A quiet fear hangs over tonight's Champions League final, an unease that the event might too closely resemble the second legs of the ties that steered Inter Milan and Bayern Munich to their showdown in Madrid.
If Inter become inclined too early in the match to stoically defend a lead, as they did over 180 minutes against Barcelona, then the neutral viewers would spend the evening starved of end-to-end entertainment.
But nor would those neutrals be perched on the edge of their seats if it turned out as one-sided as Bayern's 3-0 destruction of Olympique Lyonnais. Spoilers, as Inter were in Barcelona, do not make for great Cup finals. Neither do teams who are coasting, as Bayern quickly were in France.
Happily there is enough about both contestants to indicate they have sufficient reserves of initiative and fibre to prevent any repeat of what happened on their previous outings. It is a novel final in many respects. It looks different from the seven previous Champions League deciders because it has a German club in it; it is unlike the five preceding finals because it does not have an English team involved.
It is fresh, and supposedly more child-friendly, because it is taking place on a Saturday. It is also a duel of classic, thoroughbred clubs. It may have been a long while since Inter were this close to capturing the European Cup, but they did so twice in the 1960s, just as Bayern had a hat-trick of such triumphs in the middle of the 1970s.
Inter are most experts' likely champions. On the basis of recent form, though, Bayern should be favourites. They thrashed Lyon in the semis - it was 4-0 on aggregate - and they come to Spain on the back of a 4-0 win over Werder Bremen in the German Cup final and an emphatic finale to their successful Bundesliga campaign.
According strictly to form, Inter would be presented as the nervous qualifiers, victors by the narrowest margin in the last round, Italian champions thanks only to a 1-0 win on the last day of the Serie A season, chasing a treble thanks only to what was a close win in the Coppa Italia over Roma. Inter also lost their last Champions League match, 1-0 at Barcelona, although they came through thanks to an aggregate score of 3-2.
That decider in Catalonia unfairly shapes perceptions of how Inter construct their game plans, Jose Mourinho told those neutrals in the media who harbour the fear it could become a crabby final should his team strike first.
"Yes, we didn't just park the bus [put most of the players behind the ball] at Barcelona, we parked an Airbus 340 with the wings stretched out!" he said of the rearguard action in the semi-final. "Why did we do that? We had a 3-1 advantage from the first game and we were down to 10 men in the second. But remember the first leg. We could have scored five that night, and I lined the team up with Wesley Sneijder, Samuel Eto'o, Goran Pandev and Diego Milito, all attacking players."
Mourinho knows that a label as a conservative and defensive coach sticks on him tenaciously. It is not a tag that Louis van Gaal, Bayern's head coach, has been inclined to peel off on Mourinho's behalf.
Van Gaal was once Mourinho's boss, at Barcelona 12 years ago, and the Dutchman has been happy to repeat in the build-up to tonight his notion that Mourinho learned well but did not take on Van Gaal's belief that his teams "should try to entertain."
Mourinho's response? Respectful and grateful. "Louis van Gaal gave me the chance to work for three years in a great club. But I worked hard for it too. I had my tasks on the field, I went to scout our opponents, compiled reports, briefed the team about upcoming matches. Van Gaal was a great coach and always very honest with me. He also gave me advice on important decisions in my career."
Then came the reminder of Mourinho's independent streak. "I'm not his disciple," said the former apprentice. "And remember: I know Van Gaal as a head coach. He doesn't know me as a head coach. He only knows Mourinho the assistant. And that's a big distinction."
sports@thenational.ae
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Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company%20Profile
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Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE
Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
THE%20SPECS
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Kandahar%20
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Company%20Profile
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Company%20Profile
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Fire and Fury
By Michael Wolff,
Henry Holt
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
Europe wide
Some of French groups are threatening Friday to continue their journey to Brussels, the capital of Belgium and the European Union, and to meet up with drivers from other countries on Monday.
Belgian authorities joined French police in banning the threatened blockade. A similar lorry cavalcade was planned for Friday in Vienna but cancelled after authorities prohibited it.
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.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
India Test squad
Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rahul, Vijay, Pujara, Rahane (vc), Karun, Karthik (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Ashwin, Jadeja, Kuldeep, Pandya, Ishant, Shami, Umesh, Bumrah, Thakur
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Landfill in numbers
• Landfill gas is composed of 50 per cent methane
• Methane is 28 times more harmful than Co2 in terms of global warming
• 11 million total tonnes of waste are being generated annually in Abu Dhabi
• 18,000 tonnes per year of hazardous and medical waste is produced in Abu Dhabi emirate per year
• 20,000 litres of cooking oil produced in Abu Dhabi’s cafeterias and restaurants every day is thrown away
• 50 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s waste is from construction and demolition
RESULTS
Women:
55kg brown-black belt: Amal Amjahid (BEL) bt Amanda Monteiro (BRA) via choke
62kg brown-black belt: Bianca Basilio (BRA) bt Ffion Davies (GBR) via referee’s decision (0-0, 2-2 adv)
70kg brown-black belt: Ana Carolina Vieira (BRA) bt Jessica Swanson (USA), 9-0
90kg brown-black belt: Angelica Galvao (USA) bt Marta Szarecka (POL) 8-2
Men:
62kg black belt: Joao Miyao (BRA) bt Wan Ki-chae (KOR), 7-2
69kg black belt: Paulo Miyao (BRA) bt Gianni Grippo (USA), 2-2 (1-0 adv)
77kg black belt: Espen Mathiesen (NOR) bt Jake Mackenzie (CAN)
85kg black belt: Isaque Braz (BRA) bt Faisal Al Ketbi (UAE), 2-0
94kg black belt: Felipe Pena (BRA) bt Adam Wardzinski (POL), 4-0
110kg black belt final: Erberth Santos (BRA) bt Lucio Rodrigues (GBR) via rear naked choke
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5