Times Crossword 28,177 across down Prize solution 28,164
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PERIOD YEARNING1 Notice doctor cuddling new arrival
(6)
4 Distort way fighter appears (8)
10 Mike and others argue about face
of kroner that could be forged (9)
11 Track dog crossing river (5)
12 Token beer knocked back in old
ship in Orkney, say (11)
14 Crack band with no name (3)
15 Cast stand up for rubbish collector
(7)
17 Doctor works with unknown fluid
problem (6)
19 Northern swimmer Jack sent
round extract from Moby-Dick?
(6)
21 New rock producer’s refreshing
vocal number (7)
23 Organ needing repairs every so
often (3)
24 Marshal Ney was ready for the first
item in his diary? (3,5,3)
26 Bloke in pub, backsliding — after
this treatment? (5)
27 German city contracted one mate
working for it? (9)
29 Is US aviation pioneer able to
abandon British watersport? (8)
30 Grovel, offering punch and whiskey
to wife (6)1 In military, captain’s first — plus
handsome escort (3,5)
2 Prophetic RC HQ ejects a nun
finally (5)
3 PIN’s missing a zero (3)
5 After a week minor perhaps gets
bolshie (7)
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ready for OPEC? (11)
7 Obsessive is, say, pointing up a
source of relief (9)
8 Speech lauding record year under
Brussels (6)
9 Spirit bottle regularly found in
enclosure (6)
13 Secure cheeky child the Spanish
firework upset (11)
16 Finish off looking round classy
creature on bed (3,6)
18 Overdraft in wobbly organisation’s
a setback (4,4)
20 Converted cardinal hosts society
correspondent (7)
21 The sixth queen raised capital (6)
22 Malagasy native’s refurbished
centre (6)
25 Autocrat has to abandon singular
repository (5)
28 I’m surprised there are no tips on
exclusive (3)The winners of Prize Crossword No 28,164 are
GP Brown, Wolsingham, Co Durham
I Coulton, Helston, Cornwall
T Hellings, Enfield, Greater London
M Hick, Westbury-sub-Mendip, Somerset
K McMaster, Clydebank, Dunbartonshirey(7HB7E2*OTSKLL( |||+"!=
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UK newspapers in 2020 was 67%Tom Roddy
Thomas Tuchel will hold further talks
with Romelu Lukaku today, having
punished the £97.5 million striker by
dropping him for yesterday’s thrilling
draw with Liverpool after a controver-
sial interview.
Tuchel would not guarantee that
Lukaku will be involved in Wednes-
day’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg
against Tottenham Hotspur after the
Belgium striker gave an unauthorised
interview to Sky Italia, revealing he was
“not happy” at Chelsea and appearing
to question the head coach’s tactics.
Tuchel sought the advice of half-a-
dozen senior players before deciding to
omit Lukaku, 28, for the crucial game
against Liverpool. It ended in a 2-2
draw, with Mateo Kovacic and Christ-
ian Pulisic replying to goals from
Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané, who
controversially escaped a red card only
six seconds into the game after catching
César Azpilicueta with an elbow.
“We need to evaluate the situation,
not listen to the media or pressure,nobody needs. But we can handle it. I
don’t feel [it was a] personal attack. On
Saturday, new statements [came out]
and it got too big, too much noise, and
we lost totally the focus of the match.
“Of course we have spoken; I’ve spo-
ken to the main players, of course, and
after that we had to realise it’s too close
to the match, it’s too big.
“We need to speak with him, read the
full interview and stay calm and not
lose our heads. It was too much noise.
He’s our player, he will stay our player;
we will always protect our player.”Axed Lukaku in talks over future
Tuchel dropped striker for thrilling Liverpool draw marred by Mané elbow controversy
Monday January 3 2022 | the timesSp ort
Itoje on scoresheet as title tilt
continues at Saints’ expense
Rugby union, pages 53-55Saracens march on
Times writers nominate the
young guns to shine this year
Page 47Our stars of 2022
JASON O’BRIEN/PABroad: We’re at
end of tether
Elizabeth AmmonEngland players are at the end of their
“mental tether with Covid” and the
mood in the camp is “low”, according
to Stuart Broad, as the troubled Ashes
tour was hit by further problems with
Chris Silverwood, the head coach,
testing positive for the virus.
Silverwood’s absence, as well as that
of three other support personnel, has
left England with the bare bones of a
coaching staff. A call-up for the former
Surrey and England player Adam
Hollioake to the backroom team was
thwarted after he was confirmed as a
close contact of a positive case.
Broad said the squad was preparing
for the fourth Test, which starts late
tomorrow UK time, with “no head
coach, no bowling coach, no spin
coach and no fitness coach in
position”. Silverwood had been
isolating in Melbourne after the third
Test as a “Covid contact” after a
member of his family tested positive
but he is understood to be in good
Continued on page 51Root and Broad, left,
race each other during a
training session missing
a number of coachesclosed doors and once we have made a
decision and Romelu knows, you will
maybe know also.”
Lukaku does not want to leave Chel-
sea despite expressing an intention to
return to Inter Milan, his former club,
while still playing at “a good enough
level”. He told Sky Italia that Tuchel
had changed the system Chelsea play
and that he would have to adapt.
“It’s not Chelsea-like but it’s also not
the worst thing in the world,” Tuchel
said. “[It is] not the first time an inter-
view out there causes some noiseunderstand what [Lukaku] said and
why he said it, then we will take the
decision if he is good to go for Wednes-
day,” Tuchel said.
“He is our player, there is always a
way back, we will clear this behindt
s
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