It was a couple of weeks ago. Jose Mourinho was complaining he did not get enough credit.
He was listing the major teams Manchester United have beaten: Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City. It was before his side defeated Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup semi-final, too. Before, in all probability, they overcome a weakened Arsenal on Sunday.
A touchy Mourinho may feel deprived of praise again. It is being divided between Pep Guardiola, for winning the title in potentially record-breaking fashion, Jurgen Klopp, seemingly on the brink of reaching the Uefa Champions League final, and Arsene Wenger, for the achievements of a managerial lifetime.
Mourinho is accustomed to leading-man status. Others’ exploits mean United’s renaissance against their peers has been demoted to a subplot in the story of the season. It is a pronounced change nevertheless.
Last season, United won just two of their 10 league games against the rest of the big six. This season, they have defeated each of the others. Take three points against what will almost certainly be a weakened Arsenal team and they will have 19 from a possible 30 against the elite, even before factoring in their FA Cup triumph against Spurs.
In Mourinho’s debut campaign at Old Trafford, they procured just 10 from 30.
Once again, United can rue their neighbours’ excellence. City have completed their campaign against the best. Like United, they only mustered two victories last year. Now they have eight and a healthy haul of 24 points.
United’s improvement can be attributed to various factors. One is that last season was an outlier.
Mourinho’s big-game record has tended to be altogether better over the years. Perhaps this slump, rather than an indication of decline, was simply the exception to the norm and a typically fine home record, in particular, is a reversion to it.
End-of-campaign defeats to Arsenal and Spurs came when Mourinho was focusing on the Europa League. Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, United's champion players, made comparatively few appearances in the biggest games.
It helps, too, that United have improved, as Mourinho’s sides tend to do in his second seasons when he has more of his signings. One of those recruits is a case in point.
Alexis Sanchez has delivered less than may have been expected in many matches, but was a catalyst in the comebacks against City and Tottenham. Pogba produced a huge performance in the second half at the Etihad Stadium.
David de Gea, with 14 saves away at Arsenal and a brilliant stop at City, is another superstar to deliver. The homegrown Jesse Lingard’s capacity to score in major matches means he is a cheaper contributor.
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Read more
Richard Jolly: Mourinho's attempts at meritocracy hard to action with Man United's transfer policy
Andy Mitten: Why Manchester United supporters have reasons to feel upbeat about next season
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United have started quickly at times and shown the wherewithal to come from behind at others.
If Mourinho wants credit, there are times he should be afforded it: for playing a back three at home to Spurs and away at Arsenal, for bringing on Lingard against Chelsea and isolating Romelu Lukaku against Dejan Lovren when Liverpool visited Old Trafford.
There have been other missteps, such as choosing Pogba in a midfield duo away at Spurs and, in any analysis of United's big-game efforts, it is impossible to ignore their wretched Champions League exit to Sevilla.
There are legitimate questions if United are constrained by caution at times, operating in a straitjacket.
Ludicrously, Mourinho’s teams had only scored one goal in 10 away games at big-six rivals. Then, in different fashion, they struck three times each at Arsenal and City. In both, they conceded too many chances for a classic Mourinho team, just as United have not reached the heights the Portuguese’s best sides scaled.
Yet advances have been made, as Mourinho hopes others will point out.
if you go
The flights
Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes.
When to visit
March-May and September-November
Visas
Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
$1,000 award for 1,000 days on madrasa portal
Daily cash awards of $1,000 dollars will sweeten the Madrasa e-learning project by tempting more pupils to an education portal to deepen their understanding of math and sciences.
School children are required to watch an educational video each day and answer a question related to it. They then enter into a raffle draw for the $1,000 prize.
“We are targeting everyone who wants to learn. This will be $1,000 for 1,000 days so there will be a winner every day for 1,000 days,” said Sara Al Nuaimi, project manager of the Madrasa e-learning platform that was launched on Tuesday by the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to reach Arab pupils from kindergarten to grade 12 with educational videos.
“The objective of the Madrasa is to become the number one reference for all Arab students in the world. The 5,000 videos we have online is just the beginning, we have big ambitions. Today in the Arab world there are 50 million students. We want to reach everyone who is willing to learn.”
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
match info
Southampton 2 (Ings 32' & pen 89') Tottenham Hotspur 5 (Son 45', 47', 64', & 73', Kane 82')
Man of the match Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
Essentials
The flights
Etihad (etihad.ae) and flydubai (flydubai.com) fly direct to Baku three times a week from Dh1,250 return, including taxes.
The stay
A seven-night “Fundamental Detox” programme at the Chenot Palace (chenotpalace.com/en) costs from €3,000 (Dh13,197) per person, including taxes, accommodation, 3 medical consultations, 2 nutritional consultations, a detox diet, a body composition analysis, a bio-energetic check-up, four Chenot bio-energetic treatments, six Chenot energetic massages, six hydro-aromatherapy treatments, six phyto-mud treatments, six hydro-jet treatments and access to the gym, indoor pool, sauna and steam room. Additional tests and treatments cost extra.
Company info
Company name: Entrupy
Co-founders: Vidyuth Srinivasan, co-founder/chief executive, Ashlesh Sharma, co-founder/chief technology officer, Lakshmi Subramanian, co-founder/chief scientist
Based: New York, New York
Sector/About: Entrupy is a hardware-enabled SaaS company whose mission is to protect businesses, borders and consumers from transactions involving counterfeit goods.
Initial investment/Investors: Entrupy secured a $2.6m Series A funding round in 2017. The round was led by Tokyo-based Digital Garage and Daiwa Securities Group's jointly established venture arm, DG Lab Fund I Investment Limited Partnership, along with Zach Coelius.
Total customers: Entrupy’s customers include hundreds of secondary resellers, marketplaces and other retail organisations around the world. They are also testing with shipping companies as well as customs agencies to stop fake items from reaching the market in the first place.
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Eyasses squad
Charlie Preston (captain) – goal shooter/ goalkeeper (Dubai College)
Arushi Holt (vice-captain) – wing defence / centre (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Olivia Petricola (vice-captain) – centre / wing attack (Dubai English Speaking College)
Isabel Affley – goalkeeper / goal defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Jemma Eley – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Alana Farrell-Morton – centre / wing / defence / wing attack (Nord Anglia International School)
Molly Fuller – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Caitlin Gowdy – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Noorulain Hussain – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai College)
Zahra Hussain-Gillani – goal defence / goalkeeper (British School Al Khubairat)
Claire Janssen – goal shooter / goal attack (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Eliza Petricola – wing attack / centre (Dubai English Speaking College)
The six points:
1. Ministers should be in the field, instead of always at conferences
2. Foreign diplomacy must be left to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation
3. Emiratisation is a top priority that will have a renewed push behind it
4. The UAE's economy must continue to thrive and grow
5. Complaints from the public must be addressed, not avoided
6. Have hope for the future, what is yet to come is bigger and better than before
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
