2004年1月6日
'I'd never cancel Christmas' - Wenger
Ars鑞e Wenger is ever-concerned about the workload on his players, but he would still never abolish the traditional Christmas games in England.
Arsenal played Wolves, Southampton and Leeds inside the nine days that crossed the New Year. But that is not the norm, last year an extra game was squeezed into the same time span.
Wenger believes the introduction of a winter break is not far away. But, if that does come in, the Frenchman would like to see matches come to a halt around now and not over the festivities.
"I do think we are going toward a winter break but I would never cancel Christmas," he said.
"There are two reasons. Firstly it is part of the tradition. There is a special atmosphere. People are not at work. They are bored and can go with their families to the stadium.
"Secondly, I called friends of mine in Spain, Brazil, Italy and Portgual last week. They had all seen our game against Southampton simply because no one else was playing. And there is no better promotion for English football than that. Also, I read L'Equipe and there were two or three pages of English football every day because French football is dead at this time.
"It would be a huge mistake to kill that advantage. If you are going to make a break it must be in January."
The manager predicts that a mid-winter break will be introduced next season.
"It is linked with success for the national team in the big tournaments," he explained.
"There is an expectation level here in England of 'come on we want to do more than just qualify for the tournament, we want to win something. We have done it in rugby why not in football?'
"You have to respect what makes England special," he concluded. "But I feel you can find an agreement that respects the traditions here and give you a break."
[06 January 2004]
“圣诞节比赛不应该取消。”--温格
温格一直都很关心队员们的比赛负荷,但尽管如此,他仍不会要求英国传统的圣诞节期间的比赛。
在跨年度的9天内,阿森纳连续和狼队、南安普顿队以及利兹打了三场比赛。但这并足为奇,去年在相同时段内,还安排了另一场赛事。
温格相信,不久英超也会有冬歇期了。不过。即使没有冬歇期,这位法国教练仍希望,在节假日时不要安排比赛。
“我想以后会有冬歇期的,但圣诞节的比赛不会取消!”他说。
“有两个原因。第一,这是项传统。有特殊的比赛氛围。人们不上班,他们感到无聊,于是会全家前往体育场看球赛。”
“第二,上周我给在西班牙、巴西、意大利和葡萄牙的朋友打电话。他们都说看到了阿森纳与南安普顿的比赛,因为其他联赛都停了。这是宣传英超联赛的最好机会。《L'Equipe》(法国著名体育日报)上每天有两三页是在报道英国足球,就是因为那段时间法国联赛暂停。
“不应该全部取消节日的比赛。休息最好是安排在一月份。”
主教练预测,下赛季可能就会安排冬歇期。
“这将关系到国家队在重大比赛中的表现。”
“在英国,大家并不仅仅满足于晋级,追求的是冠军。在橄榄球比赛中就是如此,当然在足球赛中也就不例外了。“
“英超联赛的特色应该保持,但持传统,与安排休息期是可以兼到的。”