• Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looks dejected after the defeat at Istanbul Basaksehir. Reuters
    Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looks dejected after the defeat at Istanbul Basaksehir. Reuters
  • Istanbul Basaksehir players celebrate after Demba Ba scores his side's opening goal. AP
    Istanbul Basaksehir players celebrate after Demba Ba scores his side's opening goal. AP
  • Basaksehir's Demba Ba celebrates scoring their first goal. Reuters
    Basaksehir's Demba Ba celebrates scoring their first goal. Reuters
  • Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Henderson is beaten by Edin Visca for the second goal. AP
    Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Henderson is beaten by Edin Visca for the second goal. AP
  • Basaksehir's Edin Visca celebrates with his teammates after scoring his side's second goal. AP
    Basaksehir's Edin Visca celebrates with his teammates after scoring his side's second goal. AP
  • Manchester United forward Anthony Martial celebrates scoring. AFP
    Manchester United forward Anthony Martial celebrates scoring. AFP
  • Edinson Cavani of Manchester United goes down injured. Getty
    Edinson Cavani of Manchester United goes down injured. Getty
  • Anthony Martial of Manchester United during the match. Getty
    Anthony Martial of Manchester United during the match. Getty
  • Coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer shakes hands with Nemanja Maticat. AFP
    Coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer shakes hands with Nemanja Maticat. AFP
  • Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes reacts. AFP
    Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes reacts. AFP
  • Istanbul Basaksehir players celebrates at the whistle. AFP
    Istanbul Basaksehir players celebrates at the whistle. AFP
  • Alexandru Epureanu of Istanbul Basaksehir FK clears the ball off of the line. Getty
    Alexandru Epureanu of Istanbul Basaksehir FK clears the ball off of the line. Getty
  • Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes, left, and Manchester United's Edinson Cavani walk in dejection at the end of the game. AP
    Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes, left, and Manchester United's Edinson Cavani walk in dejection at the end of the game. AP
  • Istanbul Basaksehir's Serbian midfielder Danijel Aleksic celebrates at the end of the match. AFP
    Istanbul Basaksehir's Serbian midfielder Danijel Aleksic celebrates at the end of the match. AFP

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer criticises 'unforgivable' defending after Basaksehir shock


  • English
  • Arabic

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer blasted "unforgivable" defending from his hapless side as they slumped to an embarrassing 2-1 Champions League defeat against Istanbul Basaksehir.

United started the game as firm favourites after an impressive win against Paris Saint-Germain and a 5-0 humbling of RB Leipzig.

But defeat in Turkey - a first-ever Champions League group-stage win for Basaksehir - heaps the pressure on the Norwegian boss, whose side looked short of inspiration and basic defensive nous in Istanbul.

The three-time European champions were badly exposed on the break as former Chelsea forward Demba Ba and Edin Visca gave the home team a two-goal cushion.

United gave themselves hope when they reduced the deficit shortly before half-time through an Anthony Martial header.

But despite multiple second-half changes and an array of attacking talent, Solskjaer's lacklustre team could not find a way past the organised Basaksehir defence.

Solskjaer said the performance against the hard-working Turkish side was not good enough.

"They scored two goals like you do in Europe when you do not defend well enough," he said.

"The first one is that we play a short corner and forget about the man up top. That is unforgivable. The second one as well, we are not very well organised to counter the press.

"You don't turn up and get three points in the Champions League," he added. "They are a team well organised and we were not good enough. That is it."

United, who have made a poor start to the Premier League season with three losses in their first six games, played poorly in the first half and although they showed greater urgency after the interval, they only managed one more effort on target.

Solskjaer sent on Paul Pogba and Edinson Cavani as substitutes and in stoppage time Alexandru Epureanu brilliantly cleared off the line to prevent an own goal as United's 18-match unbeaten away run in all competitions ended.

"We hoped we had enough to create chances, we just didn't. Emotions don't matter - when you lose, well you can think to yourself how we feel after we lose, that's not something we go out to do," Solskjaer said.

United appeared to have turned the corner after their 6-1 mauling by Tottenham last month but they have now suffered consecutive defeats to Arsenal and Basaksehir.

"They (two losses) have set us back a lot," said Solskjaer, whose team travel to Everton on Saturday. "You get a reality check every time you play a game of football."

Farage on Muslim Brotherhood

Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.

Classification of skills

A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation. 

A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.

The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000. 

Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh590,000

THE SIXTH SENSE

Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Rating: 5/5

The National Archives, Abu Dhabi

Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.

Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en

FIXTURES (all times UAE)

Sunday
Brescia v Lazio (3.30pm)
SPAL v Verona (6pm)
Genoa v Sassuolo (9pm)
AS Roma v Torino (11.45pm)

Monday
Bologna v Fiorentina (3.30pm)
AC Milan v Sampdoria (6pm)
Juventus v Cagliari (6pm)
Atalanta v Parma (6pm)
Lecce v Udinese (9pm)
Napoli v Inter Milan (11.45pm)

The alternatives

• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.

• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.

• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.

2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.

• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases -  but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.

The drill

Recharge as needed, says Mat Dryden: “We try to make it a rule that every two to three months, even if it’s for four days, we get away, get some time together, recharge, refresh.” The couple take an hour a day to check into their businesses and that’s it.

Stick to the schedule, says Mike Addo: “We have an entire wall known as ‘The Lab,’ covered with colour-coded Post-it notes dedicated to our joint weekly planner, content board, marketing strategy, trends, ideas and upcoming meetings.”

Be a team, suggests Addo: “When training together, you have to trust in each other’s abilities. Otherwise working out together very quickly becomes one person training the other.”

Pull your weight, says Thuymi Do: “To do what we do, there definitely can be no lazy member of the team.” 

Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

Available: Now

Defending champions

World Series: South Africa
Women’s World Series: Australia
Gulf Men’s League: Dubai Exiles
Gulf Men’s Social: Mediclinic Barrelhouse Warriors
Gulf Vets: Jebel Ali Dragons Veterans
Gulf Women: Dubai Sports City Eagles
Gulf Under 19: British School Al Khubairat
Gulf Under 19 Girls: Dubai Exiles
UAE National Schools: Al Safa School
International Invitational: Speranza 22
International Vets: Joining Jack

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

Reading List

Practitioners of mindful eating recommend the following books to get you started:

Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life by Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr Lilian Cheung

How to Eat by Thich Nhat Hanh

The Mindful Diet by Dr Ruth Wolever

Mindful Eating by Dr Jan Bays

How to Raise a Mindful Eaterby Maryann Jacobsen

The Settlers

Director: Louis Theroux

Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz

Rating: 5/5

The specs

Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors

Power: 480kW

Torque: 850Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)

On sale: Now