COMMENTS:

This man has just been in a fight; note the bandage around his head.   He's the one who's still standing when it's all over.

In the Five of Wands, everybody is fighting   —   it's a disorganized melee; in the Seven of Wands, one fighter is standing alone against many (and he is "above" them); here in the Nine of Wands, the staffs are all in the background, and the man in front is looking at them over his shoulder.   They are the spoils of his victory, but he's not sure the fighting is over, and he's still on his guard.