January 2000 saw Barcelona in crisis with the club's most talented player, Rivaldo, at war with the coach Louis van Gaal.
The fans had turned against the Dutchman and were singing “Van Gaal Out” and even Rivaldo’s five-year-old son, Rivaldinho, mimicked the chants of the crowd as he came into the dressing room after a game.
Club captain Pep Guardiola was also out of favour with Van Gaal and was dropped for two months by a coach not afraid to upset the dressing-room heavyweights.
Another, Luis Enrique, also found himself sidelined while star striker Patrick Kluivert was twice dropped for criticising his coach’s tactics.
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“The trainer I learnt most from about the field of play was Van Gaal, even though he’s the one I’ve had the most confrontations with, well, disagreements,” Enrique said in 2013.
“He’s got an obsession with work ethic, the way he plans. Maybe I preferred a lighter style to his.”
Enrique took a lot from Van Gaal, Guardiola, too. Van Gaal stripped out all but five players from Bobby Robson’s Barca side, which won three trophies in 1997.
Those retained players included Guardiola and Enrique, not that they necessarily started.
On several occasions, both were deemed good enough for Spain’s national team but not Barcelona.
But both will be remembered as brilliant players in a frequently brilliant Barcelona team.
They watched and learnt, then they wanted to be coaches, too.
When they did, they set about replicating and improving on what they had learnt.
“The level Guardiola’s team reached has never been reached before,” said Enrique in 2013. “They reached such a level that all the other teams have to drop back and defend.
“They have 65-70 per cent of the ball. Maybe [Arrigo] Sacchi’s Milan are the only team who have come close to them, but even they can’t compare.”
Enrique and Guardiola are long-standing friends and when the Uefa Champions League semi-final paired Enrique's Barca against Guardiola's Bayern Munich Enrique said of his former teammate: "He's the best coach in the world, for what he has won, how he has adapted to a new country, and because he's my friend."
The pair are both 44 and began life in management at Barca B, with Guardiola in charge for a season, in 2007/08, and Enrique replacing him.
Having played under great coaches such as Robson and Van Gaal, both of whom were ably assisted by Jose Mourinho, both have thrived in management as they did on the pitch as players.
Guardiola has been hugely successful and won the treble of Primera Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League in his first season as Barca coach, while Enrique is on the cusp of the same achievement, but must overcome Guardiola’s Bayern first.
Though one is Catalan and the other Asturian – although Enrique is married to a Catalan and a long-time Barcelona resident – the pair share the same traits.
They adopt similar strategies with the media by rarely granting one-on-one interviews.
Behind the scenes they are emotional, intelligent, driven and passionate.
As players, Guardiola was seen as the elegant playmaker, Enrique the energetic lungs of the team who flew into tackles.
It was Guardiola, though who was sent off eight times at Barca, more than any other player in the club’s history. Not one of those dismissals was for a foul, but always for protesting.
The pair come head-to-head as rival coaches for the first time on Wednesday evening.
For Enrique it is a chance to show that Barca have exorcised the ghost of Guardiola.
For lifelong Barca fan Guardiola, it is a chance to show he is still the top dog, even though he will risk upsetting all his Barca-supporting friends and family, as well as his old friend, Luis.
sports@thenational.ae
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Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
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David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
Moon Music
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Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,200m. Winner: Majd Al Megirat, Sam Hitchcott (jockey), Ahmed Al Shehhi (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m. Winner: Dassan Da, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi
6pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 (T) 1,400m. Winner: Heba Al Wathba, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roualle
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 (T) 1,400m. Winner: Hameem, Adrie de Vries, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m. Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Richard Mullen, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (T) 2,200m. Winner: Harbour Spirit, Adrie de Vries, Jaber Ramadhan.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
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Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
The biog
Hobbies: Writing and running
Favourite sport: beach volleyball
Favourite holiday destinations: Turkey and Puerto Rico
Mina Cup winners
Under 12 – Minerva Academy
Under 14 – Unam Pumas
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Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
The specs
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Panipat
Director Ashutosh Gowariker
Produced Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shelatkar, Reliance Entertainment
Cast Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Kriti Sanon, Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure, Zeenat Aman
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The five pillars of Islam
Napoleon
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Starring: Idris Elba, Caleb McLaughlin, Jharrel Jerome
3.5/5 stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The five pillars of Islam