Manuel Pellegrini claims he never lost faith that Manchester City could win the Premier League after his side regained control of the title race with a 2-0 victory at Crystal Palace.
On a potentially decisive weekend in the battle for supremacy at the top of the table, City took full advantage of Liverpool’s unexpected 2-0 defeat at home to Chelsea with a ruthless performance just hours later in south London.
City remain third but they are now only three points adrift of Liverpool, crucially with a game in hand and a vastly superior goal difference, and one behind second placed Chelsea.
Pellegrini’s team know that, whatever Liverpool and Chelsea do in their last two matches, City will be crowned champions for the second time in three years if they win their final three fixtures at Everton next Saturday and then at home against Aston Villa and West Ham -- providing they maintain their goal difference advantage over Liverpool.
It is an enviable position, although not one that many would have envisaged for City just two weeks ago when they followed an agonising 3-2 defeat at Liverpool with a lacklustre draw against struggling Sunderland.
Yet Pellegrini insists he never doubted City would get another shot at the silverware given the unpredictable nature of this season’s title race.
“We have always trusted that we can do it. After we lost to Liverpool I said that things can still happen. We just had to win our games,” Pellegrini said.
“For the moment we’ll continue in third position, so we have to play and win our three games.
“But the good thing is that the destiny is in our own hands at the moment.
“Do we have the advantage? No. But it depends what we can do in the future, that’s very important. We have to remain focused on ourselves.”
Pellegrini revealed City’s players were keeping tabs on the action at Anfield before they kicked off at Palace, and he was quick to warn them not to lose focus once that result went their way.
They heeded his words with a powerful display as Edin Dzeko headed home from Yaya Toure’s cross in the fourth minute before Toure underlined his huge importance to the team with a superb solo effort in the 43rd minute to mark his return from a groin injury.
“The players knew the (Liverpool) score, but it was a very professional performance. It could have been difficult for us to manage the game but we did it very well,” Pellegrini said.
“They knew if they beat Palace they had it in their own hands and reacted in the best way. They scored an early goal and kept a clean-sheet.
“Yaya only worked with the team the last two days, that’s why he didn’t play more than 60 minutes.
“But he’s a very important player for us. You saw him, he was important for both goals.”
When City won the title in 2012 it was only goal difference that separated them from Manchester United and a similar scenario could be looming this time, with their +58 goal difference already vastly superior to Liverpool’s +50.
The most testing of City’s remaining three matches appears to be their next at Everton.
While they may not relish helping their local rivals Liverpool in their title bid, Everton will be making one last push to catch Arsenal in the chase for Champions League qualification and Goodison Park has not been a happy hunting ground for City, who have lost their last four visits.
Unsurprisingly, Pellegrini refused to bite when offered the opportunity to declare City as champions-elect, preferring to focus on the tricky challenge posed by Everton.
“We are not thinking about goal difference, we are just thinking about how to beat Everton,” he said.
“I’ve said all year that all the big teams must feel pressure to win the title.
“Now we’ll continue with the same pressure, but it’s positive pressure.”
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Simran
Director Hansal Mehta
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Soham Shah, Esha Tiwari Pandey
Three stars
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Financial considerations before buying a property
Buyers should try to pay as much in cash as possible for a property, limiting the mortgage value to as little as they can afford. This means they not only pay less in interest but their monthly costs are also reduced. Ideally, the monthly mortgage payment should not exceed 20 per cent of the purchaser’s total household income, says Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching.
“If it’s a rental property, plan for the property to have periods when it does not have a tenant. Ensure you have enough cash set aside to pay the mortgage and other costs during these periods, ideally at least six months,” she says.
Also, shop around for the best mortgage interest rate. Understand the terms and conditions, especially what happens after any introductory periods, Ms Glynn adds.
Using a good mortgage broker is worth the investment to obtain the best rate available for a buyer’s needs and circumstances. A good mortgage broker will help the buyer understand the terms and conditions of the mortgage and make the purchasing process efficient and easier.
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
GROUPS
Group Gustavo Kuerten
Novak Djokovic (x1)
Alexander Zverev (x3)
Marin Cilic (x5)
John Isner (x8)
Group Lleyton Hewitt
Roger Federer (x2)
Kevin Anderson (x4)
Dominic Thiem (x6)
Kei Nishikori (x7)
Fines for littering
In Dubai:
Dh200 for littering or spitting in the Dubai Metro
Dh500 for throwing cigarette butts or chewing gum on the floor, or littering from a vehicle.
Dh1,000 for littering on a beach, spitting in public places, throwing a cigarette butt from a vehicle
In Sharjah and other emirates
Dh500 for littering - including cigarette butts and chewing gum - in public places and beaches in Sharjah
Dh2,000 for littering in Sharjah deserts
Dh500 for littering from a vehicle in Ras Al Khaimah
Dh1,000 for littering from a car in Abu Dhabi
Dh1,000 to Dh100,000 for dumping waste in residential or public areas in Al Ain
Dh10,000 for littering at Ajman's beaches
