The problem with sportsmen setting astronomically high standards is that the moment they slip below that level, they become better known for their apparent failure rather than their prior achievements.
Take Liverpool's Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah. It's a big ask for him to repeat his 43-goal feat of last season, but the critics have jumped on his minor spell of goal-less activity in the opening months of the new campaign. The 26-year-old has gone from record breaker to one-season wonder.
But has Salah's start to this season been that bad? Or do we expect his previous scoring streaks to be the norm going forwards in an era when Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have shown the way for goalscoring longevity.
Certainly, Salah failed to cover himself in glory during Liverpool's first half a dozen fixtures this season. A closer look at the statistics however reveal that his numbers are now very close to where he was at this time last year.
In the past week, he has scored the winning goal against Huddersfield in the Premier League, two goals in the Champions League against Red Star and another in the league in the 4-1 demolition of Cardiff City on Saturday.
These came on the back of a four-match goal-less streak - the longest of his Liverpool career - though he has reached his half-century quicker than any other player in Liverpool history after just 65 appearances for the Reds, and now has 22 in his last 19 matches at Anfield.
Fourteen matches into the season, Salah has seven goals to his name - five in the Premier League and two in the Champions League.
At this point last season, he had nine in total - five in the Premier League and four in the Champions League, so the league golden boot winner shouldn't be written off just yet.
Meanwhile, suggestions that his radar is malfunctioning also appear wide of the mark. Yes, he has missed some chances in recent weeks which a player of his high standards would expect to score. However, his shooting accuracy in the league is at 43 per cent compared to 47 per cent across the 2017/18 season. A marginal drop.
Another statistic worth looking at is what the Premier League classes as "big missed chances". Salah had 23 of these in 36 appearances last season - that's 0.64 per game. This time around he is averaging 0.6 per game having missed six from 10 matches.
Furthermore, Salah is averaging more passes per match - 28.70 compared to 26.28 last season, and his average of "big chances created" is at 0.4 per match compared to 0.33 last season, plus he's contributed three assists in the opening 10 league fixtures compared to 10 in the league across last season. So, it's not like he's gone missing on the pitch.
Part of Salah's perceived loss of form could be attributed to his demeanour. The smile has often been replaced by a sullen expression, while goals have been welcomed without wild celebration.
But put into context, there has been no crisis. He has scored as many goals as Ronaldo has for Juventus this season, and the same number as Tottenham's ever-prolific Harry Kane.
Having played for Egypt at the World Cup in the summer, Salah isn't alone in taking some time to find his best form. Kane has also had questions asked about his sharpness, though like Salah, he is still finding the net.
The mighty haven't fallen just yet. The one-season wonder tag can be put to bed, for now.
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Read more:
Possession is nine tenths Liverpool's as Mohamed Salah plays role of scorer and creator in Cardiff destruction
Mo Salah wins Fifa Puskas Award for best goal - but was it really better than Ronaldo and Bale's overhead kicks?
Will Mohamed Salah be a one-season wonder?
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
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The Florida Project
Director: Sean Baker
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The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
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- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ferrari
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%3Cp%3EDavid%20White%20might%20be%20new%20to%20the%20country%2C%20but%20he%20has%20clearly%20already%20built%20up%20an%20affinity%20with%20the%20place.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EAfter%20the%20UAE%20shocked%20Pakistan%20in%20the%20semi-final%20of%20the%20Under%2019%20Asia%20Cup%20last%20month%2C%20White%20was%20hugged%20on%20the%20field%20by%20Aayan%20Khan%2C%20the%20team%E2%80%99s%20captain.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EWhite%20suggests%20that%20was%20more%20a%20sign%20of%20Aayan%E2%80%99s%20amiability%20than%20anything%20else.%20But%20he%20believes%20the%20young%20all-rounder%2C%20who%20was%20part%20of%20the%20winning%20Gulf%20Giants%20team%20last%20year%2C%20is%20just%20the%20sort%20of%20player%20the%20country%20should%20be%20seeking%20to%20produce%20via%20the%20ILT20.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CHe%20is%20a%20delightful%20young%20man%2C%E2%80%9D%20White%20said.%20%E2%80%9CHe%20played%20in%20the%20competition%20last%20year%20at%2017%2C%20and%20look%20at%20his%20development%20from%20there%20till%20now%2C%20and%20where%20he%20is%20representing%20the%20UAE.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CHe%20was%20influential%20in%20the%20U19%20team%20which%20beat%20Pakistan.%20He%20is%20the%20perfect%20example%20of%20what%20we%20are%20all%20trying%20to%20achieve%20here.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CIt%20is%20about%20the%20development%20of%20players%20who%20are%20going%20to%20represent%20the%20UAE%20and%20go%20on%20to%20help%20make%20UAE%20a%20force%20in%20world%20cricket.%E2%80%9D%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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