Arsenal midfielder Mikel Arteta, left, gestures to Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger during the English FA Cup Semi-final match between Wigan Athletic and Arsenal at Wembley Stadium in London on April 12, 2014. AFP PHOTO/IAN KINGTON
Arsenal midfielder Mikel Arteta, left, gestures to Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger during the English FA Cup Semi-final match between Wigan Athletic and Arsenal at Wembley Stadium in London on April 12,Show more

‘You want to play with the top teams’ Wenger says of top-four finish



Manager Arsene Wenger understands how Arsenal could have become complacent in expecting Uefa Champions League football as an automatic right, but warned it is “vital” that the Gunners fight for their place in next season’s competition.

Arsenal will host West Ham on Tuesday night looking to move themselves above Everton on the back of what was a nerve-shredding FA Cup semi-final win over Wigan on penalties at Wembley.

Wenger feels his squad - which could well see the return of both Mesut Ozil and Jack Wilshere in time for the final on May 17 - have the needed character to see off the Toffees’ challenge and secure another crack at elite European football in 2014/2015.

Arsenal have played in the Champions League now for some 16 consecutive campaigns, an achievement which Wenger has always stressed was imperative to the club as they moved from Highbury to the Emirates Stadium if all played out under the spectre of what is now almost a decade without silverware.

“Maybe yes, we felt anyway ‘that is done’,” said Wenger, when asked if the squad had assumed they would be playing in the Champions League again.

“We have had a difficult schedule (this season) and the weight of a negative result, the mental aspect of a negative result in a big game, is massive. To deal with that is very difficult and when you have a succession of big games one after the other, if you lose the first one you are always in trouble.”

Wenger has often been lambasted for regarding a top-four finish as the minimum requirement at the start of the season, above winning a trophy.

The Arsenal manager continued: “For many years I was sitting here and had to convince you that it was important that we were in the top four - now it is in a reverse position, you say to me ‘you realise how important it is for us’.

“It is vital to me to do it. I want this club to play in the top level competition, and for that you want to be in the Champions League.

“What will be an advantage is our desire to play in this competition because we love the Champions League and just to imagine how much we love it will help us to achieve it.

“The pain of not having it? I would like them (the players) rather to concentrate on the pleasure to be in it.”

Wenger is in no doubt that the way to progress talent is for them to compete at the highest level.

“It is vital for the young players as well. You learn more by playing against Bayern or Barcelona or Real Madrid than if you play in the Europa League, that is for sure,” he said.

“You don’t go backwards, but you want to play with the top teams.”

Wenger has yet to sign the new contract extension on offer from Arsenal, but the 64-year-old maintains “we are really focused and working very hard” on forward planning for next season and beyond.

He added: “Every day we spend time on that.”

Arsenal have several fitness concerns ahead of the clash against the Hammers, who have not played since losing at home to Liverpool on April 6.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Aaron Ramsey, Lukas Podolski, Nacho Monreal and Kieran Gibbs all need to be assessed by the Gunners medical staff.

However, Tomas Rosicky and Laurent Koscielny could be back in contention after missing out at Wembley.

Wenger accepts tackling such a physical side as West Ham so soon after the gruelling 120 minutes on Saturday is “not welcome”, but remains confident his men can lift themselves.

“If we had gone out (at Wembley), it would really have been terrible. The fact that we come out in a positive mood will help us to recover. I believe physically we can cope with it,” he said.

“Fatigue is an issue, but it is difficult to predict how you will be three days later.

“The mental part is so important in the physical recovery.”

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Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode

Directors: Raj & DK

Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon

Rating: 4/5

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding

SM Town Live is on Friday, April 6 at Autism Rocks Arena, Dubai. Tickets are Dh375 at www.platinumlist.net

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Top investing tips for UAE residents in 2021

Build an emergency fund: Make sure you have enough cash to cover six months of expenses as a buffer against unexpected problems before you begin investing, advises Steve Cronin, the founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com.

Think long-term: When you invest, you need to have a long-term mindset, so don’t worry about momentary ups and downs in the stock market.

Invest worldwide: Diversify your investments globally, ideally by way of a global stock index fund.

Is your money tied up: Avoid anything where you cannot get your money back in full within a month at any time without any penalty.

Skip past the promises: “If an investment product is offering more than 10 per cent return per year, it is either extremely risky or a scam,” Mr Cronin says.

Choose plans with low fees: Make sure that any funds you buy do not charge more than 1 per cent in fees, Mr Cronin says. “If you invest by yourself, you can easily stay below this figure.” Managed funds and commissionable investments often come with higher fees.

Be sceptical about recommendations: If someone suggests an investment to you, ask if they stand to gain, advises Mr Cronin. “If they are receiving commission, they are unlikely to recommend an investment that’s best for you.”

Get financially independent: Mr Cronin advises UAE residents to pursue financial independence. Start with a Google search and improve your knowledge via expat investing websites or Facebook groups such as SimplyFI. 

If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed 

J%20Street%20Polling%20Results
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Padmaavat

Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh

3.5/5

RESULTS
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MATCH INFO

West Ham United 2 (Antonio 73', Ogbonna 90 5')

Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Son 36', Moura 42', Kane 49')

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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HEADLINE HERE
  • I would recommend writing out the text in the body 
  • And then copy into this box
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  • But I recommend you use the bullet point function (see red square)
  • Or try to keep the word count down
  • Be wary of other embeds lengthy fact boxes could crash into 
  • That's about it

 


 

Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale

Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni

Director: Amith Krishnan

Rating: 3.5/5

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The cost of Covid testing around the world

Egypt

Dh514 for citizens; Dh865 for tourists

Information can be found through VFS Global.

Jordan

Dh212

Centres include the Speciality Hospital, which now offers drive-through testing.

Cambodia

Dh478

Travel tests are managed by the Ministry of Health and National Institute of Public Health.

Zanzibar

AED 295

Zanzibar Public Health Emergency Operations Centre, located within the Lumumba Secondary School compound.

Abu Dhabi

Dh85

Abu Dhabi’s Seha has test centres throughout the UAE.

UK

From Dh400

Heathrow Airport now offers drive through and clinic-based testing, starting from Dh400 and up to Dh500 for the PCR test.

SPECS

Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now

Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha

Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar

Director: Neeraj Pandey

Rating: 2.5/5

Electoral College Victory

Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate. 

 

Popular Vote Tally

The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.

ARM%20IPO%20DETAILS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EShare%20price%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Undisclosed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ETarget%20raise%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%248%20billion%20to%20%2410%20billion%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EProjected%20valuation%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2460%20billion%20to%20%2470%20billion%20(Source%3A%20Bloomberg)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ELead%20underwriters%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Barclays%2C%20Goldman%20Sachs%20Group%2C%20JPMorgan%20Chase%20and%20Mizuho%20Financial%20Group%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

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