Andre Villas-Boas has a team largely picked by the club chairman, writes our columnist.
Andre Villas-Boas has a team largely picked by the club chairman, writes our columnist.

Andre Villas-Boas' time starts now



September has reached its mid-point, the majority of their rivals have completed 10 per cent of their league campaigns and yet Tottenham Hotspur's league season begins in earnest today. That has become the Spurs way, where winless Augusts of uncertainty and lowly league positions have become an annual occurrence.

Twelve months ago, their season was kick-started after the transfer window was closed, keeping Luka Modric at White Hart Lane and sliding Scott Parker and Emmanuel Adebayor through it before it closed.

Twelve months on, the Togolese is a common denominator. Having arrived permanently, Adebayor's second full debut could come at the Madejski Stadium along with Moussa Dembele's first start and a maiden appearance of any kind for Clint Dempsey, though probably not Hugo Lloris.

Newcomers are condemned to playing catch up, charged with settling and gelling straight away after Tottenham's latest game of brinkmanship. Because, while there is an understandable focus on a manager, in Andre Villas-Boas, who is yet to win, the Portuguese was obscured at the end of August when his chairman took centre stage.

While the former Chelsea coach became a divisive figure at Stamford Bridge, Daniel Levy is one at White Hart Lane. Is he help or hindrance, astute trader or gambler who can hamstring his managers, long-term planner or short-term profiteer? The truth, perhaps, is that he is all of them, to varying degrees and at different times.

The composition of the Spurs squad is a case in point; there are inspired buys and misfits, players seemingly selected because their value should rise or they were underpriced. There are men who remain because Levy, in trying to drive a hard bargain, has failed to find a taker. There are footballers who were the chairman's choice, not the coach's.

And, sometimes conspicuously, there are not the additions the manager wanted. Neither Joao Moutinho nor Willian, the Portuguese and the Brazilian Villas-Boas envisaged for his midfield makeover, arrived. The Fulham pair of Dembele and Dempsey did. The Belgian had a brilliant debut as a substitute against Norwich City. The American is available now and joins Gylfi Sigurdsson, another summer signing, in the ranks of the goal-scoring midfielders that Levy has acquired comparatively cheaply.

Yet the process is as relevant as the end product for Villas-Boas. The midfield is the key area of his tactical plan; the 4-3-3 he played at Porto, and was unable to implement at Chelsea, was notable for pressing high up in the pitch by a trio with the awareness and ability to interchange positions.

His brief time at Tottenham has been notable for the use of a 4-2-3-1 formation with either Sigurdsson or the now-departed Rafael van der Vaart supporting the sole striker, in front of two holding players. It may seem a slight distinction, but it is a very different philosophy, between rigidity and fluency. Dembele is well equipped to adapt, and Moutinho would have been, but others of Villas-Boas's current charges may not be.

The other consequence of Levy's trading is that the manager now has four senior goalkeepers, all with experience of being first choice for major clubs. Despite the addition of Lloris, Villas-Boas has confirmed the in-form Brad Friedel retains his place today. It is both an enviable and an unenviable position, one where a degree of diplomacy is as important as managerial judgment. By praising Friedel, Villas-Boas was accused of undermining Lloris.

It is a no-win situation for a manager still looking for his first victory. The backdrop is why teamsheets are scrutinised as closely as performances.

Today is a test if Tottenham have emerged from the summer stronger. Levy's ability to emerge from a transfer window in profit was proven with Modric, Van der Vaart, Steven Pienaar, Niko Kranjcar, Vedran Corluka, Sebastien Bassong and Giovani dos Santos all sold. Now we may see if the team are in the black, too.

Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 1/5

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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LIVERPOOL%20TOP%20SCORERS
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German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Power: 510hp at 9,000rpm
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Price: From Dh801,800
FROM%20THE%20ASHES
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TYPES%20OF%20ONLINE%20GIG%20WORK
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Emergency

Director: Kangana Ranaut

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry 

Rating: 2/5

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4

Profile Periscope Media

Founder: Smeetha Ghosh, one co-founder (anonymous)

Launch year: 2020

Employees: four – plans to add another 10 by July 2021

Financing stage: $250,000 bootstrap funding, approaching VC firms this year

Investors: Co-founders

PROFILE OF SWVL

Started: April 2017

Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: transport

Size: 450 employees

Investment: approximately $80 million

Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani

A cryptocurrency primer for beginners

Cryptocurrency Investing  for Dummies – by Kiana Danial 

There are several primers for investing in cryptocurrencies available online, including e-books written by people whose credentials fall apart on the second page of your preferred search engine. 

Ms Danial is a finance coach and former currency analyst who writes for Nasdaq. Her broad-strokes primer (2019) breaks down investing in cryptocurrency into baby steps, while explaining the terms and technologies involved.

Although cryptocurrencies are a fast evolving world, this  book offers a good insight into the game as well as providing some basic tips, strategies and warning signs.

Begin your cryptocurrency journey here. 

Available at Magrudy’s , Dh104 

Cryopreservation: A timeline
  1. Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
  2. Ovarian tissue surgically removed
  3. Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
  4. Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
  5. Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
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

If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Where to submit a sample

Volunteers of all ages can submit DNA samples at centres across Abu Dhabi, including: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), Biogenix Labs in Masdar City, NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City, NMC Royal Medical Centre, Abu Dhabi, NMC Royal Women's Hospital, Bareen International Hospital, Al Towayya in Al Ain, NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain

The specs

Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo

Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed

Power: 271 and 409 horsepower

Torque: 385 and 650Nm

Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000

Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
BELGIUM%20SQUAD
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Electoral College Victory

Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate. 

 

Popular Vote Tally

The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.