The summit meetings are often presented as the clashes of the classy, the rivalries between the remarkable. They are full of irresistible forces against immovable objects. Sometimes, however, they are something else altogether.
And so it is on Sunday that Chelsea’s blunt attack meets a Liverpool defence with fewer clean sheets than relegation-threatened sides such as Norwich City and West Ham United. The difference, perhaps, is that one has had its failings advertised while the other’s have been camouflaged.
Perhaps it is an exercise in blame deflection, but Jose Mourinho has complained about the lack of goals Demba Ba, Samuel Eto’o and the £50 million former Liverpool forward Fernando Torres have delivered; just five in the league.
In contrast, Brendan Rodgers’ comments have been less acerbic. Concessions of goals have frustrated him but, as they have not cost Liverpool too many points, they have been a footnote.
Until a pivotal few days, perhaps. Liverpool’s performance at Manchester City on Thursday provided a paradox. In restricting Manuel Pellegrini’s free-scoring side to two goals at home, they emulated the season’s best display statistically.
Only Hull City had been as frugal at the Etihad Stadium. And yet the manner of their defending nonetheless invited questions if Liverpool have the personnel – and if Rodgers is selecting them – at the back to realise their ambitions.
Martin Skrtel was culpable when Vincent Kompany headed City’s equaliser. The Slovakian has been a common denominator in setbacks. He was at fault for Hull’s second and third goals in a hapless display at the KC Stadium.
For a supposedly dominant centre-back, he has struggled at set pieces. He was at fault when Newcastle United’s Paul Dummett scored in October’s draw.
Mamadou Sakho has not been directly responsible for as many goals yet represents a greater concern in some respects. The Frenchman is the most expensive central defender in Liverpool’s history, a powerful, cumbersome figure. For a Rodgers signing, he has a strangely poor first touch that threatens to get him into trouble.
The £16 million (Dh96.7 million) Frenchman may represent an example of a signing that creates as many problems as it solves. Because left-footed central defenders are at a premium, they rarely have to play anywhere else.
Liverpool already possessed one of the most stylish around in Daniel Agger. When the one-footed Sakho arrived, it presented a straight choice between the costliest and the classiest defenders. Rodgers has opted for the former, lending weight to the theory Agger is unsettled. Napoli have attempted to take the Dane on loan.
Factor in Kolo Toure, the summer signing whose character and commitment have made him a popular figure at Anfield, and Rodgers has four central defenders of a roughly similar standard but with very different attributes.
It is the sort of situation that might suit a manager in another position. In the middle of the defence, however, continuity and understanding outweigh the reasons for squad rotation.
An uneasy attempt at compromise backfired in September’s defeat to Southampton when Rodgers selected all four central defenders, playing Toure and Sakho as full-backs. A centre-back scored the winner that day, too: the visitors’s Dejan Lovren.
Since then, Rodgers has decided that four into two or three will not go. His tactical changes have often been successful, just as there are indications his coaching has brought benefits to many of the younger members of Liverpool’s squad.
Aided by Luis Suarez’s extraordinary goalscoring run, they have become prolific and, until he allowed Alvaro Negredo’s Thursday winner to squirm through his hands, Simon Mignolet had been a paragon of reliability in goal. The goalkeeper has obscured some of the uncertainty in front of him.
Yet while their defensive record remains respectable and while their last trip to London brought a 5-0 demolition of Tottenham Hotspur, the suspicion remains that Liverpool have a soft underbelly. This would be an appropriate time to answer those charges.
Although, as Torres has never scored against his former club, perhaps Chelsea’s attacking impotence will be the telling factor when the resistible object meets the movable force.
sports@thenational.ae
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.”
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes.
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com
MATCH INFO
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
Juliot Vinolia’s checklist for adopting alternate-day fasting
- Don’t do it more than once in three days
- Don’t go under 700 calories on fasting days
- Ensure there is sufficient water intake, as the body can go in dehydration mode
- Ensure there is enough roughage (fibre) in the food on fasting days as well
- Do not binge on processed or fatty foods on non-fasting days
- Complement fasting with plant-based foods, fruits, vegetables, seafood. Cut out processed meats and processed carbohydrates
- Manage your sleep
- People with existing gastric or mental health issues should avoid fasting
- Do not fast for prolonged periods without supervision by a qualified expert
More coverage from the Future Forum
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh132,000 (Countryman)
The biog
Nickname: Mama Nadia to children, staff and parents
Education: Bachelors degree in English Literature with Social work from UAE University
As a child: Kept sweets on the window sill for workers, set aside money to pay for education of needy families
Holidays: Spends most of her days off at Senses often with her family who describe the centre as part of their life too
