On the face of it, it is one of the most desirable coaching positions in football. Under your command are some of the world's most valuable players still under 23. You get to supervise the breakthrough of perhaps the game's most exciting 16-year-old. When spectators are allowed back into stadiums, you will be the conductor of one of the most rousing and fervent crowds there is.
But some ambitious, talented head coaches have looked at the job of managing Borussia Dortmund and paused. Granted, the club baulk at paying megastar salaries to their coaches, but any success at Dortmund all but guarantees a status where you can name your price in the next job.
Ask Jurgen Klopp, whose seven seasons at the Westfalen stadium came to an end in 2015, or Thomas Tuchel, who took over at wealthy Paris Saint-Germain in 2018, a year after leaving Dortmund.
The third different head coach of the post-Klopp era departed Dortmund on Sunday, Lucien Favre sacked after 11 games and a 5-1 home defeat to Stuttgart.
A caretaker, Edin Terzic, has been promoted from Favre’s support staff for the rest of the season with the advice that, should he thrive, the position might be his longer-term, although Marco Rose, currently coaching Borussia Monchengladbach, is the leading candidate for the role in 2021/22.
Terzic, 38 and thrust into his first senior job, has a minimum target of making sure Dortmund remain in the Bundesliga’s top four. He made a winning start, with a 2-1 win against Werder Bremen on Tuesday and victory on Friday night at sixth-placed Union Berlin would open up a comforting cushion of four points above fifth-placed Wolfsburg.
Although he has spent much of his career at Dortmund, in various coaching positions, Terzic felt it appropriate to make some introductions when he was presented. He is a Dortmunder and supporter of the club since boyhood, born 30 kilometres east of the city. He first experienced the percussive roar of the Westfalen stadium as a nine year old fan. “From that moment my heart was won,” he said.
His young heart would certainly be broken a few times by his mid-teens. Dortmund, Champions League winners in 1997, Bundesliga champions in 2002, were on the verge of bankruptcy when Terzic was enrolling at his local club dreaming of a playing career – one that would peak at fourth-division level – and by the time they began their stirring renaissance over the last decade, he was working at the club, reporting to an inspiring young head coach, Klopp.
Two of the principal factors that have established Dortmund among the Champions League heavyweights are, first, Klopp and, second, an astute understanding of the transfer market. Both factors present a challenge to any head coach.
Klopp’s achievements alone – two Bundesliga titles, a European Cup final – set a daunting standard; the bond with supporters he developed is inimitable. Tuchel was often stalked by comparisons between his own cooler, technocratic persona and Klopp’s vibrant charisma; Favre, a likeable but sometimes rather professorial figure, was no Klopp either.
Terzic has at least studied up close the special Klopp chemistry. He worked in the Dortmund academy during Klopp's time in charge. He was later taken as a part-time analyst for the Croatia national team by their then coach Slaven Bilic and when the much-travelled Bilic was appointed head coach at Besiktas, and West Ham United, Terzic worked with him. Ironically, Bilic was sacked as manager of West Bromwich Albion barely 48 hours after Terzic was promoted at Dortmund.
Bilic would envy the squad his former assistant has taken charge of. Dortmund have a wealth of young talent, epitomised by the 20-year-olds, Erling Haaland and Jadon Sancho – both valued at over €100m ($122m) – but it is conditioned by the certainty it will be someone else’s talent before long.
Haaland, Sancho, Gio Reyna, 18 and Jude Bellingham, 17, chose to be at Dortmund partly because they knew they would be offered first-team opportunities, partly because they saw how good a launchpad Dortmund is. Recent graduates include Christian Pulisic and Ousmane Dembele, whose sales to Chelsea and Barcelona yielded Dortmund a profit of €180m.
Those sorts of sales keep Dortmund among Europe’s elite. There will be many more. The club are already projecting how far striker Youssoufa Moukoko, whom Favre last month gave a first team debut the day after Moukoko’s 16th birthday, might soar.
Terzic’s task to keep all the prodigies focused on where they are now. Dortmund, who under Favre twice finished second to Bayern Munich in the league, letting a genuine advantage in the title race crumble in 2018-19, do not expect the caretaker coach to win the Bundesliga, but they want no more 5-1 collapses.
MATCH INFO
Group B
Bayern Munich v Tottenham, midnight (Thursday)
Shubh Mangal Saavdhan
Directed by: RS Prasanna
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar
If you go:
The flights: Etihad, Emirates, British Airways and Virgin all fly from the UAE to London from Dh2,700 return, including taxes
The tours: The Tour for Muggles usually runs several times a day, lasts about two-and-a-half hours and costs £14 (Dh67)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is on now at the Palace Theatre. Tickets need booking significantly in advance
Entrance to the Harry Potter exhibition at the House of MinaLima is free
The hotel: The grand, 1909-built Strand Palace Hotel is in a handy location near the Theatre District and several of the key Harry Potter filming and inspiration sites. The family rooms are spacious, with sofa beds that can accommodate children, and wooden shutters that keep out the light at night. Rooms cost from £170 (Dh808).
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Tips for SMEs to cope
- Adapt your business model. Make changes that are future-proof to the new normal
- Make sure you have an online presence
- Open communication with suppliers, especially if they are international. Look for local suppliers to avoid delivery delays
- Open communication with customers to see how they are coping and be flexible about extending terms, etc
Courtesy: Craig Moore, founder and CEO of Beehive, which provides term finance and working capital finance to SMEs. Only SMEs that have been trading for two years are eligible for funding from Beehive.
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAyan%20Mukerji%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERanbir%20Kapoor%2C%20Alia%20Bhatt%20and%20Amitabh%20Bachchan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Types of fraud
Phishing: Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
Smishing: The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
Vishing: The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
SIM swap: Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
* Nada El Sawy
How Filipinos in the UAE invest
A recent survey of 10,000 Filipino expatriates in the UAE found that 82 per cent have plans to invest, primarily in property. This is significantly higher than the 2014 poll showing only two out of 10 Filipinos planned to invest.
Fifty-five percent said they plan to invest in property, according to the poll conducted by the New Perspective Media Group, organiser of the Philippine Property and Investment Exhibition. Acquiring a franchised business or starting up a small business was preferred by 25 per cent and 15 per cent said they will invest in mutual funds. The rest said they are keen to invest in insurance (3 per cent) and gold (2 per cent).
Of the 5,500 respondents who preferred property as their primary investment, 54 per cent said they plan to make the purchase within the next year. Manila was the top location, preferred by 53 per cent.
Related
Analysis
Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
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
A Dog's Journey
Directed by: Gail Mancuso
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Josh Gad, Marg Helgenberger, Betty Gilpin, Kathryn Prescott
3 out of 5 stars
FA CUP FINAL
Manchester City 6
(D Silva 26', Sterling 38', 81', 87', De Bruyne 61', Jesus 68')
Watford 0
Man of the match: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
Zayed Sustainability Prize
UAE central contracts
Full time contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ahmed Raza, Mohammed Usman, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Sultan Ahmed, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid
Part time contracts
Aryan Lakra, Ansh Tandon, Karthik Meiyappan, Rahul Bhatia, Alishan Sharafu, CP Rizwaan, Basil Hameed, Matiullah, Fahad Nawaz, Sanchit Sharma
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee