If the League Cup can offer a change from the league, Arsenal need it more than most. Their plight is so severe that Mikel Arteta, the reigning FA Cup winner, was asked if he considered a permanent break by walking away from a job that appears ever tougher.
"I don't like to think about those steps because then I will be thinking in a negative way," the Spaniard said. He may be no quitter but with Arsenal trapped in 15th and their manager again fielding questions about relegation, the Premier League has brought misery.
But on Tuesday night the League Cup could kickstart a season gone horribly wrong. “This is what we want to use it for, as well as a competition we want to win,” said Arteta. It might bring respite and reminders alike. Arteta’s first flagship win in a one-off occasion came at the expense of his mentor.
Manchester City were defeated 2-0 in July's FA Cup semi-final. A reunion with Pep Guardiola could bring happy memories for Arteta. As a double act, they masterminded a 100-point season and a domestic treble, both historic achievements.
Last week, Guardiola came to the defence of his former assistant. “Arsenal couldn’t have a better manager to lead this club,” he said. “Nobody is better than him. He’s one of the best managers I’ve ever worked with and seen directly.”
Guardiola will hope proof does not come on Tuesday night as he continues his quest to become the first manager to win the League Cup in four successive seasons. He has experienced one Arteta: the second in command.
Arsenal have had two, the manager who has lost seven of his last 10 league games and the one whose record in Cup competitions, counting triumphs on penalties as victories, features 16 wins in 17 matches, some of them elevating expectations along with his reputation. It would be wrong to say he celebrated a year in charge on Sunday – not after defeat to Everton – but he reflected upon it.
“Some really positive highlights, obviously now everything is looking a bit more negative because our form in the Premier League,” he said. It has been a year unlike any other. It is not entirely Arteta’s fault that the job is proving more difficult than he envisaged. Problems have abounded.
“I could not think about some of the challenges we have been through, some internally at the club, some externally with the pandemic, as well some results we've picked up in the Premier League,” Arteta added.
Arsenal’s season has been notable for indiscipline, meaning Granit Xhaka is suspended. Theirs can feel a divided camp but Arteta insisted they are united. “Within the club my feeling is just support, encouragement and total confidence we're going to get through this together,” he said.
He is without his likeliest matchwinner on Tuesday, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, whose brace defeated City in July, still injured. The grim reality is that Arsenal only have two goals in open play in 10 league games. “Our conversion rate and our finishing quality is what's letting us down at the moment,” Arteta said. An alternative perspective is that Arsenal lack creativity.
Arteta cited statistics from recent games, claiming they showed Arsenal had a 67 per cent chance of winning at Goodison Park on Saturday and just a nine per cent chance of losing. They lost, just as defeats to Burnley and Tottenham apparently came with just three and seven per cent chance of being defeated.
But the most meaningful numbers are in the league table. Relegation is a worry. “When you are in this position and you have the points that we have at the moment, you have to look and be careful,” Arteta said.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
The five pillars of Islam
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
The biog
Age: 32
Qualifications: Diploma in engineering from TSI Technical Institute, bachelor’s degree in accounting from Dubai’s Al Ghurair University, master’s degree in human resources from Abu Dhabi University, currently third years PHD in strategy of human resources.
Favourite mountain range: The Himalayas
Favourite experience: Two months trekking in Alaska
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
More coverage from the Future Forum
The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
RACE CARD
6.30pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 Group 1 (PA) Dh119,373 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.05pm Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (D) 1,200m
7.40pm Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (Turf) 1,800m
8.15pm UAE 1000 Guineas Trial (TB) Dh183,650 (D) 1,400m
9.50pm Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,000m
more from Janine di Giovanni
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
'How To Build A Boat'
Jonathan Gornall, Simon & Schuster
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
if you go
The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
More from UAE Human Development Report:
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Results
6.30pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes Group Three US$200,000 (Turf) 2,000m; Winner: Ghaiyyath, William Buick (jockey), Charlie Appleby (trainer).
7.05pm: Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Cliffs Of Capri, Tadhg O’Shea, Jamie Osborne.
7.40pm: UAE Oaks Group Three $250,000 (Dirt) 1,900m; Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8.15pm: Zabeel Mile Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Zakouski, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby.
8.50pm: Meydan Sprint Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,000m; Winner: Waady, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson.