'We need hope' says German chancellor at EU election campaign kick-off
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz ’s centre-left Social Democrats, or SPD, launched their official campaign for the 9 June EU election with a rally in Hamburg, under the mantra "we need hope."
Scholz tried to alleviate German voters' fears their country could be drawn into Ukraine's war with Russia if it's too proactive in its military support for the eastern European country.
The chancellor reiterated Germany would continue to stand by Ukraine’s side under his leadership as the second-largest arms supplier after the US, but would avoid a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia.
“To those who are worried, who are afraid, I say: you can rest assured that no matter how the debates go, the German Chancellor, the government I lead, will not abandon the course of prudence, the course of balanced action and ensuring peace and security in Europe," he said, according to German news agency dpa.
“Peace” is one of the central terms on the SPD’s election posters, on which Scholz and European election top candidate Katarina Barley can be seen together.
The far-right Alternative for Germany party, or AfD, officially kicked off its campaign for the elections at an event in the southwestern town of Donaueschingen. The party’s top candidate in the elections, Maximilian Krah, canceled plans to speak after an assistant was arrested on suspicion of spying for China earlier this week.
As EU election campaigns kick off in Germany,
Krah’s party has been polling strongly in Germany in recent months as discontent is high with Scholz’s three-party coalition government. It has long been criticised as having Russia-friendly positions.
However, the AfD's poll ratings have recently gone down compared with what they were before a media report in January about a plan by far-right politicians, including some by the AfD, to deport millions of people of non-German ancestry. The report triggered months of mass protests in the country against the rise of the far-right.
The European Parliament is the only publicly elected body in the European Union. The EU was created after World War II to foster peace, and now has 450 million people and the world’s second-largest economy. Far-right parties and their discourse are expected to weigh heavily on election campaigning.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru win toss, opt to field against Gujarat Titans
Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], April 28 (ANI): Faf du Plessis-led Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) won the toss and decided to bowl against Shubman Gill's Gujarat Titans (GT) in the 45th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Gujarat Titans are coming into this match after conceding a 4-run loss against Delhi Capitals (DC). Currently, GT are standing in seventh place on the IPL 2024 standings with 8 points after winning 4 of 9 matches.
Meanwhile, the Bengaluru-based franchise have clinched a 35-run victory against Sunrisers Hyderabad. They are standing in the 10th place on the table with just four points after winning two of nine league games.
RCB skipper Faf du Plessis confirmed that Glenn Maxwell has been included in the first eleven to "firepower" in the middle order.
"The wicket will be better later, so we will chase. The nature of this game has changed, our bowlers have been exceptional in the last two games. We have scored big with the bat, those are the changes. Maxwell comes back in, we have some firepower in the middle-order.
GT captain Gill said they are looking to put a good total on the scoreboard after batting in the first inning.
"Would have chased as well, looks a really good wicket. Need to put a good total on the board. We have batted decently, we lost by a difference of just one ball in the last game. This is the right time to peak for us," Gill said.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (C), Will Jacks, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Dinesh Karthik (Wk), Swapnil Singh, Karn Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Yash Dayal.
Gujarat Titans (Playing XI): Wriddhiman Saha (Wk), Shubman Gill (C), Sai Sudharsan, David Miller, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rahul Tewatia, Shahrukh Khan, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Noor Ahmad, Mohit Sharma. (ANI)
Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).
Haliburton Leads Pacers To Win Over Bucks
Tyrese Haliburton converted a three-point play with 1.6 seconds left in overtime to give the Indiana Pacers a 2-1 lead over the Milwaukee Bucks in their Eastern Conference first-round play-off series.
Haliburton registered 18 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds in the 121-118 win.
Khris Middleton had scored 42 points for the Bucks, who were again without the injured Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The fourth game in the best-of-seven series takes place on Sunday, also in Indianapolis.
Swiatek breezes past Cirstea at Madrid Open
Sheffield Utd relegated from Premier League
Elsewhere, Luka Doncic scored 22 points and registered 10 rebounds and nine assists as the Dallas Mavericks beat the Los Angeles Clippers 101-90 at home.
Kyrie Irving scored 19 points in the final 14 minutes as the Mavericks took a 2-1 series lead in their Western Conference first-round play-off series.
Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info
Spurs must add pragmatism to Angeball aesthetic and Udogie absence offers that opportunity
Destiny Udogie has had a fine first season at Tottenham, but his absence for the rest of it need not be a disaster for Angeball as Arsenal beckon.
Here’s a question for you: can a fixture list be Spursy?
Until now, we would have said no, absolutely not. Stop being silly, and enough with this lazy hack sh*t of calling everything Spursy. Partly that’s just because calling things Spursy is one of those things like farting, talking loudly or expressing undying love for Eric Dier: fine when we do it, but unacceptable and irritating when anyone else does it.
But mainly it would be because the idea is clearly absurd, surely. Even if we accept the premise and existence of Spursiness, how could these traits be expressed in a fixture list?
Well… like Spurs’ current fixture list. There’s probably confirmation bias at work here too, of course, because Spurs are Spurs and thus everything they do or that happens to them is studied for Spursiness. But it’s still a heck of a thing.
BIG WEEKEND: Tottenham v Arsenal, Manchester City, weary Klopp, revitalised Calvert-Lewin
Spurs, remember, have not been in Europe this season. They have also had no cup runs to speak of, having gone out in round two of the Carabao and round four of the FA Cup.
And yet they have still somehow ended up with more games left to squeeze into the last few weeks of the season than anybody. They’ve also somehow managed to have a two-week break to wallow and reflect on a shambles of a performance at Newcastle.
Related video: Ange: Your motivation shouldn't revolve around someone else's demise (Daily Mail)
Not in terms of that as a motivation,
When the North London Derby kicks off on Sunday afternoon, Spurs will have been out of action for 15 days in which Arsenal will have played four games.
As well as being Spurs’ first game in 15 days, the NLD will also kick off a sequence of six games in the final 21 days of the season. Games which include all the top three, as well as Chelsea.
And that is how a fixture list can be Spursy. There’s an all-or-nothing nature to that two weeks off, and then cram all the games into the remaining three weeks that seems allegorical for SpurS’ entire ethos under Ange Postecoglou. “We’re either playing all of the games or none of the games, mate; all of the title contenders, or none of them. We won’t change our approach.”
What they will have to do, though, is play those six games without Destiny Udogie, the prodigiously gifted left-back/number 10 hybrid who has been integral to their efforts this season.
The consensus is that Udogie’s absence is a Very Bad Thing. Certainly, it’s gutting for him – especially as he will also miss the Euros – but is it so disastrous for Spurs?
Given the specifics of their late-season fixture-cramming, it might not be. Spurs will undoubtedly be impacted as an attacking force by Udogie’s absence, because he and Pedro Porro have emerged as such unexpectedly crucial elements of it with their ability to occupy the half-spaces and either create havoc themselves or open avenues for others to exploit.
And the loss of Udogie’s pace is a problem at the other end too, where he and Micky van de Ven are so frequently required to get Spurs’ highline out of dodge.
But it’s also undeniably true that Udogie’s season has stuttered in much the same way as Spurs’ more generally. Understandably for a young man who had never kicked a ball of Barclays before this season, he has been unable to quite maintain the absurdly high levels he showed in the first half of the season.
There have been more and more errors creeping in. Van de Ven’s Bambi-on-ice schtick took most of the attention at Newcastle, but the floodgate-opening first goal all began with Udogie losing possession carelessly and, unlike Van de Ven’s struggles, this was not a new phenomenon.
For the rest of the season, Spurs will (presumably, this is Angeball after all so the potential remains for something entirely rogue) instead have Ben Davies occupying the left-back position.
And that’s going to mean Spurs playing in a necessarily different way. He is not going to maraud forward with either the same frequency or to the same effect as Udogie. But he is also less likely to sh*t the bed.
And with a fixture list that contains all of the top three as well as a trip to Chelsea, that might be okay. Davies for Udogie gives Postecoglou an out; it forces him and Spurs to play slightly differently but without it looking like a betrayal of those all-important principles.
Adapting your tactics to the players you have available is a strength, not a weakness. That really should be obvious. And a slightly more cautious approach is fine for the games Spurs have left. They have four games against teams who will come out and play them anyway, and two others against Sheffield United and Burnley that they should really be able to win anyway even without their first-choice left-back.
Arsenal and Chelsea and Liverpool and City are not going to be games where Spurs dominate possession and spend most of their time trying to pick a path through two banks of four. They are not games where you necessarily need to play a relentlessly aggressive high defensive line.
This all changes again if Porro is also ruled out after limping off at St James’ Park. Then it really does go too far the other way, because Porro has been an even more important creative outlet than Udogie. Kieran Trippier is the only defender with more assists this season than Porro’s seven.
The one time Spurs were without both their unorthodox full-backs was the home game against Wolves, and it left them playing in a creativity vacuum.
But losing one of their marauders and replacing them with a more reliable if less exciting operator might be just the thing.
It’s unlikely to have much tangible impact on Spurs this season – they’re almost certainly going to finish fifth anyway – but how they end this campaign could be significant for the next one. As could showing that some pragmatic flexibility over when and when not to Angeball need not be some great betrayal.
Tottenham – Arsenal combined XI: £65m Gunners star gets nod up front, Son over Martinelli
The north London derby is a big one. Maybe the biggest of ones in the Premier League. And with big games, we feel inclined to do a combined XI. Arsenal fans will like ours, Tottenham fans definitely will not.
GK: David Raya (Arsenal)
Probably the hardest position to settle on a player was in goal. Guglielmo Vicario has been a successful signing and while Raya has had some shaky moments, he has not had as many as Vicario, who is more easily unsettled when under pressure from set-pieces or physical opposition players.
Raya has been a commanding figure in the Arsenal goal which breeds confidence throughout the team. The Aaron Ramsdale debate was put to bed a long time ago, which has shown the Emirates faithful that Mikel Arteta’s decision making should not be questioned.
RB: Benjamin White (Arsenal)
Has there been a better right-back in the Premier League this season? Absolutely not. Gareth Southgate and Steve Holland need to grovel and get this guy in the England team for the Euros. We are not sure who should be dropped for him, but it has to happen.
While he walks in to this combined XI, that does not mean Pedro Porro has not been outstanding for Tottenham this season. He absolutely deserves recognition for that.
CB: William Saliba (Arsenal)
Saliba has been outstanding for Arsenal since making his first-team debut on matchday one in 2022/23. He was named man of the match on that night at Crystal Palace and has been the best player on the park on quite a few big games since.Related video: Ange: Your motivation shouldn't revolve around someone else's demise (Daily Mail)
no. I want to win.
He is bloody brilliant and his absence last term contributed towards an almighty bottlejob in the Premier League title race. Arsenal are made of sterner stuff this time around and Saliba’s availability is a huge reason why.
CB: Gabriel (Arsenal)
We are big fans of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven at Football365 HQ but we simply think Saliba and Gabriel are better. Arsenal’s defensive record this season speaks volumes.
Out of every centre-back at both clubs, Gabriel is the best, which many Arsenal fans might disagree with. Saliba is brilliant and has a higher ceiling, but his Brazilian partner is the superior player at this moment in time.
LB: Takehiro Tomiyasu (Arsenal)
We would have put Destiny Udogie in had he not been injured given Arsenal’s uncertainty over this position. The Italian youngster has been very impressive in his first year in the Premier League.
Jurrien Timber might be the long-term option for the Gunners in left-back but out of all the fully fit players Mikel Arteta has at his disposal, Tomiyasu is the best. Oleksandr Zinchenko has proven himself to be extremely unreliable defensively, while Jakub Kiwior is not quite on the same level as the Ukrainian and Japanese.
CM: Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)
Arsenal captain Odegaard has been in mesmerising form since the turn of the year after a decent start to the 2023/24 campaign.
He is nailed on to get in to any combined XI at the minute. What a magician.
CM: Declan Rice (Arsenal)
There is a very strongly for Rice being named Premier League Player of the Year. If Arsenal win the league, it should be him, but if it’s Manchester City, we will probably see the award go to Phil Foden.
Seriously, what a player Rice is. He has taken Arsenal to another level, especially out of possession. He is a man mountain in the middle of the pitch and has managed to prove himself to be a £100million bargain, which takes some doing.
READ MORE: Predicting five Arsenal bottlejobs from 2022/23 (and Declan Rice) primed to bottle it again in 2023/24
CM: James Maddison (Tottenham)
Maddison was strongly linked with Arsenal before they opted to sign Odegaard from Real Madrid after the Norweigan spent six months on loan at the Emirates.
Spurs fans won’t like that he is the first of their lot in this combined XI, but it is deserved. Ange Postecoglou’s men have been great to watch and Maddison in particularly was in ridiculous form before getting injured early on in the season, so the fact they have been battered by Arsenal in our team – even after drawing the reverse fixture – it takes nothing away from those who have missed out.
Pape Matar Sarr, Van de Ven, Romero, Vicario and Porro all deserve a mention. They have been crucial in the club’s fight for Champions League qualification.
RW: Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
Arsenal’s star boy easily gets in to our combined XI. He sees off competition from Brennan Johnson and Dejan Kulusevski.
LW: Heung-min Son (Tottenham)
Our second and final Spurs player is their captain, Son. The 31-year-old has an impressive 15 goals and nine assists in the Premier League this season after a poor year for him in which he found the back of the net 10 times, which does not sound that bad, but he was far from his best.
ST: Kai Havertz (Arsenal)
As we touched on in the Raya section, Arsenal boss Arteta should not be questioned. He has made some big and controversial calls at the club and arguably the most debated has been the signing of Havertz.
The German took a while to get comfortable in the Gunners team but has found his place as a No. 9, which is ironic because 99 per cent of football fans insisted he was not suited to that role during his time at Chelsea.
£65m is a lot of money to spend on a player who failed to shine at their previous club but he has shut his critics up and then some. There are still question marks, in my opinion, over his ability to play in a midfield three, and over the striker position at the Emirates, but there is no doubt that Havertz – who has 11 Premier League goals this season – has been a good signing.
Richarlison has also been much improved this term and was very close to getting in here, for what it’s worth. We also weighed up having Son through the middle and one of Gabriel Martinelli or Leandro Trossard on the left.
READ MORE: Mikel Arteta pulls clear with the most Premier League manager yellow cards this season
