From Arsenal to the Ball God

Chapter 432 - 121: Wenger’s Outlook! Nominated for the Puskas Award! Offers from Real Madrid and Paris! Facing Liverpool

One to zero!

This was the final score when the final whistle blew. Thanks to Emperor Henry’s decisive goal, Arsenal defeated Leeds United and successfully advanced to the fourth round of the FA Cup.

The all-out battle has begun!

From this day on, Arsenal will officially start the four-line combat, which is a huge test for their bench depth.

"Can Arsenal withstand it?"

At the post-match conference, a reporter asked Wenger, "We all know that even other heavily invested teams find it difficult to embark on a four-line campaign, and Arsenal’s investment..."

He smirked, his meaning was self-evident; he clearly came with an answer in mind.

Faced with such a question, Wenger didn’t think too long, bringing the microphone closer to his mouth and saying: "Combat and contention for the crown are two different concepts. You’re asking if the team can compete for the crown on all four fronts, right?

"The answer is of course no, no Premier League team dares to claim they can compete for the crown on four fronts; even three is challenging."

He honestly admitted the team’s disadvantages in this area, "The team must make some trade-offs. We are currently performing well in the Premier League and the English League Cup, which might become a focus in the near term."

"What about the Champions League and FA Cup?" asked a reporter, noting that Arsenal just entered the fourth round of the FA Cup today. Surely, Wenger wouldn’t think of giving up now, right?

"We will try to move forward, but it’s uncertain how far we can go."

Wenger looked at the reporter, smiled: "If you want everything, you’ll end up with nothing... the immediate priority is to stabilize our momentum in the Premier League, hoping the team doesn’t slow down.

"Four days later is the first leg of the English League Cup match; the team has three different competitions this month. What are your expectations for the team?" another reporter asked.

"I hope to win them all, advance in all." Wenger replied without hesitation, ending with a few laughs.

Someone listened to his laughter and guessed: "But it’s very difficult, isn’t it?"

"Yes, nothing always follows your plan; there will be countless surprises."

Wenger helplessly spread his hands and smiled, "Before this, who would have thought that the team, which was undefeated in the league this season, nearly stumbled twice against Fulham?

"After barely drawing Fulham in the first half, the whole team was united to take revenge with a big win in the second half, but due to an unforeseen event, it didn’t happen. Many goals cannot be achieved; that’s football."

A reporter laughed and then asked: "Mael didn’t play today, is it because of an injury? Or fatigue? Is the team experiencing any injuries now?"

"No."

Wenger shook his head: "Mael didn’t play due to rotation considerations; tough battles are coming... Since entering December, the team’s fatigue has been very serious, especially in the center-back position, and I must continuously use rotating players."

"Now it seems Mael is already showing signs of a superstar status. If he continues to develop this way, what problem would you most want him to solve for the team?"

"Oh... his contributions to the team’s performance are evident, so I’ll say something special. I hope he can help improve the club’s financial situation, regardless of how he might improve or influence it, haha... bye-bye."

He ended the press conference and left after packing up, with a tight schedule this month and many things to handle.

...

January 11th, unknowingly, half of January has nearly passed, and the second half of the season is about to enter the intense stage, all competitions reaching the crucial period for the championship battle.

However, during this period, the most talked-about topic in the world of football was not the UEFA Champions League, La Liga, or the Premier League.

People seemed uninterested in league standings or the upcoming schedules and had no interest in who would win the championships.

All eyes were focused on one event—the Golden Ball Award ceremony!

This year’s award ceremony will be held on January 14th in Zurich, Switzerland, where the world’s top football players, top coaches, and agents will attend.

It’s a grand event!

Here, the best male and female football players, best coach, and best goal of the past year will be awarded!

The discussion, too, intensified as the time approached, with everyone talking about topics related to this year’s awards ceremony.

"I think the Golden Ball is definitely Messi’s, Barcelona won the Champions League, La Liga, European Super Cup, Spanish Super Cup, and Club World Cup last year, almost replicating the six-trophy success of 09."

"There shouldn’t be any suspense in this. Messi scored 54 goals last year and provided 28 assists, winning the Champions League Golden Boot, La Liga Golden Boot, and several best player awards."

"Are you counting national team goals and assists? I don’t think there are as many in other competitions."

"Yes, but anyhow, he has already claimed all the awards he deserves, and his form is getting hotter, a third consecutive Golden Ball is nailed on, let’s see if he can make it four by the year-end!"

"I heard the women’s Golden Ball might go to a Japanese player, and maybe women’s best coach too."

"After all, winning the World Cup is breaking history, truly well-deserved."

"Guardiola winning another best coach award is unquestionable; the Dream Three dynasty was built by him and will continue to dominate Europe with overwhelming force!"

"....."

Amidst the hot debate over the Golden Ball and best coach, the ’FIFA Official’ suddenly announced the three Puskás Award nominees for the year.

The news sparked a heated discussion as people clicked on the videos to watch these three spectacular goals.