Coach Massimiliano Allegri earned plaudits as a rejigged Juventus claimed their biggest league win in 31 years with a 7-0 rout of Parma which left visiting coach Roberto Donadoni feeling “impotent and embarrassed” on Sunday.
Fernando Llorente, Carlos Tevez and Alvaro Morata scored a double apiece with Stephan Lichtsteiner firing a superb goal as the defending champions crushed Donadoni’s men to record their biggest win since a 7-0 success over Ascoli in December 1983.
The win initially stretched Juve’s lead over title challengers AS Roma to six points, although the gap was halved when Roma trounced Torino 3-0 at the Stadio Olimpico.
Injuries to Patrice Evra, Kwadwo Asamoah and Angelo Ogbonna in recent weeks had forced Allegri to ditch his tried and trusted 3-5-2 formation for last week’s Champions League clash with Olympiakos in Turin.
After Juve ran out 3-2 winners against the Greeks, Allegri on Sunday adopted a 4-3-1-2 formation that, coupled with Parma’s total lack of threat, underlined Juve’s potency even when forced to play out of their comfort zone.
But Allegri played down suggestions he could rethink his tactical strategy for the rest of the season: “That system won three consecutive Scudetti (league titles), and we used it well at the start of the season as well.
“It’s all down to how you interpret systems, not just the line-up.”
Parma beat Inter Milan 2-0 last week to claim only their second win but by the end of a totally one-sided contest in rainy Turin, they were back in bottom spot as Donadoni contemplated the gulf that lies between the top and bottom sides in Serie A.
“The game is easy to explain: we faced a great Juve side and we simply didn’t show up,” Donadoni told Radio Rai.
“All you’re left with is a feeling of impotence and embarrassment after a game like that.”
Dutch midfielder Kevin Strootman made his return from injury for Roma following an eight-month layoff due to a cruciate ligament injury but by the time he came on with seven minutes remaining the damage had been done.
Roma were given an eighth-minute lead by Vasilis Torosidis and doubled their lead when Seydou Keita powered into the area to slam a drive past Jean-Francois Gillet just before the half hour for his maiden goal for the club.
When Adem Ljajic latched on to Miralem Pjanic’s inch-perfect through ball just before the hour, he completed the victory with a sumptuous drive from outside the area that had Gillet clutching at thin air.
Roma captain Francesco Totti reacted badly when he was replaced by Mattia Destro on 70 minutes, but coach Rudi Garcia said: “I don’t know why he took it like that, but he’s my best player and I don’t want him to get injured.”
He added: “We won thanks to our usual game, based on ball possession and a strong attack. I have faith in my side.”
Earlier, Napoli moved up to third with a stirring performance at Fiorentina where Gonzalo Higuain’s 61st minute strike from inside the area secured the points for Rafa Benitez’s men.
Fiorentina have now taken only four points from their last five games and dropped to 11th spot.
Benitez, meanwhile, is hoping the international break gives his resurgent squad a chance to recover.
“We’re in third place and we’ll be there for the next two weeks,” said Benitez.
“We’ll use that time to recover, regroup and prepare for our next game against Cagliari.”
High-flying Sampdoria dropped to fourth, one point behind Napoli, after being held 2-2 by AC Milan in Genoa on Saturday, with Lazio a further point adrift in fifth after a 2-1 slip-up away to promoted Empoli.
Ten-man Inter, meanwhile, escaped with a 2-2 draw at home to Verona, who saw Luca Toni miss a second-half penalty after Chilean midfielder Gary Medel saw red for a second bookable offence on 51 minutes.
Toni’s close-range volley gave Verona a 10th-minute lead only for Mauro Icardi to hit a pair of goals on 18 minutes and three minutes after the restart to give Walter Mazzarri’s stuttering side the lead under the watchful eye of president Erick Thohir.
A late leveller from Nico Lopez, however, handed Verona a share of the points to leave Inter in ninth, 12 points behind Juve and one behind city rivals AC Milan.
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AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
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Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Top investing tips for UAE residents in 2021
Build an emergency fund: Make sure you have enough cash to cover six months of expenses as a buffer against unexpected problems before you begin investing, advises Steve Cronin, the founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com.
Think long-term: When you invest, you need to have a long-term mindset, so don’t worry about momentary ups and downs in the stock market.
Invest worldwide: Diversify your investments globally, ideally by way of a global stock index fund.
Is your money tied up: Avoid anything where you cannot get your money back in full within a month at any time without any penalty.
Skip past the promises: “If an investment product is offering more than 10 per cent return per year, it is either extremely risky or a scam,” Mr Cronin says.
Choose plans with low fees: Make sure that any funds you buy do not charge more than 1 per cent in fees, Mr Cronin says. “If you invest by yourself, you can easily stay below this figure.” Managed funds and commissionable investments often come with higher fees.
Be sceptical about recommendations: If someone suggests an investment to you, ask if they stand to gain, advises Mr Cronin. “If they are receiving commission, they are unlikely to recommend an investment that’s best for you.”
Get financially independent: Mr Cronin advises UAE residents to pursue financial independence. Start with a Google search and improve your knowledge via expat investing websites or Facebook groups such as SimplyFI.
The National selections
Al Ain
5pm: Bolereau
5.30pm: Rich And Famous
6pm: Duc De Faust
6.30pm: Al Thoura
7pm: AF Arrab
7.30pm: Al Jazi
8pm: Futoon
Jebel Ali
1.45pm: AF Kal Noor
2.15pm: Galaxy Road
2.45pm: Dark Thunder
3.15pm: Inverleigh
3.45pm: Bawaasil
4.15pm: Initial
4.45pm: Tafaakhor
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