So far this this season, West Ham have come from 3-0 down to draw with Tottenham and now lost a 3-0 lead when held by Arsenal. They have helped fashion two flawed classics of London derbies this season, and yet the ultimate winners on Sunday were Chelsea.
When David Moyes’ side surged into a dominant lead against a sluggish, shambolic Arsenal, they were set to go level on points with Thomas Tuchel’s team.
Arsenal’s eventual fightback spared them embarrassment but produced a result that did few favours to either of the participants. Instead, it simply offered entertainment in abundance.
Much of it was admirable. Martin Odegaard was instrumental in a seminal comeback, contributing to three goals without scoring or assisting any. Alexandre Lacazette was a galvanising force, scoring the eventual equaliser to reward him for a purposeful, potent performance.
Some of it was illogical. If Calum Chambers was chosen as a defensive right-back by Mikel Arteta, he proved extraordinarily creative. It was an illustration of unintended consequences. The selection of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on the right wing backfired as he was ineffectual. Instead, Chambers provided the thrust on that flank.
In his days in Everton’s midfield, Arteta was evidence of Moyes’ prowess as a bargain hunter. There has been plenty more in the transformation of West Ham, but the Scot’s signings had a mixed benefit.
Between them, they scored five goals: three for the Hammers, two for the Gunners. Both own goals were unfortunate and despite that, it was the Gunners who showed their self-destructive streak initially. “This game is going to give me a few nightmares,” said Arteta.
“It is really difficult to stop some of the things we have been doing to hurt ourselves.”
But Arsenal’s spirited response meant master and apprentice finished level. “I am really disappointed,” added Arteta. “I cannot accept my team to play the way we did for certain periods in the first half and the goals we conceded. The second goal is unacceptable, the third goal is unacceptable.”
The opening 35 minutes were among the worst of his spell at Arsenal and the best of Moyes’ time at West Ham. “We played really well for long periods,” he said. There was evidence of alchemy as his signings delivered the goals, the first two within 98 seconds of each other.
The first was quite a way for Jesse Lingard to celebrate his recall to the England squad. It highlighted the confidence he now exudes after a wretched 18 months at Old Trafford. Michail Antonio escaped down the West Ham left to cut the ball back for Lingard to take a touch and unleash a rising, rasping shot.
The second goal was an indictment of Arsenal. They switched off when referee Jonathan Moss awarded West Ham a free kick. Lingard reacted best, taking it quickly and finding Jarrod Bowen, whose low shot squirmed in under Bernd Leno; like his defence, he ought to have done better.
Antonio was outstanding without scoring, but West Ham could rue the moment when, at 3-2, he hit the post from two yards. He did, though, play a part in his side’s third goal. Antonio met Vladimir Coufal’s cross with a downward header that glanced off Tomas Soucek’s foot on its way in.
“We played incredibly well afterwards and we should have scored six or seven goals,” said Arteta but for the Czech, the flagship success of Moyes’ buying in London, it was a tale of two deflections.
Lacazette met Chambers’ cross with a touch and a half-volley that deflected in off Soucek to reduce the deficit. They combined again, Chambers releasing Lacazette again when he lobbed Lukasz Fabianski but Issa Diop made an athletic goal-line clearance.
Chambers was not bowed. His cross was turned into the West Ham net by Dawson, scoring an own goal for the second successive game. Lacazette belatedly got his goal when he headed in substitute Nicolas Pepe’s brilliant cross. “The dressing room are devastated,” Moyes added.
Our 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.”
RESULTS
6.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (Dirt) 1.600m
Winner: Miller’s House, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Kanood, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.
7.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Gervais, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
8.15pm: The Garhoud Sprint Listed (TB) Dh 132,500 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Important Mission, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8.50pm: The Entisar Listed (TB) Dh 132,500 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Firnas, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
9.25pm: Conditions (TB) Dh 120,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Zhou Storm, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
BABYLON
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Education reform in Abu Dhabi
The emirate’s public education system has been in a constant state of change since the New School Model was launched in 2010 by the Abu Dhabi Education Council. The NSM, which is also known as the Abu Dhabi School Model, transformed the public school curriculum by introducing bilingual education starting with students from grades one to five. Under this new curriculum, the children spend half the day learning in Arabic and half in English – being taught maths, science and English language by mostly Western educated, native English speakers. The NSM curriculum also moved away from rote learning and required teachers to develop a “child-centered learning environment” that promoted critical thinking and independent learning. The NSM expanded by one grade each year and by the 2017-2018 academic year, it will have reached the high school level. Major reforms to the high school curriculum were announced in 2015. The two-stream curriculum, which allowed pupils to elect to follow a science or humanities course of study, was eliminated. In its place was a singular curriculum in which stem -- science, technology, engineering and maths – accounted for at least 50 per cent of all subjects. In 2016, Adec announced additional changes, including the introduction of two levels of maths and physics – advanced or general – to pupils in Grade 10, and a new core subject, career guidance, for grades 10 to 12; and a digital technology and innovation course for Grade 9. Next year, the focus will be on launching a new moral education subject to teach pupils from grades 1 to 9 character and morality, civic studies, cultural studies and the individual and the community.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Take Me Apart
Kelela
(Warp)
UAE WARRIORS RESULTS
Featherweight
Azouz Anwar (EGY) beat Marcelo Pontes (BRA)
TKO round 2
Catchweight 90kg
Moustafa Rashid Nada (KSA) beat Imad Al Howayeck (LEB)
Split points decision
Welterweight
Gimbat Ismailov (RUS) beat Mohammed Al Khatib (JOR)
TKO round 1
Flyweight (women)
Lucie Bertaud (FRA) beat Kelig Pinson (BEL)
Unanimous points decision
Lightweight
Alexandru Chitoran (ROU) beat Regelo Enumerables Jr (PHI)
TKO round 1
Catchweight 100kg
Marc Vleiger (NED) beat Mohamed Ali (EGY)
Rear neck choke round 1
Featherweight
James Bishop (NZ) beat Mark Valerio (PHI)
TKO round 2
Welterweight
Abdelghani Saber (EGY) beat Gerson Carvalho (BRA)
TKO round 1
Middleweight
Bakhtiyar Abbasov (AZE) beat Igor Litoshik (BLR)
Unanimous points decision
Bantamweight
Fabio Mello (BRA) beat Mark Alcoba (PHI)
Unanimous points decision
Welterweight
Ahmed Labban (LEB) v Magomedsultan Magomedsultanov (RUS)
TKO round 1
Bantamweight
Trent Girdham (AUS) beat Jayson Margallo (PHI)
TKO round 3
Lightweight
Usman Nurmagomedov (RUS) beat Roman Golovinov (UKR)
TKO round 1
Middleweight
Tarek Suleiman (SYR) beat Steve Kennedy (AUS)
Submission round 2
Lightweight
Dan Moret (USA) v Anton Kuivanen (FIN)
TKO round 2
