Wojceich Szczesny answered several questions after Arsenal’s loss in the North London derby. His answers were fairly tame and uncontroversial, but that did not stop the media from twisting his words to make an interesting headline. Interesting headlines at best, stonewall lies at worst.
A headline on the ESPN: “Szczesny: We’re better than Spurs.” The headline and article gave you the impression that Szczesny rushed to them to proclaim that the Gunners are still the best team in North London despite the loss. Here is what Szczesny really said (from ESPN):
“You can’t make such a statement after a couple of months after our poor start to the season or after just one game. I think Spurs are a great club and they have shown today that they can play really good football, but are they better than Arsenal? I don’t really think so.”
Judging by his answer, Szczesny was asked the obvious question about a possible power shift from Arsenal to Tottenham. Yet the media want you to think that he went out of his way to make the comments. What else is Szczesny going to say? He plays for Arsenal, so he is not ready to admit ultimate defeat in the battle against Spurs.
The Sun are not only good at manipulating photos. They also manipulate quotes. Their headline: “Szczesny: I want to be Arsenal captain, not Van Persie.” Szczesny never mentioned Robin van Persie (from The Sun):
“I feel that when I say something, everyone listens to me. More so on the field than in the dressing room, but that’s more important, I think. I want to be captain of the team. I feel I am able to take on that responsibility.”
According to The Sun’s Darren Lewis, Szczesny added “fresh controversy” to the club. No, Darren Lewis has added the controversy. Many, if not all, footballers aspire to be the captain and leader of their team. The problem with Arsenal in recent years has been a lack of leadership. I would like a team full of captains.
When there is no leadership on the pitch, the writers and pundits call for more vocal leaders. When a leader like Szczesny is vocal, the writers and pundits say there is turmoil over who should wear the armband. There is no way Arsenal or Szczesny can win in the media.
ESPN also ran a story titled: “Arsenal’s Szczesny tempted by Barcelona.” Right away, I knew this was going to be a bias-filled rumourfest. The media love kicking a club when they are down. Anyway, this is what Szczesny said (from ESPN):
“I can’t declare that I will spend my entire career here, but if I leave I will have a very important reason or I will go to Barcelona. I can’t imagine a situation where I would leave this club just for money.”
Alarm bells went off when he mentioned Barcelona, but then I came to my senses. All players in world football want to play for Barcelona right now. Also, it is unrealistic to expect Barcelona to go after Szczesny. The media love to speculate about the next Gunner to leave.
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