Bert van Marwijk is convinced his UAE side are much-improved from when they last faced Thailand, but conceded they must fully respect their opponents on Monday in their bid to reach the next round of World Cup qualification.
Van Marwijk's men resumed their Group G campaign on Thursday with an impressive 4-0 victory against Malaysia in Dubai, lifting them to within two points of leaders Vietnam with three fixtures remaining.
The UAE now return to the Zabeel Stadium to take on third-placed Thailand, who drew 2-2 draw against Indonesia at the nearby Al Maktoum Stadium.
Thailand defeated Van Marwijk’s team 2-1 in the corresponding fixture in October 2019, before the Qualifiers were repeatedly postponed because of the pandemic.
However, the UAE have made a number of changes to the squad since, with Fabio De Lima, Caio Canedo and Sebastian Tagliabue having been granted Emirati citizenship. De Lima scored twice on competitive debut against Malaysia.
Meanwhile, midfielder Abdullah Ramadan has also made his international bow. The Al Jazira midfielder, sitting alongside Van Marwijk at Sunday’s pre-match press conference, starred last Thursday, creating two of the four goals.
“I think the team now is better,” Van Marwijk said. “They are physically stronger, and we have a few good players extra with De Lima and Caio, and my player next to me. He's developed very, very well, into one of the best players now in the UAE.
“And not only Ramadan and De Lima and Caio; all the players made very good progress. So if I compare our team to last year then I would say our team is much better.”
The win against Malaysia pulled the UAE’s campaign back on track and arrested a run of successive defeats. Sitting second, the national team meet bottom side Indonesia on Friday and then Vietnam four days later, in what promises to be a decisive encounter.
Vietnam resume their quest to make the third and final round of qualification – only the top team are sure to advance, together with the four best runners-up – against Indonesia on Monday at Al Maktoum Stadium. All remaining games in Group G are being played in Dubai.
“We have respect for all our opponents and especially for Thailand,” Van Marwijk said. “I can remember the game [in 2019], we lost there. I already told you last time here, if we want to be sure to go to the next round we have to win everything. So we have a lot of respect for our opponent. But we also have a lot of trust in ourselves. I’m looking forward to the game.”
If I compare our team to last year then I would say our team is much better
Asked whether he was more confident about progression following the Malaysia triumph, Van Marwijk said: “No, I was 75 per cent satisfied with our performance. So no, we are not satisfied yet.”
Ramadan, 23 and set to make only his second competitive appearance for the UAE, added: “The match is very important, as important as the match against Malaysia. We will try our best to make the best performance – we have to get out with the best possible result.”
As for Thailand, the draw against Indonesia represented a significant dent to their qualification hopes. All is not lost, though: still third, they are level on points with the UAE, although they have played a game more.
“Obviously, the result of the first game was a draw against Indonesia, when we weren’t 100 per cent ready for that match, but we did our best given the circumstances,” manager Akira Nishino said on Sunday. “It was disappointing to not get the win.
“I had the chance to watch the UAE against Malaysia and thought it was a great game by them. But, speaking from the perspective of today, I feel the players are more fit and ready compared to the conditions of the first game.
“From the last time we played the UAE, in Thailand, there is a lot of change, a lot of new players with good techniques, so that would be a good strength for the UAE. They have added some new players, some we have not faced yet. Those will be the players that we need to watch out for.”
TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20WATCH%20SERIES%208
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OPINIONS ON PALESTINE & ISRAEL
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
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.”
WISH
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The%20specs
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The specs: 2018 Genesis G70
Price, base / as tested: Dh155,000 / Dh205,000
Engine: 3.3-litre, turbocharged V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 370hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 510Nm @ 1,300rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.6L / 100km
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Essentials
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Malaysia Airlines all fly direct from the UAE to Kuala Lumpur and on to Penang from about Dh2,300 return, including taxes.
Where to stay
In Kuala Lumpur, Element is a recently opened, futuristic hotel high up in a Norman Foster-designed skyscraper. Rooms cost from Dh400 per night, including taxes. Hotel Stripes, also in KL, is a great value design hotel, with an infinity rooftop pool. Rooms cost from Dh310, including taxes.
In Penang, Ren i Tang is a boutique b&b in what was once an ancient Chinese Medicine Hall in the centre of Little India. Rooms cost from Dh220, including taxes.
23 Love Lane in Penang is a luxury boutique heritage hotel in a converted mansion, with private tropical gardens. Rooms cost from Dh400, including taxes.
In Langkawi, Temple Tree is a unique architectural villa hotel consisting of antique houses from all across Malaysia. Rooms cost from Dh350, including taxes.
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh12 million
Engine 8.0-litre quad-turbo, W16
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch auto
Power 1479 @ 6,700rpm
Torque 1600Nm @ 2,000rpm 0-100kph: 2.6 seconds 0-200kph: 6.1 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Credits
Produced by: Colour Yellow Productions and Eros Now
Director: Mudassar Aziz
Cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Jimmy Sheirgill, Jassi Gill, Piyush Mishra, Diana Penty, Aparshakti Khurrana
Star rating: 2.5/5
Two products to make at home
Toilet cleaner
1 cup baking soda
1 cup castile soap
10-20 drops of lemon essential oil (or another oil of your choice)
Method:
1. Mix the baking soda and castile soap until you get a nice consistency.
2. Add the essential oil to the mix.
Air Freshener
100ml water
5 drops of the essential oil of your choice (note: lavender is a nice one for this)
Method:
1. Add water and oil to spray bottle to store.
2. Shake well before use.
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
