SYDNEY // Zinedine Zidane will be a “top-class manager”, former France coach Gerard Houllier predicted on Wednesday, saying the football legend had taken all the right steps before becoming Real Madrid boss.
The 43-year-old former ‘galactico’ with Real Madrid was appointed manager at the Primera Liga club on Monday following the sacking of Rafa Benitez after just seven months in charge.
Houllier, who is in Sydney as coach of a Liverpool “legends” side playing on Thursday, said the former attacking midfielder Zidane – whom he coached as manager of the French national side in the early 1990s – had bided his time before assuming the top job at the Spanish side.
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“He did the right thing. He became an assistant manager first, then he became the coach of the second team [Castilla] for two years,” Houllier said.
“Don’t forget, he left the international scene in 2006, now we are in 2016, so it’s 10 years. So you wouldn’t say he’s jumped from the playing career to the coaching career.”
Spanish media have said that Zidane, a controversial appointment whose only previous coaching job was in charge of Madrid’s ‘B’ team Castilla, will have his work cut out because of a lack of experience.
Zidane on Tuesday also acknowledged that a “difficult” challenge lay ahead.
But Houllier said a run of good results would help to strengthen the Frenchman’s position.
“It’s probably more pressure [to coach a big club],” said Houllier, who managed Liverpool from 1998 to 2004. “But if he makes it a success, if he wins a cup or finishes in second [after Barcelona]... I’m sure that at some stage he will become a top-class manager.”
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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 profile
Name: Tratok Portal
Founded: 2017
Based: UAE
Sector: Travel & tourism
Size: 36 employees
Funding: Privately funded
EXPATS
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
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Starring: Alyssa Milano, Sam Page, Colleen Wheeler
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Tomorrow 2021
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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Nissan 370z Nismo
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Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 363hp
Torque: 560Nm
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Rating: 5/5
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6.30pm Madjani Stakes Rated Conditions (PA) I Dh160,000 I 1,900m I Winner: Mawahib, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
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Satya Nadella
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Ajaypal Singh Banga
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Coal Black Mornings
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Little Brown Book Group
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
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The specs: Rolls-Royce Cullinan
Price, base: Dh1 million (estimate)
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12
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Fuel economy, combined: 15L / 100km
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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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Director: Siddharth Anand
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Ashutosh Rana, Vaani Kapoor
Rating: Two out of five stars
Mountain Classification Tour de France after Stage 8 on Saturday:
- 1. Lilian Calmejane (France / Direct Energie) 11
- 2. Fabio Aru (Italy / Astana) 10
- 3. Daniel Martin (Ireland / Quick-Step) 8
- 4. Robert Gesink (Netherlands / LottoNL) 8
- 5. Warren Barguil (France / Sunweb) 7
- 6. Chris Froome (Britain / Team Sky) 6
- 7. Guillaume Martin (France / Wanty) 6
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Haemoglobin disorders explained
Thalassaemia is part of a family of genetic conditions affecting the blood known as haemoglobin disorders.
Haemoglobin is a substance in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and a lack of it triggers anemia, leaving patients very weak, short of breath and pale.
The most severe type of the condition is typically inherited when both parents are carriers. Those patients often require regular blood transfusions - about 450 of the UAE's 2,000 thalassaemia patients - though frequent transfusions can lead to too much iron in the body and heart and liver problems.
The condition mainly affects people of Mediterranean, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Saudi Arabia recorded 45,892 cases of carriers between 2004 and 2014.
A World Health Organisation study estimated that globally there are at least 950,000 'new carrier couples' every year and annually there are 1.33 million at-risk pregnancies.
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Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance: the specs
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 plus rear-mounted electric motor
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The biog
From: Ras Al Khaimah
Age: 50
Profession: Electronic engineer, worked with Etisalat for the past 20 years
Hobbies: 'Anything that involves exploration, hunting, fishing, mountaineering, the sea, hiking, scuba diving, and adventure sports'
Favourite quote: 'Life is so simple, enjoy it'