Premier League: Liverpool v Arsenal, Saturday, 9.30pm
Arsene Wenger’s future was the subject of speculation. He addressed it. “You will see me go one day, don’t worry,” the Arsenal manager said. “I am at an age where I do not plan decades anymore. I plan month by month. Maybe it will surprise you, but I get offers. The day I feel I cannot take the team further, I will go.”
He spoke as a trip to Anfield provided another talking point. Those words came not on Thursday morning at Colney, but on a previous trip to Merseyside. It was August 2010, after Roy Hodgson’s first league game in charge of Liverpool ended 1-1.
As they renew rivalries on Saturday, one club feels very different, Arsenal remain Arsenal. Mentions of Wenger in connection with Barcelona are nothing new but six-and-a-half years ago, his suitors were not Chinese. They may be now, but the more things change, the more they stay the same.
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Read more
■ Bournemouth: Eddie Howe should be wary of abandoning principles
■ Liverpool: Same problems to blame for faltering season
■ Predictions: Can Liverpool bounce back against Arsenal?
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That 2010 draw contained red cards for debutants on either side. Joe Cole’s Liverpool career was as ill-fated as the beginning suggested. Laurent Koscielny’s time at Arsenal has progressed rather better. He should return to the team against Liverpool, wearing the captain’s armband in his 280th Arsenal game, after his importance was illustrated in his absence.
When the hamstrung Koscielny limped off against Bayern Munich, Arsenal were drawing 1-1. Within 11 minutes of the restart, they were 4-1 adrift, eventually losing 5-1. It indicated why Koscielny has become a cornerstone. It reflected badly on his hapless replacement, Gabriel. It highlighted a tendency to capitulate that prompted the French defender to say Arsenal have a “mental problem”. It is a widely-held theory. Wenger disputes it, but he is in a minority.
Given the ability in their ranks, Arsenal’s record in big games suggests otherwise. Since beating Manchester United in September, they have played seven games against the Premier League’s top seven, plus Bayern and Paris Saint-Germain, drawing three and losing the other four. A further setback at Anfield would cost them their top-four berth.
Liverpool have already beaten Arsenal this season, even if Wenger will field a side with a more solid look at Anfield. Calum Chambers and Rob Holding were the centre-backs run ragged in August. Koscielny was rested after Euro 2016. Shkodran Mustafi had not been signed then. Not for the first time, Arsenal looked unprepared for the start of the season.
Since then, the German and the Frenchman were forging a reputation as modern-day Invincibles, players who never lost when united. After no defeats in the first 20 games they started together came three in four, even if scores were level in the Allianz Arena when Koscielny departed.
A bona fide Invincible, Sol Campbell, spoke in November of his admiration for them. “They are mobile but calm,” he said. “There is a nice balance.” But, shorn of Koscielny, Mustafi struggled in Munich.
They belong to the modern breed of centre-backs, less physically intimidating and overpoweringly vocal than their predecessors, but bringing pace and anticipation, qualities required if Liverpool recapture their attacking zest. Koscielny ranks fifth in the Premier League for interceptions.
If he has not seemed a natural captain and owed his elevation from the ranks to injuries to Per Mertesacker and Santi Cazorla, Wenger said in January: “He’s the leader at the back.”
In troubled times, Arsenal require one Frenchman’s leadership, just as another’s seems a constant.
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The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
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Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
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.
Fighting with My Family
Director: Stephen Merchant
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Nick Frost, Lena Headey, Florence Pugh, Thomas Whilley, Tori Ellen Ross, Jack Lowden, Olivia Bernstone, Elroy Powell
Four stars
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The%20pillars%20of%20the%20Dubai%20Metaverse%20Strategy
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, John Oliver
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Vikram%20Vedha
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The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz S 450
Price, base / as tested Dh525,000 / Dh559,000
Engine: 3.0L V6 biturbo
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 369hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm at 1,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.0L / 100km
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
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Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
The specs: 2018 Infiniti QX80
Price: base / as tested: Dh335,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 400hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.1L / 100km