It seems to happen every season. Arsenal put in dazzling displays for the first five months, manoeuvre themselves into a position to challenge for the Premier League title - and more - and then their hopes go up in smoke when it comes to the business end of the campaign.
Just over two months ago, Arsenal were in with a shout of winning the league, the FA Cup, the Carling Cup and the Champions League. Now, 11 games later, they are out of the running in all four competitions.
They lost a Carling Cup final they were expecting to win, against Birmingham City. They were then knocked out of the Champions League by Barcelona, the FA Cup by Manchester United and, last week, the Premier League title race by Bolton Wanderers.
In that span they have only managed to beat Leyton Orient - who play two divisions below them - and a Blackpool side who have won just once in 14 games. It means a sixth season without a trophy for the Gunners.
This seemingly annual fall from grace sees the same old statements being thrown around by fans and pundits. Arsenal need a big target man to convert the chances their pretty football creates. They must spend big on top-class centre-backs. They don't have the mental strength for a title fight. The squad is too young.
Some Arsenal fans are even calling for Arsene Wenger's head, despite the legacy their manager will undoubted leave for both the club and English football.
However, since their February 27 defeat to Birmingham in the Carling Cup, Arsenal have amassed just eight points in seven games.
In that same period, their title rivals have 22 from eight (Chelsea) and 13 from seven (Manchester United). If you were to compile a league table since that date, Arsenal would be in 13th place.
Their defence must take some of the blame for that. In the seven league games since the Carling Cup final, Arsenal have thrown away three winning positions and a draw. That is seven points down the drain which would have put them ahead of United at the top of the table.
Arsenal's defence (36 goals conceded) is the worst of the top four, but not by a significant amount - Chelsea have let in 27, Manchester City 30 and United 32.
But things consistently start to fall apart in Arsenal's back four when it matters most.
Looking back at the same stage of the season (from February 27 to the end) from the past five years, a consistent pattern emerges.
In that time, Arsenal have played 53 games with a win ratio of just 47 per cent. In the same span, Chelsea have won 75 per cent of their games, United 70 per cent.
No surprise then that United have won the title three times and Chelsea twice in that period.
The root of that poor record is at the back. Arsenal have conceded more than a goal per game during that time when their defence needs to be at its tightest. Not since United in 1999 have a title-winning side conceded more than a goal per game.
You can put up all sorts of theories to explain Arsenal's woes. You could say that Wenger's mentality has rubbed off on his players. Admitting it is fine to finish second, as he did three weeks ago, is not the way to approach a title run-in.
But part of the solution to the problem has to be to improve the defence. "Wenger should make an English centre-half his main priority. Arsenal don't need a player that will reach his peak in three or four years, they need someone to come in and do the job straight away," Paul Merson, a former Arsenal player, said in a recent interview.
That might seem jingoistic, but the sentiment is correct. They need a centre-back in the mould of John Terry at Chelsea - dominant in the air and powerful in the tackle.
Then perhaps they can shore up a defence that has seen 56 per cent of Arsenal's league goals conceded from set pieces, the highest ratio in the Premier League.
Bleak outlook for Rovers
The most valuable commodity in a relegation battle is three points. As West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham City have shown in recent weeks, a couple of victories can propel a team way up the table.
It helps to be in the winning habit and things do not look so good for Blackburn Rovers, who have not won in 10 games. Maybe they will regret sacking Sam Allardyce in December, when they were in 13th place.
Bottom of the table
Team P W D L GD P
Blackburn 33 9 8 16 -14 35
Blackpool 34 9 7 18 -22 34
Wigan 34 7 13 14 -23 34
Wolves 33 9 6 18 -20 33
West Ham 34 7 11 16 -22 32
Games since a win
Team Games
Blackburn Rovers 10
Blackpool 7
West Ham United 5
Wolverhampton Wanderers 4
Wigan Athletic 3
Birmingham City 3
Dropping down fast
Blackpool have won plenty of friends this season and what's not to like - a colourful manager who readily speaks to the media, an average of three-and-a-half goals in their games and they play in orange. But, after their impressive start to the season, their slide down the table has turned into an steady drop.
Blackpool's progress
After Position
1 game 2nd
10 games 9th
20 games 9th
30 games 15th
34 games 17th
Quick off the mark
The race to be the Premier League top scorer has become an anticlimax, with Dimitar Berbatov (21) and Carlos Tevez (19) both injured.
A better competition has emerged between players in their first (full) Premier League season.
New boys Player Goals
Carroll (Liverpool/Newcastle) 13
Odemwingie (WBA) 13
Hernandez (Man Utd) 12
Van der Vaart (Tottenham) 12
twoods@thenational.ae
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What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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.”
How Apple's credit card works
The Apple Card looks different from a traditional credit card — there's no number on the front and the users' name is etched in metal. The card expands the company's digital Apple Pay services, marrying the physical card to a virtual one and integrating both with the iPhone. Its attributes include quick sign-up, elimination of most fees, strong security protections and cash back.
What does it cost?
Apple says there are no fees associated with the card. That means no late fee, no annual fee, no international fee and no over-the-limit fees. It also said it aims to have among the lowest interest rates in the industry. Users must have an iPhone to use the card, which comes at a cost. But they will earn cash back on their purchases — 3 per cent on Apple purchases, 2 per cent on those with the virtual card and 1 per cent with the physical card. Apple says it is the only card to provide those rewards in real time, so that cash earned can be used immediately.
What will the interest rate be?
The card doesn't come out until summer but Apple has said that as of March, the variable annual percentage rate on the card could be anywhere from 13.24 per cent to 24.24 per cent based on creditworthiness. That's in line with the rest of the market, according to analysts
What about security?
The physical card has no numbers so purchases are made with the embedded chip and the digital version lives in your Apple Wallet on your phone, where it's protected by fingerprints or facial recognition. That means that even if someone steals your phone, they won't be able to use the card to buy things.
Is it easy to use?
Apple says users will be able to sign up for the card in the Wallet app on their iPhone and begin using it almost immediately. It also tracks spending on the phone in a more user-friendly format, eliminating some of the gibberish that fills a traditional credit card statement. Plus it includes some budgeting tools, such as tracking spending and providing estimates of how much interest could be charged on a purchase to help people make an informed decision.
* Associated Press
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: ten-speed
Power: 420bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: Dh325,125
On sale: Now
