The Chelsea changing room is a terrifying place for a coach. It is full of the sort of players most coaches fear: stars. John Terry, Michael Ballack, Didier Drogba and the rest are old enough, celebrated enough, good enough and rich enough to know their own minds. Most have a longer history at Chelsea than any coach is likely to accumulate. He has to listen to them, not they to him.
No coach in football is as comfortable with stars as Chelsea's new manager Guus Hiddink. Some people can whisper to horses, or tame lions; Hiddink can handle football egos, as Chelsea's opponents Juventus may discover when the Champions League restarts tonight.
Hiddink can also explain how he does it. Anyone aspiring to work in top-class football should listen.
First, it is worth emphasising how rare his gift is. Even many brilliant managers lack it. Alex Ferguson at Manchester United is always scanning his players for signs that they are turning into stars who know their own minds and want some personal glory. David Beckham, the most valuable individual brand in football, was flogged to Real Madrid when Ferguson thought Becks had finally realised he was a star (years after the world did). Ruud van Nistelrooy, a brilliant goalscorer but a bloody-minded player, was benched then banished to Real.
Jose Mourinho, when he became Chelsea's manager in 2004, rejoiced at the club's lack of egos. Chelsea's owner, Roman Abramovich, gave him a list of star names and asked him which ones Mourinho wanted. None, the Portuguese coach replied. He wanted players hungry enough to sublimate their egos to the team. Only later did Abramovich force Ballack and Andrei Shevchenko on him.
Hiddink is different. When he was only 40, in 1987, he became head coach of PSV Eindhoven.
He understood that in modern football, where players are multi-millionaire celebrities, a coach must be more psychoanalyst than sergeant-major. He swapped jokes and cigarettes with his stars, asked their views, and in his first season PSV won the European Cup.
Here are three case-studies in how Hiddink gets the best out of difficult players:
Romario, PSV (1988-1993): The Brazilian was a selfish man, with no interest in the collective. He had just one redeeming feature: he was brilliant. Hiddink was determined to use that while getting the team to accept his selfishness. If Romario preferred sleeping (his hobby) to attending compulsory team lunches, Hiddink let him.
Eventually Hiddink let the forward face his chief detractors in a four-against-four game in a training session. "You can't hide in four against four," chuckled Hiddink. Romario stationed himself in defence, and played a brilliant but bonehard game in which his quartet triumphed. After that, he considered the debate about his work-rate closed.
Edgar Davids, Holland (Euro 96): Hiddink sent Davids home after the publicly advised him to remove his head from other players's backsides. Then, before World Cup 98, Hiddink went to talk and listen to Davids, and recalled him. Davids played brilliantly and behaved impeccably.
Phillip Cocu, PSV Eindhoven (2004-2007): Cocu is a collective thinker, a coach's dream. But the Dutchman does have his own football mind. On the pitch, he reads the game as well as any coach. Hiddink trusted Cocu's instincts, he left him free to change PSV's formation during games whenever he liked. Most teams can only adapt to circumstances at half-time, but Hiddink's PSV could adjust several times a match.
@Email:skuper@thenational.ae
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The Facility’s Versatility
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
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Iftar programme at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding
Established in 1998, the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding was created with a vision to teach residents about the traditions and customs of the UAE. Its motto is ‘open doors, open minds’. All year-round, visitors can sign up for a traditional Emirati breakfast, lunch or dinner meal, as well as a range of walking tours, including ones to sites such as the Jumeirah Mosque or Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood.
Every year during Ramadan, an iftar programme is rolled out. This allows guests to break their fast with the centre’s presenters, visit a nearby mosque and observe their guides while they pray. These events last for about two hours and are open to the public, or can be booked for a private event.
Until the end of Ramadan, the iftar events take place from 7pm until 9pm, from Saturday to Thursday. Advanced booking is required.
For more details, email openminds@cultures.ae or visit www.cultures.ae
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Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
Company Profile
Company name: Fine Diner
Started: March, 2020
Co-founders: Sami Elayan, Saed Elayan and Zaid Azzouka
Based: Dubai
Industry: Technology and food delivery
Initial investment: Dh75,000
Investor: Dtec Startupbootcamp
Future plan: Looking to raise $400,000
Total sales: Over 1,000 deliveries in three months
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
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THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
The specs: 2018 Range Rover Velar R-Dynamic HSE
Price, base / as tested: Dh263,235 / Dh420,000
Engine: 3.0-litre supercharged V6
Power 375hp @ 6,500rpm
Torque: 450Nm @ 3,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 9.4L / 100kms
More on Palestine-Israeli relations
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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ZAYED SUSTAINABILITY PRIZE
Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
UAE and Russia in numbers
UAE-Russia ties stretch back 48 years
Trade between the UAE and Russia reached Dh12.5 bn in 2018
More than 3,000 Russian companies are registered in the UAE
Around 40,000 Russians live in the UAE
The number of Russian tourists travelling to the UAE will increase to 12 percent to reach 1.6 million in 2023