoured a 4-2-3-1 since then, but 3-4-2-1 has become his team’s default set-up in recent weeks and was the shape in which Tottenham lined up during their 2-1 defeat of Southampton at White Hart Lane.
The pre-match talk had centred on whether the hosts would be able to cope without top scorer Harry Kane, who injured his ankle in last weekend’s 6-0 thrashing of Millwall in the FA Cup. Those doubts were dispelled over the course of the 90 minutes on Sunday as Tottenham made it 13 consecutive wins at home in domestic competitions.
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Read more
■ Round-up: Man United up to fifth, Chelsea secure win at Stoke
■ Raheem Sterling: Reaping the rewards of Guardiola's guidance
■ Arsene Wenger: 'I know what I will do, you will know very soon'
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Just as Eden Hazard and Pedro Rodriguez have thrived as inside-forwards for Chelsea, Tottenham’s equivalents, Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli, were the match-winners here. They are clearly different players to their pacier, more direct counterparts at Stamford Bridge, but the pair have flourished in similar roles.
It was Eriksen who opened the scoring in the 14th minute, firing a left-footed effort past Fraser Forster into the bottom corner, before Alli doubled Tottenham’s advantage from the penalty spot later in the first half.
Eriksen’s strike demonstrated how difficult it can be for opponents to get a handle on players in his position in the 3-4-2-1. Working his way into a pocket of space, the Denmark international received a pass from Mousa Dembele, shifted the ball infield and arrowed a shot into the back of the net.
Eriksen varied his movement intelligently all afternoon, sometimes drifting wide but more regularly popping up in dangerous central positions between the lines of Southampton’s midfield and defence.
Alli was not quite as involved in a creative capacity and could often be found alongside Kane’s replacement Son Heung-min, with the duo occasionally operating as split strikers and Eriksen tucking in behind.
This type of fluidity served Tottenham well at the top of the pitch, although an uncharacteristic error from Toby Alderweireld allowed Southampton to regain a foothold in the game as James Ward-Prowse halved the deficit.
Tottenham were far from their best for much of the second period — possession was ceded too easily and Son struggled to get involved — but the benefits of the 3-4-2-1 were felt at the back too. For all Southampton’s pressure, they had trouble creating clear-cut chances, largely because they could not find a way around the home side’s three central defenders.
Claude Puel’s men managed only one shot on target after scoring in the 52nd minute, and that effort from Shane Long was comfortably saved by Hugo Lloris.
Perhaps anticipating a late Southampton onslaught, Pochettino switched to a 3-5-1-1 for the final 15 minutes, introducing Harry Winks in place of Son and pushing Alli up front.
This, however, will go down as another victory achieved in the 3-4-2-1, with Tottenham yet to taste defeat when using the system this season.
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RESULTS
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
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Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
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Always give your router a unique name, replacing the one generated by the manufacturer, to ensure a hacker cannot ascertain its make or model number.
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Asia Cup Qualifier
Venue: Kuala Lumpur
Result: Winners play at Asia Cup in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in September
Fixtures:
Wed Aug 29: Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore
Thu Aug 30: UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman
Sat Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal
Sun Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore
Tue Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu Sep 6: Final
Asia Cup
Venue: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Schedule: Sep 15-28
Teams: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, plus the winner of the Qualifier
