For the manager of Manchester City, an exhilarating tunnel of successive wins is about to turn into a hall of mirrors.
If City keep extending the run of 21 victories, the latest the 4-1 defeat of Wolverhampton Wanderers, Pep Guardiola will glimpse reflections of his past at every milestone.
Win Sunday’s derby and Guardiola will not only inflict a decisive wound on Manchester United’s dwindling Premier League title hopes, but also dent the pride of an eternal rival.
Twenty-two successive triumphs is a modern landmark set by Real Madrid in 2014-15 and, until last year, represented the best run of a club in the top five European leagues. Anything that eclipses a Madrid achievement has a special resonance for a born-and-bred Barcelonista like Guardiola.
Should City follow up three points at home to United with another three against Southampton, Guardiola, formerly manager at Bayern Munich, will draw level with a Bayern milestone – the 23 wins the German Treble-winners compiled in 2019-20. Also on the horizon are longer-standing records associated with two major influences on Guardiola’s career, Louis Van Gaal and Johan Cruyff.
Guardiola says he pays little attention to records that do not come accompanied with trophies, but, speaking ahead of the victory over Wolves, he namechecked Madrid’s famous run. It was built by a Real who then held the European Cup, having brushed aside Guardiola’s Bayern brutally – 5-0 on aggregate in the semi-final – on the way to that prize.
The following season the Madrid machine, guided by Carlo Ancelotti, clicked into top gear as they began the defence of their European prize, with a 5-1 win against Basel; 22 victories later, they were lifting the Club World Cup.
There are points of comparison with City’s current dominance. Madrid had actually made a very poor start to 2014-15, winning just one and losing three of their first five domestic matches.
Surreal though it now seems, Guardiola’s English champions-elect are bouncing back from City’s worst start to a league season for 12 years. Like Madrid six years ago, City are confronting a condensed calendar.
As European champions and Copa del Rey holders, Ancelotti’s squad had the extra commitment of two Super Cups and the Club World Cup. City, still in both domestic Cups and the Champions League, are tackling a packed fixture list because the pandemic delayed the start to the season.
Ancelotti’s Madrid squad, like City’s, had enviable options across the attacking and creative positions. Toni Kroos and James Rodriguez, stars of the 2014 World Cup, had just joined. There was the so-called ‘BBC’ up front, B for [Gareth] Bale, B for [Karim] Benzema, C for Cristiano [Ronaldo].
But here’s the striking distinction between Ancelotti’s unstoppables and Guardiola’s juggernaut – the role of the spearhead striker. Ronaldo scored 28 times in those 22 matches, “a huge advantage for us,” Ancelotti acknowledged.
__________________________________________________________________
City 4 Wolves 1: player ratings
__________________________________________________________________
The most potent goalscorer in City’s squad, Sergio Aguero, has scarcely featured because of injury and illness since City drew against West Bromwich Albion in December. He has no goals in the 21-match sequence in which 15 different City players have registered on the scoresheet.
Bayern’s win rush of last season, had a top-of-his-form Robert Lewadowski leading the line. The Pole struck 21 goals in the 23 victories. City’s leading scorer in the last 21 matches? Ilkay Gundogan, with 10, a midfielder who has spent much of his career at the club as the deepest-lying player of the front six.
Aguero, who made his first start of 2021 against West Ham United last weekend, should have an opportunity to get among the goals soon, with City about to be in action four times in ten days.
If they win all those fixtures, they will match Ajax’s 25-game chain of victories in 1995. Van Gaal’s celebrated young Ajax won the Champions League within that run. The eventual reward for the Dutch coach was a move to Barcelona, where Guardiola was captain.
Van Gaal’s 25 wins fell one shot of establishing an Ajax record, set by the European champions of 1971-72, their figurehead the brilliant Cruyff. Ajax’s ‘Total Football’ 26-victory sequence is the long-standing high bar for elite, top-division European football.
If City overtake it, it will resonate with City’s manager because of Cruyff, who as a coach launched Guardiola’s senior playing career at Barcelona and schooled him in many of his core principles.
Cruyff used to warn that winning momentum, however sustained, can seem very brittle when it stalls. Take the record-setting Real Madrid of 2014-15. They ended that season second in La Liga, dethroned in Europe, out of the domestic Cup before the quarters, and with Ancelotti sacked.
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
The view from The National
U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES
UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
Saturday 15 January: v Canada
Thursday 20 January: v England
Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh
UAE squad
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly, Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya Shetty, Kai Smith
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
Mina Cup winners
Under 12 – Minerva Academy
Under 14 – Unam Pumas
Under 16 – Fursan Hispania
Under 18 – Madenat
Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
Scorecard
Scotland 220
K Coetzer 95, J Siddique 3-49, R Mustafa 3-35
UAE 224-3 in 43,5 overs
C Suri 67, B Hameed 63 not out
Hotel Silence
Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
Pushkin Press
Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
RESULTS
1.45pm: Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winners: Hyde Park, Royston Ffrench (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)
2.15pm: Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Shamikh, Ryan Curatolo, Nicholas Bachalard
2.45pm: Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Hurry Up, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
3.15pm: Shadwell Jebel Ali Mile Group 3 (TB) Dh575,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Blown by Wind, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer
3.45pm: Handicap (TB) Dh72,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Mazagran, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
4.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh64,000 (D) 1,950m
Winner: Obeyaan, Adrie de Vries, Mujeeb Rehman
4.45pm: Handicap (TB) Dh84,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Shanaghai City, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly.
The years Ramadan fell in May
The specs: 2019 Jeep Wrangler
Price, base: Dh132,000
Engine: 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 285hp @ 6,400rpm
Torque: 347Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.6L to 10.3L / 100km
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 five new places of worship
Church of South Indian Parish
St Andrew's Church Mussaffah branch
St Andrew's Church Al Ain branch
St John's Baptist Church, Ruwais
Church of the Virgin Mary and St Paul the Apostle, Ruwais
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPowertrain%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle%20electric%20motor%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E201hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E310Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E53kWh%20lithium-ion%20battery%20pack%20(GS%20base%20model)%3B%2070kWh%20battery%20pack%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETouring%20range%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E350km%20(GS)%3B%20480km%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh129%2C900%20(GS)%3B%20Dh149%2C000%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
LIVING IN...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Last-16
France 4
Griezmann (13' pen), Pavard (57'), Mbappe (64', 68')
Argentina 3
Di Maria (41'), Mercado (48'), Aguero (90 3')