Coach Carlo Ancelotti said Real Madrid will need "patience" and the full support of the Santiago Bernabeu stadium when they host Juventus next week looking to secure a second successive Champions League final.
Real were crowned European champions for a record 10th time last year with a 4-1 drubbing of city rivals Atletico in Lisbon.
But a 2-1 defeat to Juventus in Turin – complete with an opening goal from former Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata – has given the Spanish giants food for thought ahead of next week’s decisive return leg.
Morata, who moved to Juventus in the summer, refused to celebrate when he opened the scoring with a tap-in after goalkeeper Iker Casillas had pushed Carlos Tevez’s angled strike into his path at the back post.
Cristiano Ronaldo, with his 76th goal in the competition, levelled on 27 minutes with a simple header as Juve’s defence went missing, only for Tevez to seal the win from the penalty spot just before the hour after being felled in the area.
Real have the benefit of a precious away goal, but after seeing his side struggle to find their feet before finally taking command when it was already too late, Ancelotti said he expects a different Real side next week.
“We made more mistakes than normal, that was because of Juve’s pressing. Their line was higher in the second half,” said Ancelotti.
“But we’ll be confident because we are playing at home and the fans there will help us. We have to be patient. The result is a negative one but not such a bad one.”
Morata, who moved from Real to Juventus last summer, was subdued after opening the scoring on eight minutes.
His response was understandable. It was Ancelotti who gave the 22-year-old more playing opportunities at Real, including a cameo appearance in the Champions League final last year which earned him a winners’ medal.
“I didn’t celebrate because of my past,” with Real, said Morata, who insisted that despite Juve’s advantage the “Old Lady of Turin” can’t quite celebrate just yet.
“We put in a great performance but we haven’t achieved anything yet. In the return leg Real will be on top form at home, as always.
“Ancelotti’s team is the best team in the world so we have to give everything we can if we are to secure our place in the final.”
Compared to Real and despite their prestige as Italy’s top club on the domestic front – Juve secured their 31st Serie A title on Saturday – the Turin giants are relative failures in Europe’s premier club competition.
Against Real’s 10 triumphs, Juve have two victories from 1985 and 1996, and have finished runners-up five times.
Fresh belief in the club’s European ambitions has swept into the club following the arrival of coach Massimiliano Allegri, who replaced Antonio Conte in the summer.
Where Conte failed – taking Juve as far as the quarter-finals in 2013 before bowing out to eventual winners Bayern Munich – Allegri has already succeeded.
It was Juve’s first semi-final since 2003, when they ousted Real in the semis before failing at the final hurdle, a penalty shoot-out, in the final against league rivals AC Milan.
Allegri has won plaudits for the tactical nous that has allowed Juve to get this far, with defender Patrice Evra saying: “Against a great Real side, we showed a lot of people what it means to play for a club like Juventus.
“A lot of that is down to Allegri, and the club’s staff, who helped us prepare for this game in the best way possible. Our coach is just like us, he wants to get to the final.”
Allegri could have influential French midfielder Paul Pogba – a target for Real and several other major European sides – back in time for the return leg.
But the Italian insisted that, without a goal, Juve’s chances of reaching the final in Berlin look slim.
“Next Wednesday we’ll be up against an extra motivated Real side. I want to repeat, we have to play better than we did tonight. We have to score against them, otherwise reaching the final will be difficult.”
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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
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.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
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.”
Going grey? A stylist's advice
If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”
