"Does the team have championship aspirations this season? What does Ma’el’s 10 goals in 7 matches an to you?" a reporter asked, clearly wanting to focus on Arsenal.
As for Tottenham Hotspur?
We’ll get to that later, as the questions there will just be difficult ones for Redknapp.
This is a common phenonon in derby battles; no one pities the loser, and all the flowers and applause go to the winner.
"To be honest, every season we do."
Wenger smiled and scratched his head, his brows furrowing as he said, "But winning the league is not easy. It’s been a long, long ti since we tasted that, and most of the ti we’re just fighting for a spot in the Champions League.
"If, by the middle or later stages of the season, I see that the team has the potential... I will go all out for it.
"If necessary, I’m willing to forego other campaigns; the team has waited too long for the league champion’s trophy."
This statent surprised the journalists present, as top team coaches are usually more restrained in their words due to the imnse attention and pressure they face, and speaking out of turn would invite mockery from around the world.
Although Wenger didn’t state it outright, he clearly hinted at ’competing for the championship’, sothing he seldom expressed before.
"The second question?" a reporter asked.
Wenger watched the reporters, knowing what they were thinking, "The presence of Ma’el gives the confidence to say what I just did in front of the dia.
"At the start of the season, it was hard to imagine that he would burst into form as soon as he joined the team... This changed the team’s condition and also changed my goals and plans."
"Are you saying... that his arrival has given the team a brighter future? Can we understand it that way?" a reporter asked, surprised. This answer was indeed startling.
Rarely does a coach praise his player’s performance so openly, which is like putting the player on a pedestal.
"Yes." Wenger nodded, smiling, "I don’t think there’s any problem in saying that; everyone can see it.
"We have the best young players in the world, the most astonishing young talents... This will inevitably change everything for us."
"The best?" a reporter looked at him, asking, "Are you sure it’s the best?"
Wenger shrugged, not understanding what there was to doubt, and said, "The Golden Boy Award candidates will be announced at the end of this month, and the award will be given out next month. Then you’ll know if he’s the best."
Redknapp, sitting to the side, couldn’t get a word in and could only listen as Wenger and the dia ntioned the championship and the Golden Boy... which made his face darken even more.
After winning the Manager of the Year award for the 09-10 season with Tottenham, he’s been a fan of this club, resolutely defending everything about it.
And everyone knows, the two things Tottenham fans can’t stand are the relegation of Tottenham and the championship of Arsenal.
On an already heavy day, hearing Wenger boasting beside him, he naturally had a bad feeling.
The journalists quickly noticed this and turned their attention to him, "Mr. Redknapp, it was really an unfortunate loss, any thoughts?"
Redknapp cald himself and answered earnestly, "It is indeed unfortunate. We had a chance to get points but relaxed at the last minute.
"However, the team perford well on all fronts, and the players created a lot of opportunities, we just lacked a little luck."
"Haha..." Wenger didn’t say anything, just chuckled twice, then gestured to the dia to show it wasn’t intentional, indicating for them to continue with the interview.
Redknapp glared at Wenger, then turned back to the journalists, and soone quickly asked, "Mr. Wenger has shown his ambition for the championship, does Tottenham have similar thoughts?"
He looked at the journalist who asked the question and frowned, "A lot of things aren’t achievable just with ambition, Arsenal hasn’t had a championship for many years.
"I think dostic cup titles are closer to Arsenal, and the league championship won’t be in relation to them for a few years.
"As for us, I think our goals need to be taken step by step. Right now, we should continue to be pragmatic and fight for Champions League qualification."
"Haha..." The chuckles sounded again, and Wenger quickly coughed twice, again motioning for the interview to continue.
Redknapp gritted his teeth, having reached the limit of his patience. These unspoken taunts carried real insult.
"Before the match you said Kyle Walker could keep Ma’el in check, but today we saw that his performance in the matchup wasn’t great." A reporter threw out a more challenging question.
"Um..." Redknapp’s toes under the table clenched, quickly formulating a response to sidestep the query.
After thinking for a long ti, he said to the reporter, "Our team defense was average. I don’t think Ma’el had any particular advantage in eting Walker, who as a full-back also contributed offensively, while Ma’el didn’t defend."
"Hahaha..." Louder laughter erupted, and Wenger grinned at the dia, not even attempting to hide it.
Redknapp seed enraged but didn’t want to act out of line, standing up with a snort and leaving the press room.
Wenger raised his eyebrows, biting his lips, stifling a laugh, indicating he was innocent, and then also left the press room.
......
"10 goals in 7 matches! Breaks age record to top the scorer’s chart! Is Ma’el, after winning the Championship top scorer, going to directly challenge for the Premier League top scorer? A player version of the Kaiserslautern miracle?" — The Guardian
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