Double trouble
Bruce says now the spring flowers are out.. his team must not wilt
ACROSS
Haul along the ground • Dull, dreary (4) Conflict, discord • Band of colour (6) Happening, occurrence •
Betting price returning double the amount (5) Nerve, confidence • Fight (6)
Formulate, devise • Wrinkle (6)
Memorandum • Treatment for stiff limbs (7) Express a view • Relating to sheep (5) Waste-water channel • Closed (curtains) (5) Revert to a former state •
Laments, bemoans (7)
20 — Minds, Jim Kerr’s band •
Extract of music used in a song (6)
Boat’s steering apparatus •
Vibrate, jar (6)
Foundation, underlying support •
Desert paradise (5)
24 Member of a sports team •
Supplication, litany (6)
25 Light military vehicle •
Castle’s central tower (4) 1 5 8
9 10 11 13 15 17
21
23
DOWN
Each clue leads to two answers which differ from each other by one letter. You must decide which is the correct one.
For example, the two possible answers to 10A are CREATE and CREASE — the answer to 7D will reveal which one is correct. Solutions in Monday’s Irish Mirror
Discuss, argue •
Refund, discount (6)
Trounce • Boyfriend (4)
Income •
— of the Sith, Star Wars film (7)
Grim, desolate • Ordered pile (5)
Telephone part that contains the earpiece • One who misleads (8)
Salesman’s persuasive talk •
Wooden clog or sandal (6)
Indoor footwear •
— slope, course of action leading to failure (8) Closest at hand •
Most tidy (7)
Bookworm • Frontrunner (6)
Slimy mud •
Frame for travelling over snow (6)
Image of a bird or animal used to lure game • Interior design features (5)
22 Twilight •
Dip (a biscuit) into tea (4)
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7
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19
LEICESTER v ARSENAL
King Power Stadium: Tomorrow, 12 noon
BY JOHN CROSS
MIKEL ARTETA has told Bukayo Saka he will have to carry on going like a marathon runner.
Saka, 19, has become invaluable to Arsenal’s season, he was the Europa League hero in Athens on Thursday night and even the manager admits he would “ideally” need a rest ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Leicester.
But Arteta insists Saka will have to keep on going in a vital few weeks for the club. The Arsenal starlet has arguably become their most important player.
He has already provided 18 assists in his career and, despite playing 35 games for club and country this season, there is no room for a break.
“There are things and professions that are much harder than ours where people keep on going and going – when someone is running a marathon and chasing somebody,” said Arteta.
“Fatigue is mental a lot of times because if things go well and you score a goal, I’m sure you will still have the energy to sprint and celebrate that goal.
“But when you have to track back you say you’re tired? I don’t really agree with that, if you are on that pitch – until you are absolutely done – you have to give your best.
“It is not only him, there are a lot of players who have played so many minutes, you could see the Benfica players and sense their fatigue and the changes they had to do.
“But when things go well the energy that creates sometimes overcomes fatigue and I prefer not to talk too much about fatigue.
“If we have to rest players we have to rest them because we have to keep them fit as much as possible. But as well you have to develop that mental toughness you need when you are in competitions you want to win.” Saka has become one of the best young players in England and, because of his importance to Arsenal, maybe even the very best of the post-2000 generation.
Arteta added: “He is a boy that is constantly willing to learn, to get better, to work on the things he can do better and he is very humble and hard working.
“When that happens normally, and you have the talent he has, you can go a long way.”
Arteta believes his opposite number tomorrow, Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers, should be a contender for Manager of the Year even with what Pep Guardiola is achieving at Manchester City.
“Obviously what Manchester City are achieving is phenomenal,” said Arteta. “It’s unprecedented and that has to be rewarded.
“What Leicester have done in recent years, what they have already achieved this season, with the level of consistency that they’ve shown in the Premier League, I think Brendan winning the award is something to consider.”