■ West Bromwich Albion v Chelsea, Friday, 11pm UAE, BeIN Sports
The eventual, factual verdict may be that the 2016/17 Premier League title was won at The Hawthorns on May 12. Certainly it will be if the impatient Antonio Conte gets his wish.
“I prefer to try to win as soon as possible,” he said when asked if he would rather seal it at Stamford Bridge on Monday.
All those who witnessed the Italian’s manic celebrations at Goodison Park 12 days ago may feel it was secured by Chelsea’s 3-0 win over Everton.
In a strange way, however, it was decided during what seemed an awful afternoon. “At the start of the season, it wasn’t easy,” Conte recalled. “We faced a lot of problems.”
But the darkest day was not before the dawn; it was the dawn. Chelsea were 3-0 down at Arsenal in September when, with 35 minutes remaining, Conte removed Cesc Fabregas, introduced Marcos Alonso and switched to 3-4-2-1.
It seemed a minor plotline as Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil unlocked a Chelsea side who appeared on course for a second successive season of high-profile underachievement.
__________________________________
■ Premier League Predictions: Chelsea will wrap up title against West Brom
__________________________________
But it proved the season’s defining moment. Conte stuck with the new-look formation. His charges made it work. “Thanks to my players because it’s not easy to adapt to new methods, a new philosophy, and also to work very hard,” said the Italian.
“My big achievement was the players gave me the ability to work hard on physical and tactical aspects.”
They are winning the title on the training ground and football field alike.
Alonso came into the starting XI at Hull City, six days after the Arsenal defeat. The Spaniard has started 28 league games since then. Chelsea have won 24, taking 74 points.
He has contributed six goals and three assists from left wingback, his most recent strike against Middlesbrough on Monday helping set up tonight’s possible coronation.
Others could be anointed the face of Chelsea’s season. Perhaps N’Golo Kante, the only man to play pivotal parts in consecutive Premier League title-winning campaigns with different clubs and the deserving winner of the season’s individual awards.
Maybe Eden Hazard, rebounding brilliantly after his wretched season last term to once again deliver some of the crucial contributions in the run-in. Possibly the emblematic David Luiz, the ridiculed addition turned defensive stalwart.
Arguably, the inimitable Diego Costa managed sufficiently astutely by Conte that he has continued to deliver while potentially exiting.
Yet Alonso symbolises the improbable nature of Chelsea’s triumph. He was initially overlooked, a late, seemingly panic buy as a back-up. This was not Conte’s ideal spending spree and yet it is a sign of the Italian’s alchemy that he forged a golden side from such unprepossessing materials.
Alonso was part of the five-man defence who underpinned that initial improvement, conceding only two goals in 12 games. He has spent 2017 illustrating his attacking abilities. He has contributed five goals in his last 14 league outings.
He is an indication of the overachievement of a Chelsea team who are perhaps not any more talented than many of their peers, but who have proved more consistent. That consistency that should bring its reward tonight. Chelsea have only dropped seven points against the teams outside the top seven.
West Bromwich Albion have often been the best of the rest, but beat them and Chelsea’s status as the top team cannot be questioned.
sports@thenational.ae
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MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Ukraine 2 (Yaremchuk 06', Yarmolenko 27')
Portugal 1 (Ronaldo 72' pen)
Company%20Profile
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Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
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David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
FIRST TEST SCORES
England 458
South Africa 361 & 119 (36.4 overs)
England won by 211 runs and lead series 1-0
Player of the match: Moeen Ali (England)
The 10 Questions
- Is there a God?
- How did it all begin?
- What is inside a black hole?
- Can we predict the future?
- Is time travel possible?
- Will we survive on Earth?
- Is there other intelligent life in the universe?
- Should we colonise space?
- Will artificial intelligence outsmart us?
- How do we shape the future?
Company%20profile
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
Dunbar
Edward St Aubyn
Hogarth
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
SUCCESSION%20SEASON%204%20EPISODE%201
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Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hoopla%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMarch%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jacqueline%20Perrottet%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2010%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPre-seed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20required%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24500%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
EMIRATES'S%20REVISED%20A350%20DEPLOYMENT%20SCHEDULE
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About Housecall
Date started: July 2020
Founders: Omar and Humaid Alzaabi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech
# of staff: 10
Funding to date: Self-funded