Arsenal 2
Mustafi 59’, Sanchez 90’+8 (pen)
Burnley 1
Gray 90’+3 (pen)
LONDON // Given everything that has happened since, it is an even more eye-catching statistic now than it was at the time.
Long before he became a two-time Uefa Champions League winner and world-class superstar at Real Madrid, Gareth Bale was Tottenham Hotspur’s bad luck charm.
The Welshman, then a left-back rather than an electric attacker, failed to emerge victorious from any of his first 24 Premier League appearances for Tottenham. Bale was not solely responsible for such a poor run of results, but it is still the type of record that no player wants to be associated with.
Shkodran Mustafi has had an altogether more positive start to his career in north London. Whereas Bale could not win, the German cannot lose.
Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Burnley made it 21 matches unbeaten for the centre-half since his summer switch from Valencia.
Fifteen of those triumphs have been in the Premier League – Mustafi was absent from the defeats by Everton and Manchester City and had not yet arrived at the club when Liverpool ran out 4-3 winners on the opening weekend of the season – which is the longest run of any player in the division this term.
Mustafi was central to Arsene Wenger’s side’s success on Sunday. His 58th-minute header was ultimately overshadowed by a chaotic and topsy-turvy eight minutes of injury time, but it was the 24-year-old player’s goal – his first for Arsenal – that set the hosts on their way to victory.
Arsenal struggled to break down their dogged opponents for much of the game, with Burnley’s defensive discipline restricting Wenger’s charges to just three shots on target in the first half.
Sean Dyche’s men also posed a threat on the counter-attack, with Andre Gray’s clever movement at times allowing him to get the better of Mustafi, but Arsenal responded well by increasing the intensity of their play after the interval.
Their reward came when Mesut Ozil’s corner was met by Mustafi’s head, the centre-back rising highest to flick the ball into the far corner of the net.
From there, it looked as if Arsenal would complete a straightforward win with a minimum of fuss. Granit Xhaka’s propensity to dive into tackles changed the dynamic of the match soon after, however: the midfielder’s reckless lunge on Steven Defour brought his second red card of the campaign and meant the home side would spend the final 25 minutes with only 10 men on the pitch.
Arsenal sat a little deeper thereafter, as Burnley grew emboldened by their numerical advantage. Mustafi and Laurent Koscielny stood up well to the visitors’ aerial threat, but their good work was undone when Francis Coquelin felled Ashley Barnes and gave Gray the chance to equalise from the penalty spot.
The drama did not end there, though, Alexis Sanchez keeping his cool from 12 yards to edge Arsenal back ahead after Ben Mee caught Koscielny – who appeared to be in an offside position when the ball was launched forward – with a high foot.
It was a breathless end to an entertaining encounter, and while Wenger was ultimately relieved to pick up all three points, he will have been disappointed to see his team concede another penalty at home.
Burnley’s was the fourth spot-kick opponents have won in Arsenal’s last seven league games at the Emirates, but it is notable that they have not conceded a goal from open play in front of their own supporters since the win over Swansea in October.
Mustafi, still undefeated in an Arsenal shirt, has been integral to their solidity during that time. After years of trying, Wenger has finally found a top-class partner for Koscielny at the heart of his side’s backline.
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SHAITTAN
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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.
“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.”
Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
The specs: Hyundai Ionic Hybrid
Price, base: Dh117,000 (estimate)
Engine: 1.6L four-cylinder, with 1.56kWh battery
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power: 105hp (engine), plus 43.5hp (battery)
Torque: 147Nm (engine), plus 170Nm (battery)
Fuel economy, combined: 3.4L / 100km
T10 Cricket League
Sharjah Cricket Stadium
December 14- 17
6pm, Opening ceremony, followed by:
Bengal Tigers v Kerala Kings
Maratha Arabians v Pakhtoons
Tickets available online at q-tickets.com/t10
BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
How to improve Arabic reading in early years
One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient
The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers
Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades
Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic
First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations
Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades
Improve the appearance of textbooks
Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings
Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught
Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar
