Ernesto Valverde says Barcelona La Liga record 'also belongs to Luis Enrique'

Barcelona 3
Messi (27’, 32’, 87’)

Leganes 1
El Zhar (68’)

Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde was quick to share the plaudits with his predecessor Luis Enrique after the Catalan giants equalled a Primera Liga record in their win over Leganes.

Barca's 3-1 victory, secured by the 45th hat-trick of Lionel Messi's career, not only moved them 12 points clear at the summit but saw them match Real Sociedad's all-time record of 38 successive La Liga games without defeat.

Sociedad set the record between 1979 and 1980 and Barca have also achieved it over two campaigns, with 31 this season coming on the back of seven games last term.

While most of the run has been compiled under Valverde, the 54-year-old Spaniard - who replaced Enrique in the summer - refused to take all the acclaim.

He told a press conference as reported by his club's website: "We have matched an all-time record and that is especially exciting for me. It's not easy to do something that hasn't been done for such a long time.

"But it's not just my record. It also belongs to Luis Enrique and everyone who played for the team last year."

He added: "It's a shared record which has been carried on from one season.

"It's been difficult to achieve. It's an historic record, it's been there for many years, which shows you the competitiveness of the team."

Regarding the match, which saw Messi net twice in the first half before completing his hat-trick late on after Nabil El Zhar had pulled a goal back for Leganes in the 68th minute, Valverde admitted they made things difficult for themselves.

He said: "The game has brought us three very important points. We had a great first half but we didn't read things right in the second. It was normal enough for us to ease off the pace, but when you are only winning 2-0 you can't afford to get too confident."

Defender Gerard Pique added on his club's website: "We had a great first half and then eased off in the second. The important thing is that we are still comfortably poised at the top of the table

"The all-time unbeaten record is the result of getting things right all season."

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Andy Mitten: Quiet night for Lionel Messi even as Barcelona ride on luck to beat Roma

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Four motivational quotes from Alicia's Dubai talk

“The only thing we need is to know that we have faith. Faith and hope in our own dreams. The belief that, when we keep going we’re going to find our way. That’s all we got.”

“Sometimes we try so hard to keep things inside. We try so hard to pretend it’s not really bothering us. In some ways, that hurts us more. You don’t realise how dishonest you are with yourself sometimes, but I realised that if I spoke it, I could let it go.”

“One good thing is to know you’re not the only one going through it. You’re not the only one trying to find your way, trying to find yourself, trying to find amazing energy, trying to find a light. Show all of yourself. Show every nuance. All of your magic. All of your colours. Be true to that. You can be unafraid.”

“It’s time to stop holding back. It’s time to do it on your terms. It’s time to shine in the most unbelievable way. It’s time to let go of negativity and find your tribe, find those people that lift you up, because everybody else is just in your way.”

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.”

Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.

A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.

Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.

A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.

On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.

The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.

Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.

The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later.

MATCH INFO

English Premiership semi-finals

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