MANCHESTER // Four months, two starts, one goal — Wilfried Bony’s Manchester City career can seem one of diminishing returns.
As he goes back to Swansea City for the first time on Sunday, he is aware what his critics’ verdict will be.
“They’ll say: ‘He’s not playing there at City, only a couple of minutes, he should not have left’,” Bony predicted, probably correctly. “But this is part of football, it is what it is. You can’t be loved by everyone.”
The Ivorian is set to discover quite how many in Wales still like the man who delivered 34 goals in 70 games during 18 months at Swansea, earning him the statistical distinction of being the Premier League’s leading marksman in the calendar year of 2014 and a £25 million (Dh144.5m) move to City.
“I hope they will give me a nice reception,” he said. “There will be some who are happy to see me and some not.”
Absence may not have made the heart grow fonder. Swansea have not bought a striker, but it is hard to argue they are missing Bony.
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They have won seven of their past 11 games to set a club record points tally in the Premier League. They could qualify for the Europa League, a prospect that seems to irritate manager Garry Monk.
The notion their season ended with the star striker’s sale has been emphatically denied.
Meanwhile, the campaign of Bony’s new employers tailed off after his arrival; if he was bought to swing the title race City’s way, he has failed.
Admittedly, Juan Cuadrado, Chelsea’s 2015 acquisition, has had a still more negligible impact as they became champions so perhaps supposed catalysts have cancelled each other out in ill-fated beginnings to life at new clubs.
But Bony’s has been a stop-start spell at the Etihad Stadium, interrupted by the African Cup of Nations, injury and a change in tactics.
“It’s been a difficult time here at City, but this is football. I can’t choose the international programme, I can’t choose the time to be injured,” said the man who is both Swansea’s record signing and sale.
At the moment, he is a multimillion-pound substitute, an expensive adornment in dugouts, yet it is often the case that January signings only really settle into the side the following season. “We didn’t bring Bony just for this year,” coach Manuel Pellegrini said.
They will see the best of him in his first full campaign at the club, Bony hopes.
“I just need to prepare myself for next season,” he said. “We’ll see how I do then.”
Pellegrini is optimistic. "He will be a very important player for the future," the coach said.
There are occasional encouraging signs amid the cameos: eight of Bony’s 10 appearances have come as a replacement and he is showing he is more than mere muscle.
A delightful backheel that led to David Silva scoring City’s sixth goal against Queens Park Rangers on Sunday was a sign he has the understanding and the imagination to dovetail with City’s technical talents. Despite his imposing build, Bony is not just a battering ram.
“It’s about me trying to adapt to the way City play,” the 26-year-old striker said. The potential hitch is the switch in system.
Pellegrini has tended to be an advocate of 4-4-2 but Sergio Aguero’s prowess as a lone striker, which is evident in his return of eight goals in his past five games, limits the opportunities for the target men who used to provide a physical presence alongside the Argentine in attack.
There may only be room for one in the City squad next season but Bony at least comes off the bench before Edin Dzeko, offering a hint that the out-of-form Bosnian is being ushered towards the exit.
In uncertain times, Bony is one of the few who seems certain to have a future.
But while he tries to persuade his friend Yaya Toure to stay, the forward said: “They are waiting for me to do it.”
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Remaining Fixtures
Wednesday: West Indies v Scotland
Thursday: UAE v Zimbabwe
Friday: Afghanistan v Ireland
Sunday: Final
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
It’ll be summer in the city as car show tries to move with the times
If 2008 was the year that rocked Detroit, 2019 will be when Motor City gives its annual car extravaganza a revamp that aims to move with the times.
A major change is that this week's North American International Auto Show will be the last to be held in January, after which the event will switch to June.
The new date, organisers said, will allow exhibitors to move vehicles and activities outside the Cobo Center's halls and into other city venues, unencumbered by cold January weather, exemplified this week by snow and ice.
In a market in which trends can easily be outpaced beyond one event, the need to do so was probably exacerbated by the decision of Germany's big three carmakers – BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi – to skip the auto show this year.
The show has long allowed car enthusiasts to sit behind the wheel of the latest models at the start of the calendar year but a more fluid car market in an online world has made sales less seasonal.
Similarly, everyday technology seems to be catching up on those whose job it is to get behind microphones and try and tempt the visiting public into making a purchase.
Although sparkly announcers clasp iPads and outline the technical gadgetry hidden beneath bonnets, people's obsession with their own smartphones often appeared to offer a more tempting distraction.
“It's maddening,” said one such worker at Nissan's stand.
The absence of some pizzazz, as well as top marques, was also noted by patrons.
“It looks like there are a few less cars this year,” one annual attendee said of this year's exhibitors.
“I can't help but think it's easier to stay at home than to brave the snow and come here.”
Naga
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Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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