Jose Mourinho insists he will finally be prepared to label Chelsea as title challengers if they “work in a successful way” in this close-season transfer market.
After watching his team come from behind at Cardiff to bring down the curtain on their campaign with a 2-1 victory on Sunday, Mourinho denied being hurt by missing out on the Premier League title in his first campaign back in England, saying Manchester City were worthy champions.
Evolution and transition have been buzz words for the Portuguese this season and he claimed that the Chelsea’s third-placed finish “is not a drama” despite Roman Abramovich, the Chelsea owner, not being a man renowned for his patience.
However, there appeared a distinct shift in rhetoric from the former Real Madrid boss as far as Chelsea’s title ambitions for 2014/15 are concerned if they attain their transfer targets, of whom Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa is thought to be one.
“Next season if we do our work in a successful way in the summer market, which I know the club is trying to do everything to make that a successful period for us, then if we do that I want to start day one saying we are going to fight for the title,” Mourinho said.
“We don’t need a new spine, a new structure. It is there.
“The fundamental for us now is a couple of players of a certain level to help the team immediately go to a different level.
“After that the additional is if someone has to leave then someone has to come. Our work in the summer is not a big amount of work, it is just the right choice.”
Mourinho already largely has the tools required.
It is forging the mentality required to win matches like those against Aston Villa and Sunderland – he referred to these games six times in his press conference – which is where he will be looking for his transitional team to step up next year after some damaging defeats to sides in the bottom half.
“Manchester City are champions and they deserve it,” he said.
“They have four more points than us and two more than Liverpool. They are not guilty of defeats like ours to Aston Villa and Sunderland. It has nothing to do with them.
“Am I hurt (by City winning)? No, because it is part of the process.
“One thing is to play clearly to win the title. Another is to be in a transition phase.
“It was an easier job for me to get a team ready to win (not Chelsea) and I promise you I had chances to do that not just in this country but others.
“My decision was this and I am happy with that. It is part of a process in a dangerous league where you can finish fifth and be out of the Champions League.
“Third is not a drama, it is a position you have to accept in this transitional period.
“We are not asking for eight, nine, 10 years to achieve success but you can’t just click your fingers and success arrives, this season it almost happened.”
Substitute Andre Schurrle’s introduction proved decisive as Chelsea came from behind to defeat relegated Cardiff with two goals in three second-half minutes.
The Germany international scored one and made the other for Fernando Torres shortly after coming on as Mourinho’s team ended a trophyless season on a winning note.
Cardiff, in their final game before returning to the Championship, had led beyond the hour mark courtesy of Craig Bellamy’s early deflected strike in what seems likely to be his final game as a professional.
Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said: “I think everyone can see signs that there are players there that have got the quality.
“There will probably be a few changes, in my view it is important to keep hold of the most important players.”
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The Color Purple
Director: Blitz Bazawule
Starring: Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P Henson, Danielle Brooks, Colman Domingo
Rating: 4/5
Company profile
Company: Verity
Date started: May 2021
Founders: Kamal Al-Samarrai, Dina Shoman and Omar Al Sharif
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Size: four team members
Stage: Intially bootstrapped but recently closed its first pre-seed round of $800,000
Investors: Wamda, VentureSouq, Beyond Capital and regional angel investors
The specs: 2019 BMW X4
Price, base / as tested: Dh276,675 / Dh346,800
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged in-line six-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 354hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 1,550rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.0L / 100km
The years Ramadan fell in May
if you go
The flights
Emirates offer flights to Buenos Aires from Dubai, via Rio De Janeiro from around Dh6,300. emirates.com
Seeing the games
Tangol sell experiences across South America and generally have good access to tickets for most of the big teams in Buenos Aires: Boca Juniors, River Plate, and Independiente. Prices from Dh550 and include pick up and drop off from your hotel in the city. tangol.com
Staying there
Tangol will pick up tourists from any hotel in Buenos Aires, but after the intensity of the game, the Faena makes for tranquil, upmarket accommodation. Doubles from Dh1,110. faena.com
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre flat-six
Power: 525hp (GT3), 500hp (GT4)
Torque: 465Nm (GT3), 450Nm (GT4)
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Price: From Dh944,000 (GT3), Dh581,700 (GT4)
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
Kill
Director: Nikhil Nagesh Bhat
Starring: Lakshya, Tanya Maniktala, Ashish Vidyarthi, Harsh Chhaya, Raghav Juyal
Rating: 4.5/5
WORLD CUP SEMI-FINALS
England v New Zealand (Saturday, 12pm)
Wales v South Africa (Sunday, 1pm)
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Revibe
Started: 2022
Founders: Hamza Iraqui and Abdessamad Ben Zakour
Based: UAE
Industry: Refurbished electronics
Funds raised so far: $10m
Investors: Flat6Labs, Resonance and various others
The five pillars of Islam
How to keep control of your emotions
If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.
Greed
Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.
Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.
Fear
The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.
Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.
Hope
While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.
Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.
Frustration
Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.
Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.
Boredom
Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.
Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Grubtech
Founders: Mohamed Al Fayed and Mohammed Hammedi
Launched: October 2019
Employees: 50
Financing stage: Seed round (raised $2 million)
MATCH RESULT
Liverpool 4 Brighton and Hove Albion 0
Liverpool: Salah (26'), Lovren (40'), Solanke (53'), Robertson (85')
Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics
