Park Ji-sung made his first appearance of 2011 for Manchester United on Saturday at West Ham.
Park Ji-sung made his first appearance of 2011 for Manchester United on Saturday at West Ham.

Park Ji-sung is Manchester United's big-game player



It is safe to say that the 2008 Champions League final will be a constant reference point at Stamford Bridge tonight. As the footage from Moscow is replayed, the costly inability of John Terry and Nicolas Anelka to score from 12 yards should prove impossible to ignore.

Yet Chelsea's players do not have a monopoly on disappointment when they look back three years.

There are no such crushing images to remind Park Ji-sung of his anguish.

It was the result of managerial choice, rather than faulty penalty-taking, as a man who had played every minute of the quarter-final and semi-final ties was not even named on the bench.

Sir Alex Ferguson has subsequently said: "It was a terrible decision to have to take. In many ways it was the hardest decision I've ever had to make because Ji-sung had played such a great part in the previous games against Roma and Barcelona." It was a compliment, if not consolation.

Twelve months later, Park became the first Asian to appear in a Champions League final. Once again, however, it was no occasion for personal celebrations: Barcelona beat Manchester United 2-0. Now the quest to erase Moscow from the memory begins again in earnest.

Now it is impossible to envisage a selection that does not include the 30-year-old. "One of the most underrated players in the game," as Ferguson has described him, has undergone a shift in status. A first choice has the welcome tag of a big-game player.

This is a player who has rarely proved prolific, but whose goals tend to be reserved for the major occasions.

Six seasons at Old Trafford have only brought 21, but four have come against Arsenal alone. Chelsea, Liverpool and AC Milan are others to concede to the South Korean.

Yet his true value may lie elsewhere. As befits a footballer with the nickname "three lungs", his energy levels mean that Park is a winger who can double up as the first line of defence. It explains why he figures particularly often away from home, often shielding his friend Patrice Evra on the left flank.

Ferguson appreciates his versatility, however. Park made a belated first appearance of 2011 at West Ham United on Saturday, delayed by first the Asian Cup and then a hamstring injury, as an advanced central midfielder. It is a role he could fulfil again today, buzzing around the more statuesque Michael Carrick and Paul Scholes.

Or, should Anderson be fit and two games in four days seem too much for Ryan Giggs's 37-year-old legs, the more familiar beat on the left wing may beckon.

The eager worker doubles up as lucky mascot. Park is unbeaten in United's colours this season (as, indeed, are Anderson and Rio Ferdinand) and the thought occurred that the back-to-back defeats at Stamford Bridge and Anfield last month might have been averted had he been available.

They were games when Ferguson's men, shorn of several of their most industrious midfielders, were outworked in the centre of the pitch.

It accounts for differing perceptions of Park: in England, he may have gone under appreciated, derided as a marketing tool when out of form and celebrated in song largely because the supporters find one particular chorus amusing. The crowd-pleasers and the warriors tend to be more popular.

In his native South Korea, however, he is a national icon, a more clean-cut Wayne Rooney.

Three years ago, admiration was merged with surprise and sympathy. Now that is unnecessary: should United reach Wembley in the Champions League, their masses of fans in Seoul and Suwon are unlikely to be heartbroken again.

10.45pm, Aljazeera Sport + 3

Chelsea v Manchester United

Key Battle

Jose Bosingwa v Nani

Injuries have hindered Bosingwa’s Chelsea career since his £16.3 million (Dh96.2m) move from Porto in 2008. On song, the right-back, below, provides an excellent attacking option and has the pace to contain Nani. United’s winger probably has the best dribbling ability of any player tonight and that could be a game breaker.

Tactics

In their two previous league trips to Stamford Bridge, United will feel they played the better football without getting the results – they lost both times. Such is the way in two-legged games, expect both managers to be cautious. Ironically, a 0-0 draw suits Chelsea better than United, because of the away goal rule.

Previous meetings

This is the first European meeting between the two since the 2008 final in Moscow, which United won on penalties. Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 10 home meetings against United.

Probable line-ups

Chelsea (4-3-3) Cech; Bosingwa, Ivanovic, Terry, Cole; Essien, Lampard, Ramires; Malouda, Drogba, Torres.
Man Utd (4-3-3) Van der Sar; Fabio, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra; Carrick, Scholes, Park; Giggs, Nani, Rooney.

Facts

• Both teams are each likely to field seven players who started the final three years ago.
• Despite the prospect of caution, there have been just two 0-0 draws between the teams in 33 matches.

Jigra
Director: Vasan Bala
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Rated: 3.5/5
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher:  Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5

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TRAP

Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue

Director: M Night Shyamalan

Rating: 3/5

Living in...

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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The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

Joker: Folie a Deux

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson

Director: Todd Phillips 

Rating: 2/5

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.

Company%20profile
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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
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THE%20SPECS
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Thank You for Banking with Us

Director: Laila Abbas

Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum

Rating: 4/5

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
UK%20record%20temperature
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The Details

Kabir Singh

Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series

Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga

Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa

Rating: 2.5/5 

The specs

Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8

Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm

Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km

Price: Dh380,000

On sale: now 

In numbers: China in Dubai

The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000

Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent

UAE players with central contracts

Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.

Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press

Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

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Tree of Hell

Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla

Director: Raed Zeno

Rating: 4/5

APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)

Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits

Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

Storage: 128/256/512GB

Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4

Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps

Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID

Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight

In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter

Price: From Dh2,099

Company%20Profile
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'My Son'

Director: Christian Carion

Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis

Rating: 2/5

How to wear a kandura

Dos

  • Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion 
  • Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
  • Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work 
  • Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester

Don’ts 

  • Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal 
  • Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Power: 268bhp / 536bhp
Torque: 343Nm / 686Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
On sale: Later this year

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