Liverpool had some special "Fab Threes" in the season of their great revival under Jurgen Klopp. There was, famously, the trio of irrepressible strikers, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, talents who came together with Salah’s arrival at Anfield, and found they could operate as ideal complements to one another, their panache, pace and poise hurtling the club to a first Uefa Champions League final for 11 years.
They each reached double figures for goals just in European matches. Between them they scored over 90 goals across competitions between August 2017 and May 2018.
The other Fab Three of a stirring season was the trio of wins over the best team in English football. Manchester City, who visit Liverpool on Sunday, lost only seven times in all competitions last term; Liverpool inflicted three of those defeats, all of them in contexts that counted, outcomes that wounded the Premier League champions. Liverpool’s victory in the league in January, 4-3, was City’s first loss of a historically domineering title march. The thumping - 5-1 over two legs - in the quarter-final of the European Cup would be the darkest eclipse of City manager Pep Guardiola’s entire season.
By the end of the last of the fabulous three victories, the Fab Three up front had between them scored seven goals against City, Salah one on each of the wins, Mane and Firmino on the scoresheet in both the league ambush and the Champions League.
Back then, City had seen the three-pronged threat of Liverpool’s attack coming at them like an avalanche. On Sunday, Guardiola will have noted much less of a noisy, ominous rumble. The momentum gathered behind Liverpool’s forwards as they plot how and when to launch their supercharged blitzes of pressure is not what it was in the winter or in the early spring.
The numbers tell the story. When City went to Anfield in the new year, lording it at the top of the table, having dropped just four points from a possible 66, Firmino, Salah and Mane had between them scored seven times in the preceding four league matches. Guardiola muttered to colleagues “They scare me”. When Liverpool took a 3-0 lead in a Champions League collision within 19 thunderous minutes of the first half of the first leg, the Fab Three were also on a roll, having scored nine goals between them in Liverpool’s previous four matches.
And now? A more sedate lead-in. Salah’s last Liverpool goal was scored at the tail-end of the first half of the win against Southampton, more than two and half hours of action ago, a gap which, set against his electric last season - 44 goals; 46 starts - seems a long while for the Egyptian. Mane, Liverpool’s top marksman of the trio in 2018/19 with four goals against City, struck his most recent on September 1, early in the win at Leicester City. Firmino’s last goal came against Tottenham Hotspur three weeks back, on an afternoon when, although Liverpool maintained their then 100 per cent record - after six Premier League games - at Wembley, the Fab Three were not at their most complicit. There was even the odd episode, irritating to Klopp, where a shot at goal was attempted when a pass to a colleague had looked the more fruitful choice in the circumstances.
It is a significant slowdown. For Liverpool under Klopp, momentum is vital. It is visceral, the galvanising dynamic of the way they play. When momentum deserts Liverpool it can be alarming. Witness the Champions League final in Kiev, after Salah withdrew with injury after half an hour, and belief seemed to wheeze from the rest of the team.
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Read more:
Premier League predictions: Liverpool beat Man City to go top
Jurgen Klopp: Liverpool must not used tiredness as an excuse against Man City
WATCH: Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool 'not good enough' in defeat to Napoli
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It would be a vast over-reaction to judge their having lost their drive and their pizzazz at just the wrong time in this young campaign. But form has dipped. Liverpool are on a run of three matches - including one in the League Cup, which is no priority - without a victory, and the defeat at Napoli in midweek was characterised by an unusual bluntness in attack. In Naples, the Fab Three became a Phantom Three.
Klopp, who is encouraged by the lively showings lately of his standby attackers, like Daniel Sturridge and Xherdan Shaqiri, is not ready to diagnose the decline of the Salah-Mane-Firmino trident, or cite as an alibi their possible fatigue from a combination of the high-energy style of their club football and a summer taken up by World Cup finals commitments with Egypt, Senegal and Brazil respectively.
Nor is Klopp preparing put his three musketeers into a remedial programme. “Every striker could write a book about the moments when you score without knowing how it works,” said the manager, reflecting on the 1-0 loss at Napoli. “I work with people, and they drop form usually much more often than these boys have so far.”
Sunday would certainly be the moment to regain it.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
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
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
All you need to know about Formula E in Saudi Arabia
What The Saudia Ad Diriyah E-Prix
When Saturday
Where Diriyah in Saudi Arabia
What time Qualifying takes place from 11.50am UAE time through until the Super Pole session, which is due to end at 12.55pm. The race, which will last for 45 minutes, starts at 4.05pm.
Who is competing There are 22 drivers, from 11 teams, on the grid, with each vehicle run solely on electronic power.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The years Ramadan fell in May
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
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
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
City's slump
L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1
TALE OF THE TAPE
Manny Pacquiao
Record: 59-6-2 (38 KOs)
Age: 38
Weight: 146lbs
Height: 166cm
Reach: 170cm
Jeff Horn
Record: 16-0-1 (11 KOs)
Age: 29
Weight: 146.2lbs
Height: 175cm
Reach: 173cm
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
SRI LANKS ODI SQUAD
Perera (capt), Mendis, Gunathilaka, de Silva, Nissanka, Shanaka, Bandara, Hasaranga, Udana, Dananjaya, Dickwella, Chameera, Mendis, Fernando, Sandakan, Karunaratne, Fernando, Fernando.
The five pillars of Islam
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: ten-speed
Power: 420bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: Dh325,125
On sale: Now
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
From Conquest to Deportation
Jeronim Perovic, Hurst
Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills