Manchester United's Wayne Rooney has a right to look dejected. Their Premier League campaign will not result in an automatic berth to the Uefa Champions League, again. John Sibley / Reuters
Manchester United's Wayne Rooney has a right to look dejected. Their Premier League campaign will not result in an automatic berth to the Uefa Champions League, again. John Sibley / Reuters

Diego Forlan: Unless there’s something to play for, like Arsenal and Liverpool, final day games are often rubbish



Diego Forlan writes a weekly column for The National, appearing each Friday. The former Manchester United, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid striker has been the top scorer in Europe twice and won the Golden Boot at the 2010 World Cup. Forlan's column is written with the assistance of European football correspondent Andy Mitten.

I have become a father for the second time this week after my wife gave birth to a baby girl called Luz, so I have not paid full attention to European football matches on television. It didn’t really matter when so many of them meant nothing.

I saw bits of games between sides in the middle of the league who are not fighting relegation, to win a title or to get into a place for a European competition.

These games are often rubbish. You see empty seats at stadiums which are always full. Games such as at Arsenal or Southampton this week, even though Manchester United were visitors to the latter. You can see the slump in the form of some teams when they realise that they are safe or that their managers are going to leave.

Celta Vigo, who have had a good season in the cups, have lost seven of their past eight league games as they focused on cups. Las Palmas, who were top of the Primera Liga for the first time in their history at the start of the season, have lost seven from their past nine.

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Read more

■ Predictions: Expect goals as Chelsea and Spurs finish in style

■ Liverpool: Return to top four more impressive without Sadio Mane

■ Manchester City: Old guard Aguero and Kompany show worth

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It is painful for the fans to watch. Although Southampton against United was 0-0, you see a lot of high-scoring games at the end of the season. Consciously or not, players are not as focused or motivated as they could be if they have nothing to play for.

It’s human nature and I’m appreciative that it only happened to me a couple of times in my career. Usually, I was in a team which competed for trophies.

At United it was titles, in Spain at Villarreal and Atletico we were chasing European places. I was also hoping to become Primera Liga’s top scorer, which I managed twice. In both cases in 2005 and 2009, I was in a fight to the last with Barcelona’s Samuel Eto’o.

Like me, Eto’o won the Pichichi (top goalscorer award) twice and the second race also went to the very last night.

I was trailing him but scored a hat-trick for Atletico Madrid at Athletic Bilbao in a 4-1 win. Those goals lifted me above Eto’o. I always tried to be at a club who competed for trophies, but I have played in these end-of-season nothing games and I didn’t enjoy them.

You play football to win and when you are in a situation where there’s nothing to win it is like you have failed in your objective. It’s hard to get motivated. When I hear the phrase “Already on the beach”, I admit it does have some truth to it. You really are looking forward to a break after a long season, which starts in June and finishes in May.

It’s hard in different ways. There is the physical aspect, but there is the mental one, too. It is entirely normal for a manager to be sacked, for you to be injured, suspended and in conflict in a football season. That conflict can come with the media, with fans or with uncertainty about your future.

I’m not asking for any sympathy because the life of a footballer is a great one with many advantages. To get paid to play is an honour, but you still need a break from football, to clear your head, relax and come back fresh. I only had one really big problem like that. I was at Inter Milan in 2011 and had a difficult season. I kept getting injured and could not get more than six games in a row.

The team wasn’t doing great and I wanted to get away, to start again. The end of the season couldn’t come soon enough for me.

There are some different circumstances, though. If you have spent all season fighting relegation for a team who just want to stay up and you achieve that with two games to play, you are going to enjoy the last two games free from that crushing pressure. You can play, go home and play golf or eat in a restaurant with your family.

You’d be surprised at the number of footballers around the world who cannot go to a restaurant, and show their faces in public because there are problems for their club.

The players might have done nothing wrong, but if the fans are not happy – for whatever reason – then they are going to take out frustrations on any targets and a player, in their eyes, is a target, whatever he is doing or whoever is with him.

There will be plenty of players looking forward to their holidays now. If I look at the fixtures this weekend in England then there are games which mean almost nothing. The players will just want to get through them without getting injured.

Of course you want to play well and football remains enjoyable, even to someone who does it for a job, but with Chelsea already champions, the relegation places decided, the only thing at stake is whether Arsenal or Liverpool reach fourth place and get in the Uefa Champions League.

Liverpool, at home to already relegated Middlesbrough, are clear favourites. My old club Manchester United really should be in England’s top four, but they are going to finish sixth. That’s a big disappointment for United, but they do have the Europa League final next week, a competition I won with Atletico.

I hope you will see a very different United to the one we have seen in recent weeks and I think we will.

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The bio

Who inspires you?

I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist

How do you relax?

Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.

What is favourite book?

The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times

What is your favourite Arabic film?

Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki

What is favourite English film?

Mamma Mia

Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?

If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.  

 

In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
  • Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000 
  • Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000 
  • Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000 
  • Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000 
  • HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000 
  • Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000 
  • Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000 
  • Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000 
  • Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000 
  • Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000 
  • Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000 
  • Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
  • Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
  • Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
The%20Color%20Purple
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBlitz%20Bazawule%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFantasia%20Barrino%2C%20Taraji%20P%20Henson%2C%20Danielle%20Brooks%2C%20Colman%20Domingo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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

Various Artists 
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
​​​​​​​

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

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
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESupy%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2021%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDani%20El-Zein%2C%20Yazeed%20bin%20Busayyis%2C%20Ibrahim%20Bou%20Ncoula%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFood%20and%20beverage%2C%20tech%2C%20hospitality%20software%2C%20Saas%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%20size%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBootstrapped%20for%20six%20months%3B%20pre-seed%20round%20of%20%241.5%20million%3B%20seed%20round%20of%20%248%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBeco%20Capital%2C%20Cotu%20Ventures%2C%20Valia%20Ventures%20and%20Global%20Ventures%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Where to buy

Limited-edition art prints of The Sofa Series: Sultani can be acquired from Reem El Mutwalli at www.reemelmutwalli.com

Everybody%20Loves%20Touda
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nabil%20Ayouch%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nisrin%20Erradi%2C%20Joud%20Chamihy%2C%20Jalila%20Talemsi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The%20Genius%20of%20Their%20Age
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20S%20Frederick%20Starr%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Oxford%20University%20Press%3Cbr%3EPages%3A%20290%3Cbr%3EAvailable%3A%20January%2024%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The biog

Name: Abeer Al Shahi

Emirate: Sharjah – Khor Fakkan

Education: Master’s degree in special education, preparing for a PhD in philosophy.

Favourite activities: Bungee jumping

Favourite quote: “My people and I will not settle for anything less than first place” – Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.

Newcastle United 0 Tottenham Hotspur 2
Tottenham (Alli 61'), Davies (70')
Red card Jonjo Shelvey (Newcastle)

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The 12 breakaway clubs

England

Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur

Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus

Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid

In numbers

1,000 tonnes of waste collected daily:

  • 800 tonnes converted into alternative fuel
  • 150 tonnes to landfill
  • 50 tonnes sold as scrap metal

800 tonnes of RDF replaces 500 tonnes of coal

Two conveyor lines treat more than 350,000 tonnes of waste per year

25 staff on site

 

Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

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

Rating: 4.5/5