Hajime Moriyasu urges Japan players to 'take game to Oman' in Asian Cup Group F match

Japan will be looking to put their name in the hat for the knockout stages with victory over Oman Sunday with manager Hajime Moriyasu challenging his players to channel the same intensity that saw them overcome a disappointing opening 45 minutes to beat Turkmenistan last week.

The 2011 winners trailed in their Group F opener before eventually working through the gears in the second half to grind out a 3-2 win.

“We faced some difficulty against Turkmenistan and tomorrow, it will be the same against Oman. We know that every game will be difficult but the key is to adapt,” Moriyasu said.

“We will have a gameplan and I would like it if we dominate but if we can’t, we must be able to change our approach. It is important that we play with the intention of taking the game to Oman.

“The players must be focused and, more importantly, able to change our style if there is a need.”

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With Oman needing a victory of their own to stand any chance of qualifying for the last 16 manager Pim Verbeek said his players will show no fear against one of Asian football’s powerhouses.

“We are looking forward to playing probably one of the best teams in Asia. They are a big team, experienced, played in the World Cup six months ago and now have brought in new talent. We are excited to be playing them,” the Ducthman said of the meeting at Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Sports City.

“We won’t fear them as we need the points after being so unlucky against Uzbekistan.”

Verbeek conceded the three-time champions of Asia are superior in terms of big tournament epxerience, but was confident his players can exploit any chinks in Japan’s armour.

“We must capitalise on Japan’s weaknesses, if there is any. The players have watched the match against Turkmenistan and they will go into the match fully aware of what we need to do for the three points.”

In Sunday’s other matches, Uzbekistan, buoyed by their 2-1 win over Oman in Sharjah last time out, can also seal their qualification as one of Group F’s top two with victory over Turkmenistan, while North Korea face Qatar in Group E.

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.”

Hajime Moriyasu urges Japan players to 'take game to Oman' in Asian Cup Group F match

Japan laboured to a 3-2 win over Turkmenistan in their opener while Oman lost to Uzbekistan