Saturday's World Cup qualifying match at Wembley Stadium may be the last time England supporters can watch two of their country's most influential players operating alongside each other in the same international line-up.
It is probably the day of reckoning for what has frustratingly been a misfiring midfield partnership of Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard.
The Londoner Lampard has been as inspirational to Chelsea over the past seven years as Gerrard has been since breaking through the ranks at his native Liverpool a decade ago. Ask them to display their outstanding talents in tandem, however, and both seem to lose their way.
It is no coincidence that England's finest performance in recent times - an unexpectedly emphatic 4-1 triumph over Croatia in Zagreb last month - came about in the injury-enforced absence of one of them, Gerrard.
Lampard excelled that night under the greater responsibility of being his country's midfield general. Gerrard has also produced his better international displays when he becomes the kingpin in the centre of the park because of Lampard's unavailability.
Fabio Capello, the new England head coach, has never been frightened to make key decisions during an illustrious career in Spain and his native Italy, and after starting his new job with two victories will not be challenged if he comes to the conclusion after his third competitive match in charge - the Group Six encounter with Khazakstan - that the Stamford Bridge-Anfield alliance does not work. If Capello turns out to be dissatisfied with the way his two most valuable midfielders combine against Khazakstan, he is likely to dispense with one of them for what looks a more demanding away fixture in Belarus next Wednesday. But which one?
Both are in contention to be footballer of the year domestically, so if one has to be jettisoned from the international ranks for the overall benefit of the nation it will be a topic of intense debate, and not just in England.
Lampard, who has represented his country 61 times compared to Gerrard's 67, is aware that his failure to forge an effective link with the Liverpool captain is becoming a threat to both under the watchful, experienced eye of Capello.
"We both want to be at our best for England and will probably say that, for the last couple of years, we haven't done that," said Lampard. "Everyone is trying to find the solution but it's not just me and Steven, it's the whole team."
Lampard, who pointed out that he and Gerrard are the best of friends off the pitch, added: "There are times in any partnership when it works and when it doesn't, but sometimes we look into the wrong issues.
"It's not about individuals. We are breaking it down much too much at the moment. What's important is getting results and not trying to find issues with certain players."
England are likely to go into the match without another of Chelsea's inspirational figures, John Terry, who at the start of the qualifying campaign was awarded the captain's armband in what was a tight battle with Manchester United's Rio Ferdinand.
Ferdinand is set to be given the job again against Khazakstan if, as expected, Terry is ruled out with a back injury, and that would represent a significant double for the Old Trafford club after their midfielder Darren Fletcher was named Scotland's captain against Norway in the absence of Barry Ferguson and Stephen McManus.
@Email:wjohnson@thenational.ae
RESULT
Arsenal 0 Chelsea 3
Chelsea: Willian (40'), Batshuayi (42', 49')
Recipe: Spirulina Coconut Brothie
Ingredients
1 tbsp Spirulina powder
1 banana
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (full fat preferable)
1 tbsp fresh turmeric or turmeric powder
½ cup fresh spinach leaves
½ cup vegan broth
2 crushed ice cubes (optional)
Method
Blend all the ingredients together on high in a high-speed blender until smooth and creamy.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
The Good Liar
Starring: Helen Mirren, Ian McKellen
Directed by: Bill Condon
Three out of five stars
MATHC INFO
England 19 (Try: Tuilagi; Cons: Farrell; Pens: Ford (4)
New Zealand 7 (Try: Savea; Con: Mo'unga)
The specs
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Transmission: Single-speed automatic
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The specs
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Torque: 230Nm
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
How tumultuous protests grew
- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
- Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
- Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
- An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital
The specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 217hp at 5,750rpm
Torque: 300Nm at 1,900rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
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On sale: now
More on Quran memorisation:
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.
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cargoz%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Premlal%20Pullisserry%20and%20Lijo%20Antony%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2030%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont
Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950
Engine 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
Batti Gul Meter Chalu
Producers: KRTI Productions, T-Series
Director: Sree Narayan Singh
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Divyenndu Sharma, Yami Gautam
Rating: 2/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
The%20specs
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