Sergio Aguero has warned Manchester City’s title rivals he will do everything in his power to fire the club to Premier League glory this season.
Aguero scored a hat-trick in City’s FA Cup fourth round win over Watford to take his goal tally so far this term to a remarkable 25 from 24 appearances.
While Aguero’s second half treble once again showcased his sublime skills, more significantly the goals spared City’s blushes after Manuel Pellegrini’s team trailed 2-0 against second tier Watford.
Pellegrini, whose side continue their challenge for the Premier League title at Tottenham on Wednesday, later branded City’s defending in the 4-2 win as a “disaster” and said he could have made 11 substitutions at half-time.
Fortunately for the City manager, Aguero is in the form of his life and shows little sign of being slowed by the calf injury that sidelined him over the Christmas period.
Since returning to fitness, Aguero has scored six times in four matches to keep City firmly in the hunt for an unprecedented quadruple trophy haul.
The 25 year old is happy to take the plaudits when he shines, but he is more concerned with ensuring City finish the year with silverware.
“The important thing is the goals contribute to the team’s victories and we win titles,” Aguero said.
“I don’t have any specific goals to reach but (I want) as many as possible.
“We weren’t expecting to score four goals. We knew at half-time we needed to improve and in the end we won and we have made it to the next round. We are happy with that.”
City travel to White Hart Lane unbeaten in their last 10 matches in all competitions and having scored 22 goals in their previous five games.
But Pellegrini’s team will have to maintain that blistering pace to keep in touch with leaders Arsenal, who have been in fine form themselves.
They can open up a four-point lead at the top if they win at Southampton on Tuesday, leaving City will little margin for error when they arrive in north London.
If Aguero does draw a rare blank on Wednesday, Pellegrini can still turn to a battery of other top-class strikers, including Montenegro international Stevan Jovetic, who has finally recovered from a series of ailments.
Jovetic has endured a torrid time since his £22 million (Dh134m) move from Fiorentina due to a succession of injuries and illnesses.
Jovetic suffered a hamstring injury in pre-season, another early in the campaign, and he then limped out of a game in October with a calf problem.
He was due to return for the League Cup quarter-final at Leicester in December but went down with food poisoning and then injured a quad muscle.
The 24 year old is now back in contention and after making two successive substitute appearances he is anxious for more game time with a team that has clocked up 110 goals this season
“It’s much easier when you play and score goals but unfortunately for me it’s not been a good way to start,” he said.
“But I know I can do so many good things for this club. I hope I will show that in the next four months.
“There’s a lot of games, so hopefully we’ll win a lot of trophies.”
Fifth-placed Tottenham should pose a stern test of City’s title credentials after improving quickly under new manager Tim Sherwood.
Sherwood, who replaced the sacked Andre Villas-Boas in December, has masterminded five wins in his six league matches in charge and his team are desperate to avenge the embarrassing 6-0 loss they suffered against City at Eastlands in November.
“Hopefully we can put it right now. Everybody wants to be 110 percent for this game, “ Tottenham midfielder Christian Eriksen said.
“Everyone knows you have to be on your toes when you play City. We have to be at our top level and that is what we want to achieve.”
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
SPECS%3A%20Polestar%203
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Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
'Ashkal'
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What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Angela Bassett, Tina Fey
Directed by: Pete Doctor
Rating: 4 stars
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.
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
The%20Kitchen
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From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
Iceland 0 England 1 (Sterling pen 90 1)
Man of the match Kari Arnason (Iceland)
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday Athletic Bilbao v Celta Vigo (Kick-off midnight UAE)
Saturday Levante v Getafe (5pm), Sevilla v Real Madrid (7.15pm), Atletico Madrid v Real Valladolid (9.30pm), Cadiz v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday Granada v Huesca (5pm), Osasuna v Real Betis (7.15pm), Villarreal v Elche (9.30pm), Alaves v Real Sociedad (midnight)
Monday Eibar v Valencia (midnight)
FIGHT CARD
Bantamweight Hamza Bougamza (MAR) v Jalal Al Daaja (JOR)
Catchweight 67kg Mohamed El Mesbahi (MAR) v Fouad Mesdari (ALG)
Lighweight Abdullah Mohammed Ali (UAE) v Abdelhak Amhidra (MAR)
Catchweight 73kg Mostafa Ibrahim Radi (PAL) v Yazid Chouchane (ALG)
Middleweight Yousri Belgaroui (TUN) v Badreddine Diani (MAR)
Catchweight 78kg Rashed Dawood (UAE) v Adnan Bushashy (ALG)
Middleweight Sallaheddine Dekhissi (MAR) v Abdel Emam (EGY)
Catchweight 65kg Rachid Hazoume (MAR) v Yanis Ghemmouri (ALG)
Lighweight Mohammed Yahya (UAE) v Azouz Anwar (EGY)
Catchweight 79kg Omar Hussein (PAL) v Souhil Tahiri (ALG)
Middleweight Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Laid Zerhouni (ALG)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed
Based: Muscat
Launch year: 2018
Number of employees: 40
Sector: Online food delivery
Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5