With the 2015/16 English Premier League season a matter of weeks away, Richard Jolly provides his thoughts on each of the 20 teams and predicts their final league finish. Here he looks at Manchester City.
There is a pattern in recent seasons. Every other year, City invest heavily in attacking talent, score vast amounts of goals and win the title, overhauling their rivals with a late winning run. Should 2016 be like 2014 and 2012, City will be champions. Yet this is, probably, the final year of Manuel Pellegrini’s reign. Some wonder if, given the ages of their players, it may be their last season together as a squad. Fabian Delph is a useful acquisition and the £49 million (Dh279.3m) man Raheem Sterling is a rare youngster, charged with re-energising a group. While many were criticised last season, Sergio Aguero and David Silva were actually excellent. Others, such as Yaya Toure and Vincent Kompany, have more of a point to prove. So, too, the £42 million defender Eliaquim Mangala, who has to start justifying his price tag. Pellegrini appears to have abandoned his stubborn fondness for 4-4-2, which is just as well, especially in summit clashes. City tended to slip up against the best and the worst, rather than the mid-table teams, last season. They remain capable of going on remarkable runs but Chelsea displayed rather more consistency to take their title. City may have the most talented team in the Premier League but, as that showed, it does not necessarily render them the eventual winners.
Key Man: Sergio Aguero – The Premier League's 26-goal top scorer last season, Aguero becomes still more significant with City's switch to 4-2-3-1. They have more creators now, but one outstanding scorer.
Pivotal Signing: Raheem Sterling – City got their man, eventually and expensively. The £49 million winger brings youth and pace, both of which City required, and he could give them an added dimension in attack.
Crucial Factor: Pellegrini. The spectre of Pep Guardiola looms over the Chilean, who is in the final year of his contract. Pellegrini's obdurate faith in 4-4-2 backfired in big games last season. He needs to be more flexible this term – and ignore stories about his future.
Prediction: 3rd
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Company profile
Date started: December 24, 2018
Founders: Omer Gurel, chief executive and co-founder and Edebali Sener, co-founder and chief technology officer
Based: Dubai Media City
Number of employees: 42 (34 in Dubai and a tech team of eight in Ankara, Turkey)
Sector: ConsumerTech and FinTech
Cashflow: Almost $1 million a year
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
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7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
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Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Company Profile
Saudi National Day
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
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Bharat
Director: Ali Abbas Zafar
Starring: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Sunil Grover
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
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Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
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What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
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French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
Porsche Macan T: The Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
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Bio
Age: 25
Town: Al Diqdaqah – Ras Al Khaimah
Education: Bachelors degree in mechanical engineering
Favourite colour: White
Favourite place in the UAE: Downtown Dubai
Favourite book: A Life in Administration by Ghazi Al Gosaibi.
First owned baking book: How to Be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson.
The biog
Siblings: five brothers and one sister
Education: Bachelors in Political Science at the University of Minnesota
Interests: Swimming, tennis and the gym
Favourite place: UAE
Favourite packet food on the trip: pasta primavera
What he did to pass the time during the trip: listen to audio books
