• Inter Milan v Southampton, Thursday, 9pm UAE, BeIN Sports 11HD
If a group of Inter Milan and Southampton supporters had been told at the start of the decade that their teams would meet in the Europa League in 2016, most would have been highly sceptical.
Back in 2010, fans of the Italian giants were contemplating a period of domestic domination. Inter had claimed each of the last five Serie A titles on offer, and given that both AS Roma and AC Milan had struggled to overhaul them under various different managers and Juventus had not yet awoken from the slumber brought about by their post-Calciopoli scandal relegation, the club's position at the top of the Italian game seemed reasonably secure.
Inter had also just won the Uefa Champions League under Jose Mourinho and would have been hoping to establish themselves as regular challengers for the continent’s premier prize despite the Portuguese’s exit to Real Madrid that summer.
More European football
• Champions League results: Real Madrid crush Legia, Leicester near last-16
• Wednesday Champions League: UAE times, TV, previews
Southampton, meanwhile, were languishing in League One. An immediate return to the Championship following their ignominious demotion in 2009 was missed out on by some distance, with Alan Pardew’s charges failing to even make the play-offs in the club’s first season in the third tier of English football for half a century. At the time, there was a genuine fear that Southampton could become trapped in a malaise and find themselves stuck in the lower leagues for years to come.
In the six years since then, the two sides have been trending in opposite directions. While Inter have descended from the summit in Italy, regularly finishing closer to the middle of the table than the top, Southampton have climbed back up the divisions and are now very firmly a part of the cluster of clubs just outside the Premier League’s elite.
The latter have proven themselves to be a model outfit whose astute off-field operations have allowed them to consistently exceed expectations and overcome adversity, but the same cannot be said for the former.
The Inter side that won the treble under Mourinho in 2010 was not a young one, with the eleven players who took to the field in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich having an average age of 30 years and 92 days.
Adequate replacements were not secured when the likes of Samuel Eto’o, Lucio and Marco Materazzi departed in 2011 or 2012, and a failure to invest in younger players meant there was no one to step in as the influence of Javier Zanetti, Esteban Cambiasso and Wesley Sneijder waned in the years that followed.
Inter suffered from their lack of long-term planning, boardroom direction and sensible recruitment, areas in which Southampton have thrived.
Many other clubs would have struggled after losing managers such as Mauricio Pochettino and Ronald Koeman and concurrently being forced to overhaul their playing staff, but the Premier League side have continually managed to absorb wholesale changes and come back stronger.
As a result, Southampton have nothing to fear at San Siro on Thursday. Although their squad is not lacking in talent, Inter have continued to stagnate this term: Frank de Boer’s men are currently 11th in Serie A and have lost both of their two previous Europa League outings, with a dispute between supporters and club captain Mauro Icardi compounding their woes.
Southampton, conversely, have found their feet under Claude Puel, winning five and drawing two of their last seven encounters in all competitions. This week’s game against such illustrious opponents at such an iconic stadium is just reward for their recent achievements.
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TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin
MEDIEVIL%20(1998)
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SPECS
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U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES
UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
- Saturday 15 January: UAE beat Canada by 49 runs
- Thursday 20 January: v England
- Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh
UAE squad:
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles
Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly,
Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya
Shetty, Kai Smith
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Women & Power: A Manifesto
Mary Beard
Profile Books and London Review of Books
The five pillars of Islam
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Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
if you go
The flights
Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes.
When to visit
March-May and September-November
Visas
Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.
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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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
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Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
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The five stages of early child’s play
From Dubai-based clinical psychologist Daniella Salazar:
1. Solitary Play: This is where Infants and toddlers start to play on their own without seeming to notice the people around them. This is the beginning of play.
2. Onlooker play: This occurs where the toddler enjoys watching other people play. There doesn’t necessarily need to be any effort to begin play. They are learning how to imitate behaviours from others. This type of play may also appear in children who are more shy and introverted.
3. Parallel Play: This generally starts when children begin playing side-by-side without any interaction. Even though they aren’t physically interacting they are paying attention to each other. This is the beginning of the desire to be with other children.
4. Associative Play: At around age four or five, children become more interested in each other than in toys and begin to interact more. In this stage children start asking questions and talking about the different activities they are engaging in. They realise they have similar goals in play such as building a tower or playing with cars.
5. Social Play: In this stage children are starting to socialise more. They begin to share ideas and follow certain rules in a game. They slowly learn the definition of teamwork. They get to engage in basic social skills and interests begin to lead social interactions.