Barcelona manager Luis Enrique insists he will only be satisfied once his side have delivered another La Liga title after equalling a Spanish record by stretching their unbeaten run to 34 games.
Barca were forced to come from behind against Sevilla on Sunday as a brilliant Lionel Messi free-kick and Gerard Pique's winner overcame Vitolo's early strike for the visitors.
Victory restored Barca's eight-point lead over Atletico Madrid at the top of the table with Real Madrid now 12 points adrift after losing 1-0 to Atletico on Saturday.
And it is Madrid’s record of 34 games unbeaten from the 1988/89 season which will fall if Barca avoid defeat at Rayo Vallecano on Thursday.
“The record tells me nothing. If we win titles then fine, but if not it doesn’t tell me a thing,” said Luis Enrique.
Read more: Neymar to Suarez to Neymar to Messi – Barca brilliance too much for all comers, writes Greg Lea
Also see: Cristiano Ronaldo after Madrid derby loss – 'If we were all at my lvel, maybe we would be leaders'
“We have wanted to retain the title since the first day of the season. That is the primary objective and we are in better position.
“Now we need to win the points necessary to be champions.”
Barca have been far from their brilliant best in many of their recent league games with fatigue starting to set in from an already gruelling campaign of 46 games across six competitions.
However, Pique highlighted their resolve to put themselves on the brink of a sixth league title in eight years.
“We have suffered against Las Palmas, Malaga and other matches, but we have managed to win the games,” said the Spanish international.
“I think you win leagues like that if you can suffer and continue to win.”
Sevilla have consistently caused Barca trouble in three games so far this season.
The European champions edged a thrilling Uefa Super Cup 5-4 in Tbilisi after extra time in their first game of the campaign before Sevilla inflicted Barca's last defeat in all competitions back in October.
“I think they are the opponents who play us best,” added Luis Enrique.
The sides will meet for a final time in the Copa del Rey final on May 22 and Sevilla manager Unai Emery admitted his team need to be almost perfect to lift the cup at the Vicente Calderon.
“You have to get the fine details right to get close to them,” he said.
“We created chances and defended well when they started to pass the ball, but to beat Barcelona you need a little bit more because we are possibly talking about the best team in the world.
“There is a fourth game to go this season in the Copa del Rey final and we need to take that extra little step.”
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The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK
Ministry of Interior
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General Intelligence Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Agency
Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
Army Supply Bureau
General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
Cham Press TV
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
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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.”
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Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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
Nick's journey in numbers
Countries so far: 85
Flights: 149
Steps: 3.78 million
Calories: 220,000
Floors climbed: 2,000
Donations: GPB37,300
Prostate checks: 5
Blisters: 15
Bumps on the head: 2
Dog bites: 1
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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.
