Atletico Madrid have players of the calibre of Antoine Griezmann, left, and Diego Costa, second from left. Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno / Getty Images
Atletico Madrid have players of the calibre of Antoine Griezmann, left, and Diego Costa, second from left. Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno / Getty Images
Atletico Madrid have players of the calibre of Antoine Griezmann, left, and Diego Costa, second from left. Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno / Getty Images
Atletico Madrid have players of the calibre of Antoine Griezmann, left, and Diego Costa, second from left. Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno / Getty Images

Barcelona defeat to serve as cautionary tale for Europa League title favourites Atletico Madrid


Andy Mitten
  • English
  • Arabic

Nobody was surprised when Atletico Madrid were named as one of the first five teams alongside Manchester United and Bayern Munich to play in July’s International Champions Cup, the pre-season tournament in the United States which the world’s biggest football teams enter.

Atletico, the team that lost their nerve so often in the 90s that they were known as pupas - losers - have held it throughout a glorious noughties when they have consistently been one of the best teams in Europe.

The competition which started the success was the 2010 Europa League, when they defeated Fulham in Hamburg. Diego Simeone’s arrival a year later toughened them up and made them harder to beat.

Years of smart strategy in the transfer market, the influence of home-grown Atletico-supporting players such as Koke, Saul, Fernando Torres and Gabi, and some rare stability in the boardroom have helped Atleti become everything they were not.

They hold on to their best players for longer because those players are happy to play for one of the best teams in the world and live in Madrid, a fine city. In the summer of 2011, David de Gea was sold when he was 20 and Sergio Aguero was 22.

Now, Atletico offload the players they want –  out of favour Yannick Carrasco and Nicolas Gaitan were sold to the Chinese Super League in February for US$52 million (Dh191m).

Torres announced this week that he will leave the club at the end of the season. The news prompted much sadness from Atleti fans, but the striker has had two excellent spells at the club and was effective when many considered him finished after he returned from England.

Torres, 34, has featured in 34 games so far this season and scored seven goals, but his 1,280 minutes in the red-and-white shirt pale when compared to Antoine Griezmann’s 3,249 or Koke’s 3,318.

Torres has not started a league game since January and it would be understandable if he accepted a large contract to play in China or the United States, especially after seeing how well another former Atleti striker - David Villa - has done in the MLS.

On Thursday night, they have a good chance to reach another Europa League semi-final. Though Atletico will be wary after seeing Barcelona's 4-1 lead overturned in Rome, they are still favourites to protect their 2-0 lead against Sporting in Lisbon.

Those goals were scored by Koke and Griezmann, who continues to be linked with a move away from the club he has served so well over 200 appearances.

This is turning into a good season for Atletico, who are second in the Primera Liga and four points clear of their fourth-placed neighbours Real Madrid who they drew with in the Bernabeu on Sunday after Jan Oblack's heroics in their goal.

Atletico have not lost any of their 15 league games at their new stadium. Average crowds are 10,000 up on last season to 52,037. They kept hold of Griezmann, saw their transfer embargo out and have welcomed Diego Costa back to where he is idolised.

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Read more

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Manager Diego Simeone has overseen plenty of success at Atletico Madrid. Gabriel Bouys / AFP
Manager Diego Simeone has overseen plenty of success at Atletico Madrid. Gabriel Bouys / AFP

The Uefa Champions League was the one disappointment from this season, with Simeone’s side winning only one of their six group games. Chelsea also became the first team to win at Atletico’s new stadium, meaning they failed to make the knock out stage of the Champions League for the first time in five years.

They have reached the final twice, losing to Real, the team who knocked them out of the semi-finals last season and the quarter-finals in 2015.

Given that their European runs have ended in defeat to Real in four successive seasons and that Zinedine Zidane's men are still in the Champions League, the Europa League offers a more likely alternative for a trophy.

Atletico’s win in 2010 came after they also failed to get out of the Champions League group which they also shared with Chelsea. They won the competition again in 2012, beating Athletic Bilbao in an all-Spanish final.

Spanish clubs have dominated the Europa League, winning the competition eight times since 2000. The next best - England - has provided three winners including the reigning champions Manchester United. Atletico are the only Spanish team left in the last eight and they are the favourites to win the competition in Lyon.

But as Barcelona found out on Tuesday, Atletico’s elevated noughties’ status could count for little in a knockout tie.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Employment lawyer Meriel Schindler of Withers Worldwide shares her tips on achieving equal pay
 
Do your homework
Make sure that you are being offered a fair salary. There is lots of industry data available, and you can always talk to people who have come out of the organisation. Where I see people coming a cropper is where they haven’t done their homework.
 
Don’t be afraid to negotiate

It’s quite standard to negotiate if you think an offer is on the low side. The job is unlikely to be withdrawn if you ask for money, and if that did happen I’d question whether you want to work for an employer who is so hypersensitive.
 
Know your worth
Women tend to be a bit more reticent to talk about their achievements. In my experience they need to have more confidence in their own abilities – men will big up what they’ve done to get a pay rise, and to compete women need to turn up the volume.
 
Work together
If you suspect men in your organisation are being paid more, look your boss in the eye and say, “I want you to assure me that I’m paid equivalent to my peers”. If you’re not getting a straight answer, talk to your peer group and consider taking direct action to fix inequality.

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

On sale: Now

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

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57%20Seconds
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FINAL RESULT

Sharjah Wanderers 20 Dubai Tigers 25 (After extra-time)

Wanderers
Tries: Gormley, Penalty
cons: Flaherty
Pens: Flaherty 2

Tigers
Tries: O’Donnell, Gibbons, Kelly
Cons: Caldwell 2
Pens: Caldwell, Cross

Electric scooters: some rules to remember
  • Riders must be 14-years-old or over
  • Wear a protective helmet
  • Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
  • Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
  • Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
  • Do not drive outside designated lanes
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
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
While you're here
Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

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 

The design

The protective shell is covered in solar panels to make use of light and produce energy. This will drastically reduce energy loss.

More than 80 per cent of the energy consumed by the French pavilion will be produced by the sun.

The architecture will control light sources to provide a highly insulated and airtight building.

The forecourt is protected from the sun and the plants will refresh the inner spaces.

A micro water treatment plant will recycle used water to supply the irrigation for the plants and to flush the toilets. This will reduce the pavilion’s need for fresh water by 30 per cent.

Energy-saving equipment will be used for all lighting and projections.

Beyond its use for the expo, the pavilion will be easy to dismantle and reuse the material.

Some elements of the metal frame can be prefabricated in a factory.

 From architects to sound technicians and construction companies, a group of experts from 10 companies have created the pavilion.

Work will begin in May; the first stone will be laid in Dubai in the second quarter of 2019. 

Construction of the pavilion will take 17 months from May 2019 to September 2020.

Our legal columnist

Name: Yousef Al Bahar

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

Hili 2: Unesco World Heritage site

The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.

APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)

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Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

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Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4

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Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID

Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight

In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter

Price: From Dh2,099

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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
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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
COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed 

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THE SPECS

Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine 

Power: 420kW

Torque: 780Nm

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Price: From Dh1,350,000

On sale: Available for preorder now

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Tips for job-seekers
  • Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
  • Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.

David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East

Things Heard & Seen

Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini

Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton

2/5