LONDON // Arsene Wenger will hope an unexpected slip from Liverpool or Manchester City helps silence a growing army of critics as Arsenal try to salvage their traumatic Premier League campaign by snatching a Uefa Champions League berth in Sunday’s season finale.
Rocked by Arsenal’s failure to live up to his expectations, and with a succession of former players questioning his methods, Wenger has been under fire like never before in his 21-year reign. The lowest moment of all is likely to come at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
As if finishing below arch rivals Tottenham Hotspur for the first time in 22 years was not bad enough, Wenger’s bid to lead Arsenal into the Champions League for a 20th successive season is in grave danger heading into their last league game against Everton.
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Read more
■ Predictions: Expect goals as Chelsea, Spurs and Man City finish in style
■ Chelsea: John Terry, the one mainstay in the Roman Abramovich era, bids farewell
■ Liverpool: Beating Arsenal to top four spot would see shift in balance of power and fortunes
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To make matters worse, his former captain Tony Adams said Wenger "couldn't coach his way out of a paper bag" in an extract from his autobiography Sober, serialised in The Sun newspaper.
Wenger, however, brushed off the criticism from former defender Adams, whose coaching tenure at Granada has ended in relegation from the Primeraa Liga in Spain.
With the title race settled in Chelsea’s favour, Tottenham guaranteed to finish second and the three relegation places filled by Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Hull City, attention will focus Sunday on the battle for the lucrative remaining two places in Europe’s elite club competition.
Despite winning six of their last seven games, Arsenal are in fifth place, one point behind fourth-placed Liverpool and three adrift of third-placed City.
If Liverpool beat relegated Middlesbrough at Anfield and City avoid defeat at struggling Watford, then, even if Arsenal win, Wenger’s side will be consigned to the indignity of Thursday nights in the unglamorous Europa League next term.
Having refused to confirm if he will accept Arsenal’s offer of a new contract, the 67-year-old Frenchman said this week his future will be settled when he meets the club’s power brokers after Arsenal’s FA Cup final date with Chelsea on May 27.
* Agence France-Presse
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ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
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- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
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Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
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So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
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As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
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The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
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Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
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Stage: early-stage startup
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