MANCHESTER // Manuel Pellegrini has defended his record at Manchester City as he prepares to leave the club.
Pellegrini will take charge of City for the last time on Sunday as they travel to Swansea City for their final Premier League game of the season.
Pellegrini has won three trophies in his three years in charge, including the Premier League title in 2014, but form in his last season has been inconsistent and a Uefa Champions League place for the 2016/17 campaign has not yet been secured.
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But when asked at his final pre-match news conference Thursday how he felt about his time at the club, the 62-year-old Chilean spoke proudly about his achievements during his time in Manchester.
Pellegrini said: “If we make a summary of the three seasons I was in charge here, we were the team that had more points, we were the team that had better performances as a manager, we were the team that in the three seasons we always scored the most goals.
“The only thing that we couldn’t be the best at is our defence – that was Chelsea, they conceded just four fewer goals than our team – but the goal difference is huge between us and all the other teams.”
Pellegrini believed that his City side had played entertaining football consistently throughout his tenure in charge, and that was a source of pride to him as he prepares to move on.
“During the three seasons, the fans always tell me that they enjoy our games,” he added.
“Of course, it’s impossible to play all the games well, but I think the amount of goals we scored in the three seasons, I think it’s 50 or 60 more than any other team, so I think that’s an entertaining team, and a team that wins titles and one that has progressed in the Champions League.
“It’s about a style, and for me it’s important to be the highest-scoring team for three seasons, to be always in the Champions League and to win three titles.”
Since Pellegrini took charge in 2013, City have accrued more points than their rivals, with Arsenal’s 222 the closest to their haul of 230.
They have scored 255 goals, 40 better than next best Liverpool, and conceded 115, a figure bettered only by Chelsea (111), Arsenal (113) and Manchester United (114).
“I’m happy, but I think you must always think you can do better,” Pellegrini said.
Following Manchester United’s loss at West Ham United in midweek, City are now in charge of their own destiny as they seek to secure a top-four finish.
Because of their superior goal difference, realistically they only need a point against Swansea. Achieving that would be Pellegrini’s parting gift to Pep Guardiola, who takes over in the summer after he finishes his commitments with current employers Bayern Munich
Asked how he would like to be remembered, Pellegrini said: “For a team that always wanted to play good football, to always try to score, not just trying to get a result and when you score a goal, the game is finished.
“We have always been in the Champions League spots for 37 games, so I think we deserve to be there, and we played very well against Arsenal, so I think we deserve to qualify.”
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
The biog
Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia
Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins
Favourite dish: Grilled fish
Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.
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COMPANY PROFILE
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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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Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
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Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
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What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
