Louis van Gaal was at his bluntest.
"You live in the past," he told his questioner. "You need to live in the present." But it will be a historic occasion when Manchester United face Liverpool in Europe for the first time. These clubs have a history that is unrivalled by any of their English opponents.
Yet the very fact that they meet in the Europa League, rather than the Uefa Champions League, is an indication of underachievement. Between them, the bitter enemies have won eight European Cups and 38 English league titles. Now United are sixth and Liverpool seventh. It is possible that this will be the first season since 1963 when neither will even finish in the top five.
It is a moot point if United have declined on Van Gaal’s watch. Certainly they have not performed as expected. He shrugged off their success under Alex Ferguson and Liverpool’s prowess over the previous two decades in one sentence.
“It is not normal that one team is dominating for 20 years as champions,” he said.
Poll: Man United or Liverpool – which team will progress to the Europa League quarter-finals?
Perhaps not, but Van Gaal is being naive if he thinks he should not be judged by the standards of the recent past. Ferguson famously knocked Liverpool off their perch, to borrow his phrase, supplanting them as the major force in England and overhauling their longstanding record of 18 league titles.
Now the eventual prize, given the reward on offer for winning the Europa League, may be a Champions League place, not the status as champions of England.
“It is always a big game traditionally and historically,” Van Gaal said, showing a greater appreciation of the past. “Especially because both sides fight for the Champions League position so it’s a big game for both sides.”
Comparisons with the past have rarely flattered Van Gaal. He has failed to uphold many a tradition at United. In one respect, however, he has met every expectation. He has faced Liverpool four times and won on each. No United manager – not Ferguson, not Sir Matt Busby – has triumphed in each of his first five encounters.
“It is curious Manchester United has beaten Liverpool so many times in my period but it is also for good for me because when I beat teams like Liverpool the appreciation of the fans for me is bigger so I hope we shall beat them for the fifth time and the sixth time,” said the Dutchman, whose reign has produced a host of negative statistics. “Now then I am also in the [history] books with a positive record.”
More Man United news: From brink of sack to verge of top four: Clouds parting for Louis van Gaal
His dispassionate approach has not always endeared him to the United faithful. His record suggests it is an advantage in this fixture.
“Several people are thinking they are the enemy,” he said. “I am not thinking like that. I am thinking they are an opponent.”
But it is the game that matters most in the country where, Van Gaal believes, football matters most.
“I think football in England is very deep in the lives of the people,” the former Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager said. “I have noticed that also in Spain and Germany but it is less than here. It is fantastic to see that. You can see the heart of the club. That is nice for the players but also nice for the manager.”
It promises to be a febrile atmosphere at Anfield. United won 1-0 there in January but Wayne Rooney, the scorer then, is injured. Jesse Lingard is suspended but Bastian Schweinsteiger and Antonio Valencia are on the way back and the Ecuadorian could be on the bench.
Van Gaal pledged to pick his strongest team but, given United’s injury list, youngsters are set to feature. That faith in youth brings another welcome echo of the happier days. As Van Gaal ought to know, history is never irrelevant when United and Liverpool meet. Especially when he has a chance to make it.
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Fanney Khan
Producer: T-Series, Anil Kapoor Productions, ROMP, Prerna Arora
Director: Atul Manjrekar
Cast: Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai, Rajkummar Rao, Pihu Sand
Rating: 2/5
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The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
Company Profile
Founders: Tamara Hachem and Yazid Erman
Based: Dubai
Launched: September 2019
Sector: health technology
Stage: seed
Investors: Oman Technology Fund, angel investor and grants from Sharjah's Sheraa and Ma'an Abu Dhabi
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
'Tell the Machine Goodnight' by Katie Williams
Penguin Randomhouse
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
The specs: 2017 Porsche 718 Cayman
Price, base / as tested Dh222,500 / Dh296,870
Engine 2.0L, flat four-cylinder
Transmission Seven-speed PDK
Power 300hp @ 6,500rpm
Torque 380hp @ 1,950rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.9L / 100km
More on Quran memorisation:
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Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
Company%20profile%20
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Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
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