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Arsenal manager Thomas Tuchel has defended Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka over their withdrawals from the England squad, citing '100% trust' in their integrity. The players were absent due to discomfort after the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City.Rice and Saka reported for training but continued to feel discomfort, prompting them to stand down. Tuchel emphasized that the pair wanted to be involved but were clearly uncomfortable. He understands the optics of multiple Arsenal players being unavailable or withdrawing from international duty but stressed his trust in Rice and Saka's honesty.The withdrawals come amid a busy schedule for Premier League clubs, which Tuchel sees as a threat to England's World Cup hopes due to player fatigue. He noted that scans on Noni Madueke's knee were 'slightly better than his feeling but he will be out for some days'.Jude Bellingham will not play against Japan as he recovers from a hamstring injury, while Jordan Henderson is unlikely to feature after following an individual program.

Liverpool is optimistic that Mohamed Salah will return from injury in the FA Cup quarter-final against Manchester City on Saturday. The Egypt international has been sidelined with a muscle problem sustained during the Champions League match against Galatasaray.Salah, who announced his departure from Liverpool at the end of the season, was also forced to miss Egypt's friendlies against Saudi Arabia and Spain. However, he has responded well to treatment, and there is confidence he will be involved at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.This potential return comes as Liverpool prepares for a crucial sequence of fixtures that could define their season. Arne Slot's side will be looking to make a strong impression, especially with the Champions League quarter-final first leg against Paris Saint-Germain approaching.In other injury news, Alexander Isak may also be available for the first time since fracturing a leg at Tottenham in December, although his comeback is expected to be more realistic for the Champions League match. The £125m British-record signing is expected to resume team training this week.On the other hand, Alisson, Liverpool's first-choice goalkeeper, is still nursing a hamstring injury and remains a major doubt for the trip to Parc des Princes. The 33-year-old has experienced repeated hamstring injuries in recent seasons.Meanwhile, Florian Wirtz has claimed that he has become a stronger player as a result of the problems he encountered after moving to Liverpool. The Germany international joined for a then club-record £116m from Bayer Leverkusen last summer but has struggled to impose himself in the Premier League.

Tottenham Hotspur have sacked manager Igor Tudor after just 44 days in charge, with the club struggling to avoid relegation from the Premier League. Tudor managed the team for seven games, securing only one point from his five league matches.The final straw came with last Sunday's 3-0 home defeat by Nottingham Forest, which left Tottenham one point and one place above the bottom three. A potential demotion to the Championship would be catastrophic for the club's prestige and revenues.Tudor's departure comes amid a backdrop of human tragedy, with the manager informed of the death of his father, Mario, after the Forest game. The club aimed to handle the situation with sensitivity towards the Croatian manager.Tudor's brief tenure included two Champions League matches against Atlético Madrid, with Tottenham ultimately losing 7-5 on aggregate. His time at Spurs began with a difficult period, including league defeats to Arsenal, Fulham, and Crystal Palace.The club has gone 13 league games without a win, their worst run since 1934-35 when they were relegated from the old Division One. Tudor's approach and tactics were questioned, particularly his decision to substitute goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky after just 17 minutes in the first leg against Atlético Madrid.Tudor had been tasked with bringing organisation, intensity, and competitive edge to the squad, but ultimately failed to achieve this. The club is now searching for a new manager, with Bruno Salter set to take training in the interim.

The Evolution of Mobile CreativityThe iPad has undergone a radical transformation, shifting from a simple media consumption device to a serious contender in the professional creative suite. This evolution is driven by a new generation of applications that leverage the device's hardware capabilities—such as the Apple Pencil and high-resolution displays—to offer tools previously reserved for desktop computers. The market is now saturated with apps that cater to every niche, from therapeutic coloring to complex video editing, fundamentally changing how creators approach their workflows.Pricing Strategies: Subscription vs. One-TimeProcreate ($12.99): A dominant player in the one-time purchase model, offering immense value with high-resolution canvases and advanced brush engines.Lake ($9.99/mo): Utilizes a subscription model focused on accessibility and relaxation, offering a low barrier to entry for casual users.Canva ($12.99/mo): Leverages a freemium model with AI integration to capture the mass market, monetizing through premium templates and automation.Sketchbook ($2.99 one-time): Demonstrates that a low-cost, one-time purchase can still capture significant market share through simplicity and reliability.Democratizing Professional WorkflowsThe impact of these tools extends beyond individual hobbyists; they are democratizing professional workflows. Apps like LumaFusion and Affinity Designer 2 have lowered the barrier to entry for indie filmmakers and graphic designers, allowing them to produce broadcast-quality content on mobile devices. Simultaneously, AI-driven tools like Canva's Magic Media are enabling users without formal design training to execute complex visual tasks, effectively blurring the line between amateur and professional output.The Future of On-the-Go CreationLooking ahead, the trend points toward deeper integration of AI and cloud-based collaboration. We can expect mobile apps to become even more autonomous, handling technical heavy lifting while users focus on conceptualization. The competition between subscription-based ecosystems and robust one-time purchase models will likely define the next phase of the creative software market, with users gravitating toward the model that offers the best balance of long-term value and feature accessibility.

Harrogate Town's hopes of retaining their Football League status are dwindling as they struggle to find form in League Two. The team, managed by Simon Weaver, has had a dismal season so far, scoring just 29 goals in 40 games and conceding the most shots in the league. Despite a recent upturn in results, including an unbeaten five-game spell in February that yielded nine points, Harrogate still find themselves in 23rd place, only a point from a safe position. The team's home form has been particularly poor, with only three home victories all season. The club's struggles are compounded by the fact that they have not changed their manager this season, with Weaver being the longest-serving manager in the current EFL clubs, having been in the job since 2009. Weaver's father, Irving, is the club's chairman, which has led to a unique family dynamic in the club's decision-making process. Weaver has had to navigate a difficult season, with 19 new signings arriving since the end of last season and 36 players being used across the league campaign. The team has also suffered an injury crisis, with 12 senior players out for the long term at one point. Despite these challenges, Weaver remains optimistic about the team's chances of staying up, citing the 32% increase in home support over the past three years and the club's recent application for planning permission for a new training ground. However, with tough fixtures ahead, including matches against Bristol Rovers and Colchester, Harrogate will need to win their next few games to keep their pride intact and stay in the league.

For British runner Josh Kerr, the moment that makes the hairs on his neck tingle every time he watches it is Roger Bannister's historic achievement in 1954 – becoming the first person to break the four-minute mile barrier. Now, Kerr intends to stand on the shoulders of track and field's giants by attempting to break the world mile record himself at the London Diamond League in July."This record needs to be brought home," Kerr declares. "This is a British record. This is a British distance. And so it would be doing a disservice to the UK to not be doing it at home. It's why I can't do it anywhere else."The 28-year-old faces a significant challenge. The world record of 3:43.13 was set by Hicham El-Guerrouj in July 1999, while Kerr's best is a shade over two seconds slower. However, with focused training, a new shoe from sponsor Brooks, the support of his 16-strong entourage and 60,000 fans at the London Stadium, Kerr believes he can break the long-standing record."People [say:] 'The sport needs more rivalries,'" Kerr explains. "I don't agree. I think the sport needs more moments. We need a reason to watch. And so that's where this comes from. This is the time to go after these big moments. I have a big target of what time I want to hit. I think it's going to be pretty special."Kerr's credentials are impeccable. He is a world 1500m champion and an Olympic silver and bronze medalist over the same distance. Last weekend, he further demonstrated his form by winning the world indoor title over 3,000m for a second time."I've been in shape to run the record multiple times over the last couple of years," Kerr states. "And so there's specific key sessions, we will have KPIs [key performance indicators] going into it."To achieve his goal, Kerr plans to focus on running between 55 and 56 seconds pace for each of the four laps. "There's a lot of muscle memory with stuff, and so we'll do a lot of training at pace," he explains. "We're three or four months in deep into the mental training of it. There's a lot going on behind the scenes already. The whole season is towards this."While Kerr has his pacemakers "signed, sealed and delivered," he insists this will be a proper Diamond League race rather than a time trial. "There will be some restrictions," he says coyly when asked about potential rivals. "I'm not scared to race people. I think certain athletes will have obligations elsewhere. But it's not going to be a closed-off race."A crucial factor in Kerr's favor is the quality of his support team. "Danny's the mastermind behind everything," Kerr says of his coach Danny Mackey. "He's my head coach and team leader. Then you've got Julian, who's an assistant coach, and my wife, who helps with everything."The team also includes Kerr's mother as head physio, a "super-manager and assistant" called Nicole, a chiropractor, massage therapist, two strength and conditioning coaches, a performance and mental coach, a nutritionist, a full-time chef, and a videographer and social media assistant. Race agent Ray Flynn and management company Forte complete the 16-strong squad."I have a lot of respect for this record," Kerr concludes. "But I believe that I have the ability and the people around me that will help me get there. This record is one of the most important we have in track and field. The time is now. It's time for that record to be renewed."

England's experimental lineup for their international friendly against Uruguay ended in a 1-1 draw, a result that did little to alleviate concerns over the team's lack of chemistry and cohesion on the pitch.Manager Thomas Tuchel had indicated that his starting XI selection would be based on training ground performances, but the team's display at Wembley Stadium suggested that chemistry and teamwork were sorely lacking.The match was marked by a disappointing performance from England, with Phil Foden and Harry Maguire among the few players showing any semblance of form. The team's lack of rhythm and patterns on the pitch were evident, with Tuchel's tactics coming under scrutiny.Uruguay's Federico Valverde equalized from the penalty spot after Ben White gave England the lead with a late goal. The draw was a fair result given the lack of quality on display from both teams.The experimental nature of England's lineup, featuring second-choice players and youngsters, raised questions about Tuchel's strategy and the depth of talent available to him. With the World Cup looming, England's form and cohesion will be crucial to their success.

Iran has introduced a ban on its sports teams traveling to countries it considers 'hostile', as reported by Iranian state TV. This move comes ahead of Tractor SC's scheduled football match in Saudi Arabia as part of the Asian Champions League. The ban was announced nearly a month after US-Israeli attacks on Iran led to war on February 28. The Iranian Ministry of Sports stated that the presence of national and club teams in countries unable to ensure the security of Iranian athletes is prohibited until further notice. The decision specifically affects Tractor's playoff game against Shabab Al Ahli of Dubai in Saudi Arabia, set to take place next month. The Iranian football federation and clubs are responsible for notifying the Asian Football Confederation to relocate the games. Although the statement did not list countries deemed hostile, it mentioned that the western zone playoffs have been rescheduled for April 13-14 in Jeddah, with the tournament quarterfinals, semifinals, and final set for April 16-25 in the Saudi city. This development is separate from Iran's participation in the World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the US in June and July, for which Iran has qualified. The Iranian ambassador in Mexico City has been negotiating with FIFA to move Iran's group-stage matches from the US to Mexico due to safety concerns raised by US President Donald Trump. However, FIFA President Gianni Infantino has expressed a desire for the tournament to proceed as scheduled. The Iranian national team is currently training in Turkey ahead of friendly matches against Nigeria and Costa Rica.

Ben White stepped onto the Wembley pitch to a chorus of jeers from England supporters when introduced as a 68th-minute substitute. The Arsenal defender's return to international football came nearly two years after walking out on the squad during the 2022 World Cup, making his availability for this fixture a significant development.The friendly encounter lacked intensity for much of the first half, with England struggling to create meaningful opportunities. Thomas Tuchel, utilizing an experimental lineup with no survivors from the previous match against Albania, focused on evaluating fringe players for potential World Cup consideration. The match tempo was low, and patterns remained formulaic as Uruguay comfortably maintained defensive organization.The game transformed dramatically after White's introduction. In the 81st minute, the defender marked his fifth England cap with his first international goal, tapping in from close range following an excellent Cole Palmer corner delivery. Despite scoring, the announcement of his name was met with another round of boos from the home crowd.White's night took a turn for the worse in stoppage time when he conceded a penalty with an ill-advised challenge on Federico Vinas. After a video assistant referee review, Federico Valverde converted the spot kick, leveling the score at 1-1. The match had been particularly fractious, featuring several contentious challenges including an X-rated lunge by Uruguay's Ronald Araújo at Phil Foden, which left the Manchester City player limping off.Tuchel expressed frustration with the officiating, questioning why Araújo escaped punishment and suggesting the VAR system was malfunctioning. The England manager had made numerous changes to his squad, prioritizing rest for first-choice players during a condensed training week leading up to the fixture.