The good news for Arsenal is that they have plenty of practice in bouncing back.
Over the past decade they have suffered enough setbacks and disappointments to have developed a resilience and, crushing as Wednesday's 3-1 home defeat to AS Monaco in the Uefa Champions League must have been, there is no reason to suppose it will impinge unduly on Sunday's Premier League game against Everton.
Recent form before the Monaco game has taken them to third in the table, but there are four other teams within four points of them.
This is a season in which none of the challengers have shown much in the way of consistent form, something that, if nothing else, means a merry free-for-all for the final two Champions League spots.
What made Wednesday’s result so shocking was that Arsenal had seemed to have found a measure of consistency, winning five of six in the league, although they had lost to a Harry Kane-inspired Tottenham Hotspur two weeks ago.
There was even talk, after the 2-0 win at Manchester City, that they might, finally, have developed some defensive backbone.
In that game, they fielded a midfield trio of Francis Coquelin, Aaron Ramsey and Santi Cazorla, which had sufficient discipline and energy to thwart City.
Against Monaco, though, it was a 4-2-3-1, with Coquelin backed up by Cazorla, a tactical decision that contributed to the general mental laxity to which Arsenal are so prone.
Arsenal had enough chances to win the game, but even those key misses seemed indicative of a pervading sloppiness, and two exceptional finishes from Monaco led to the 3-1 result.
Injuries to Ramsey, Mathieu Flamini, Jack Wilshere and Mikel Arteta meant that Arsene Wenger’s options in midfield were limited, but that hints at wider issues.
Why do Arsenal pick up so many injuries? And why have they developed a squad so skewed towards attacking players that a handful of injuries could damage them so?
Could Tomas Rosicky or Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain not have played deep? After all, Monaco’s three-man midfield curtain was marshalled by Fabinho, who is more usually a right-back. Why have Arsenal nobody of such versatility?
But none of that should matter against Everton, who are sputtering through a strange season themselves.
They are through to the last 16 of the Europa League, but they have won just one of their past 10 Premier League games and seem to have little of the vim of last year.
Relegation should not really be a concern, but they are only six points above the drop zone and if their winless run were to extend much longer there may be some anxious glances over the shoulder.
Arsenal have not beaten Everton in five league games (four of them drawn), and Roberto Martinez caused them persistent problems as Wigan Athletic manager, but this looks an ideal opportunity for the London club to get back on track.
Everton’s midfield has lacked cohesion and balance in recent weeks and, with Wednesday’s embarrassment probably acting as a galvanising force for Arsenal, they should be able to impose themselves.
The problem now, though, is that even if they do win handsomely and go on to claim a place in the top four, it just feels like the same old pattern repeating.
A win over Everton, even a third-place finish, does not bring a title win or progress to the quarter-finals of the Champions League feel any closer.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN MARITIME DISPUTE
2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.
2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus
2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.
2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.
2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Speed: 0-100km/h 3.9 seconds
Price: Dh230,000
On sale: now
Karwaan
Producer: Ronnie Screwvala
Director: Akarsh Khurana
Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar
Rating: 4/5
SERIES INFO
Cricket World Cup League Two
Nepal, Oman, United States tri-series
Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu
Fixtures
Wednesday February 5, Oman v Nepal
Thursday, February 6, Oman v United States
Saturday, February 8, United States v Nepal
Sunday, February 9, Oman v Nepal
Tuesday, February 11, Oman v United States
Wednesday, February 12, United States v Nepal
Table
The top three sides advance to the 2022 World Cup Qualifier.
The bottom four sides are relegated to the 2022 World Cup playoff
1 United States 8 6 2 0 0 12 0.412
2 Scotland 8 4 3 0 1 9 0.139
3 Namibia 7 4 3 0 0 8 0.008
4 Oman 6 4 2 0 0 8 -0.139
5 UAE 7 3 3 0 1 7 -0.004
6 Nepal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 PNG 8 0 8 0 0 0 -0.458
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
Brief scoreline:
Liverpool 2
Keita 5', Firmino 26'
Porto 0
FINAL SCORES
Fujairah 130 for 8 in 20 overs
(Sandy Sandeep 29, Hamdan Tahir 26 no, Umair Ali 2-15)
Sharjah 131 for 8 in 19.3 overs
(Kashif Daud 51, Umair Ali 20, Rohan Mustafa 2-17, Sabir Rao 2-26)
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
