If there was a prize for the best – or perhaps worst – way to lose friends and alienate people, organisers would probably give Jose Mourinho a lifetime achievement award.
In his past two jobs, the script for the Portuguese has been about as gripping as a Where's Wally? book: go to new club, coin pithy sound bite such as "Special One", win trophies, antagonise rival manager, fall out with staff and/or players, leave under a cloud.
At Real Madrid, a club that almost prides itself on cronyism, Mourinho took an emblematic figure in Iker Casillas to task for daring to act as peace maker as tensions between Madrid and Barcelona reached boiling point – a fire fuelled in no small part by Mourinho – by dropping him from the first team, a sharp reminder that Barca and their players, many of whom were international teammates of Casillas's, were the enemy. Fraternising with them was tantamount to treason.
See also:
• Gareth Southgate: 'Great trust in our medical team' on Chris Smalling and Luke Shaw
• Five Premier League thoughts: Mourinho's malaise, midnight for Leicester and more
• Richard Jolly: As football gets faster, Manchester United are losing pace – in the table and on the pitch
Mourinho, like many of the most successful managers, thrives on creating a siege mentality, an us-against-them mindset. But in his final season at Madrid Mourinho abandoned the trench warfare that had served him so well earlier in his career. Instead of standing and fighting alongside his troops, he began to turn on them.
The unsavoury smell of his final season in charge Chelsea still offends the senses too; the appalling treatment of club medical staff for having the temerity to treat an injured player still leaves a bitter taste.
At Manchester United, fans hoped to get Mourinho the winner – the serial collector of silverware who has secured league titles in four countries including three Premier League titles across two spells at Chelsea, as well as a historic treble of Serie A, Coppa Italia and European Cup at Inter Milan.
Mourinho made all the right noises when introduced as Louis van Gaal’s successor on May 27 (about a minute after the Dutchman had won the FA Cup), saying how he had always coveted one of the biggest jobs in world football. But the snarl is always just below the surface with Mourinho. For the first few matches, with all four summer transfer target secured and United winning games, all was rosy at Old Trafford. But then United hit a roadblock, punctuated by patchy form and underwhelming displays that made Van Gaal’s teams look as exciting as Brazil in 1970.
Mourinho called out Chris Smalling, Daley Blind and David de Gea for the calamity defending that led to Chelsea taking the lead 30 seconds into their match at Stamford Bridge last month, but the theme of singling players out for individual criticism took on a more sinister tone last week when Mourinho questioned the fortitude of two of his players for pulling out of the match against Swansea City.
"Luke Shaw told me this morning that he was not in the condition to play, so we had to build a defensive line," Mourinho said after Sunday's 3-1 win at Liberty Stadium. "There is a difference between the brave, who want to be there at any cost, and the ones for whom a little pain can make a difference."
The left-back complained of pain in his right leg two days after playing the full 90 minutes in the Europa League match against Fenerbahce. This is the same player who is still nursing the physical and psychological effects of one of the most horrific leg breaks in recent memory in a match against PSV Eindhoven 14 months ago.
Mourinho may well be trying to get a reaction out of Shaw, but what good is a £27 million (Dh123m) asset if he gets injured again playing when not fully fit and is forced to miss even more games?
The scars on Shaw’s leg are matched by the mental ones in his head. It is human nature to want to protect a vulnerable part of the body, can Mourinho really blame Shaw, 21, for not wanting to jeopardise his career by playing in pain?
Antagonising opposition managers is one thing, throwing your own players under the bus is quite another.
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Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The%20Specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.6-litre%204-cylinder%20petrol%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E118hp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20149Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Six-speed%20automatic%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh61%2C500%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
The%20specs
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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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Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
Blue%20Beetle
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MEDIEVIL%20(1998)
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
Company%20Profile
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SHAITTAN
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Confirmed%20bouts%20(more%20to%20be%20added)
%3Cp%3ECory%20Sandhagen%20v%20Umar%20Nurmagomedov%0D%3Cbr%3ENick%20Diaz%20v%20Vicente%20Luque%0D%3Cbr%3EMichael%20Chiesa%20v%20Tony%20Ferguson%0D%3Cbr%3EDeiveson%20Figueiredo%20v%20Marlon%20Vera%0D%3Cbr%3EMackenzie%20Dern%20v%20Loopy%20Godinez%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ETickets%20for%20the%20August%203%20Fight%20Night%2C%20held%20in%20partnership%20with%20the%20Department%20of%20Culture%20and%20Tourism%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20went%20on%20sale%20earlier%20this%20month%2C%20through%20www.etihadarena.ae%20and%20www.ticketmaster.ae.%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
The%20specs
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BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
Islamic%20Architecture%3A%20A%20World%20History
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAuthor%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Eric%20Broug%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Thames%20%26amp%3B%20Hudson%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPages%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20336%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EAvailable%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20September%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
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Forced%20Deportations
%3Cp%3EWhile%20the%20Lebanese%20government%20has%20deported%20a%20number%20of%20refugees%20back%20to%20Syria%20since%202011%2C%20the%20latest%20round%20is%20the%20first%20en-mass%20campaign%20of%20its%20kind%2C%20say%20the%20Access%20Center%20for%20Human%20Rights%2C%20a%20non-governmental%20organization%20which%20monitors%20the%20conditions%20of%20Syrian%20refugees%20in%20Lebanon.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%9CIn%20the%20past%2C%20the%20Lebanese%20General%20Security%20was%20responsible%20for%20the%20forced%20deportation%20operations%20of%20refugees%2C%20after%20forcing%20them%20to%20sign%20papers%20stating%20that%20they%20wished%20to%20return%20to%20Syria%20of%20their%20own%20free%20will.%20Now%2C%20the%20Lebanese%20army%2C%20specifically%20military%20intelligence%2C%20is%20responsible%20for%20the%20security%20operation%2C%E2%80%9D%20said%20Mohammad%20Hasan%2C%20head%20of%20ACHR.%3Cbr%3EIn%20just%20the%20first%20four%20months%20of%202023%20the%20number%20of%20forced%20deportations%20is%20nearly%20double%20that%20of%20the%20entirety%20of%202022.%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ESince%20the%20beginning%20of%202023%2C%20ACHR%20has%20reported%20407%20forced%20deportations%20%E2%80%93%20200%20of%20which%20occurred%20in%20April%20alone.%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIn%20comparison%2C%20just%20154%20people%20were%20forcfully%20deported%20in%202022.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Violence%20
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The bio
Academics: Phd in strategic management in University of Wales
Number one caps: His best-seller caps are in shades of grey, blue, black and yellow
Reading: Is immersed in books on colours to understand more about the usage of different shades
Sport: Started playing polo two years ago. Helps him relax, plus he enjoys the speed and focus
Cars: Loves exotic cars and currently drives a Bentley Bentayga
Holiday: Favourite travel destinations are London and St Tropez
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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The low down
Producers: Uniglobe Entertainment & Vision Films
Director: Namrata Singh Gujral
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Nargis Fakhri, Bo Derek, Candy Clark
Rating: 2/5
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press