Less than six weeks into the new La Liga season and Xabi Alonso is closing in on a record-breaking start as Real Madrid manager.
Real's 4-1 demolition of Levante on Tuesday meant Alonso became only the second Los Blancos coach to win all of his first six Liga matches in charge.
Win his seventh and Alonso matches the club record set by Vanderlei Luxemburgo 20 years ago when his Real team – that included the Galacticos of Roberto Carlos, Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham and the Brazilian Ronaldo – won 2-1 away to Osasuna.
But if the class of 2025 are to achieve it, they will have to do so in the high-pressure environment of a Madrid derby against Atletico at the Metropolitano Stadium on Saturday.
“We've been together for 51 days and there is a long way to go yet,” insisted Alonso, who took over from Carlo Ancelotti in May, after defeating Levante.
“There is still room for improvement but we're on the right track. Not only with the results but also how we're doing things. We can't stop, this is just the beginning.”
The former Real Madrid and Spain midfielder's hopes of instant silverware at this summer's Fifa Club World Cup were dashed brutally by the newly crowned European champions Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals.
PSG, who had thrashed Inter Milan 5-0 in the Uefa Champions League final to seal their first European Cup, dealt out a chastening 4-0 battering to Alonso's side.
“We start a new age after a break, with fresh minds,” said Alonso after the humbling at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium. “We were one match away and it's painful and let's see what happens now.”
And those minds have indeed come back freshened with Madrid starting the domestic season in spectacular fashion, winning six out of six to top the table by two points.
Leading that charge from the front has been Kylian Mbappe, who has followed up his Pichichi Trophy winning tally of 31 goals last season by notching seven already this campaign – including a second-half double against Levante.
That came on top of a man-of-the-match display in the Champions League comeback win over Marseille where the France captain scored two nerveless penalties to earn victory, despite Real playing out the last 18 minutes with 10 men.
It took Mbappe to 50 goals in 64 appearances for the club, the fewest number of games since Cristiano Ronaldo managed it in 54.
“This type of performance is written in the DNA of Real Madrid,” said Mbappe after the win at the Santiago Bernabeu.
“You trust yourself, you trust your fellow players, even with 10 men. Everyone around you wants to win and pushes you on and today nobody was stressed and we produced the victory we needed.”
The array of attacking options at the manager's disposal is formidable, with Franco Mastantuono, Arda Guler, Vinicius Junior, and Mbappe starting against Levante.
Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham, who was making only his second appearance of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery, both appeared as late substitutes, while Brahim Diaz and Endrick did not even make it off the bench.
“Having quality players makes everything easier, and it doesn't take much training for them to understand our ideas and what we're looking for,” said Alonso, who saw Mastantuono, 18, score his first goal since his summer move from River Plate.
“Everyone who came in did a great job. We don't want to mess things around too much either, we're in a decent groove.”
Squad rotation and keeping this level of talent happy is something Alonso will quickly need to master as there have already been moments of discontent.
Vinicius Jr's frustration was evident after being substituted with 13 minutes left during Saturday's 2-0 win against Espanyol. The Brazilian has completed only one full game in Alonso's 12 in charge.
“The only thing missing for him today was a goal,” insisted Alonso after the game. “Maybe I could have waited a little longer to substitute him, but I wanted to bring on some fresh players on the wing.
“The same thing happened with Mastantuono. He also got mad at me … They were a little angry, but it happens to everyone.
“It's great that we have so many options in our squad. If I didn't make decisions, I wouldn't be here. That's my job.”
Three days later, Alonso's call was vindicated. Vinicius opened the scoring against Levante with a superb curling finish with the outside of his boot before going on to play the full 90 minutes.
“Luka Modric taught me to shoot like that,” said the Brazilian afterwards. “It's one of my most beautiful goals, I don't think I'd ever got one like that before.
“We played really well from the off, with our pressing and on the ball. If we play like that, we're always going to win.”
Next up is capital rivals Atletico, who go into the match on the back of a comeback victory at home to Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday night.
Diego Simeone's side were 2-1 down when Julian Alvarez scored twice in the last 10 minutes to complete his hat-trick and seal only Atleti's second win of the campaign, lifting them into the top half of La Liga.
“He is extraordinary, our best player,” Simeone said of the Argentine forward after his first treble for the club. “We need him at his best.”
It was a much-needed boost going into the derby with Atletico nine points behind their rivals. “It will be a fantastic game, against a rival that has been playing well,” Simeone added. “It’s going to be a tough opponent.”
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
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
Super Rugby play-offs
Quarter-finals
- Hurricanes 35, ACT 16
- Crusaders 17, Highlanders 0
- Lions 23, Sharks 21
- Chiefs 17, Stormers 11
Semi-finals
Saturday, July 29
- Crusaders v Chiefs, 12.35pm (UAE)
- Lions v Hurricanes, 4.30pm
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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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.”
The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
