Author Archives: JJ (Tony)

Chelsea 4 Wigan Athletic 1 – Scoreline Flatters Benitez’ Team

Posted by JJ (Tony) in Match Reports, Other and tagged with ,

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The scoreline suggests a thumping win by Chelsea, but the home side were flattered by late goals. A brave fight by Wigan was undone by the experience and technique of Frank Lampard in the last five minutes. Up until then, Wigan had kept a nervy Chelsea hanging on to a 2-1 scoreline. Lampard’s goal was later matched by an opportunistic goal from Marko Marin in stoppage time following Ali Al Habsi’s parry of a shot from Cesar Azpilicueta.

Wigan had kept Chelsea largely at bay during the first half, but had been undone by a well taken goal from Ramires following Fernando Torres’ pass. Wigan had prevented Chelsea from firing on all cylinders and were assisted by good last-gasp defending. At times they threatened the Chelsea goal, but another goal from the home side had seemed more likely. The difference in class between the players in the two teams was showing, not surprisingly.

Roberto Martinez had chosen to use his conservative lineup, with five players in midfield and Arouna Kone on the bench. The second half was to bring a goal to the hosts in the 56th minute from the unmarked Eden Hazard. However, following a beautifully taken goal from Shaun Maloney two minutes later, Martinez brought on Kone for Roger Espinoza. Wigan rallied and had a good call for a penalty as Ronnie Stam’s shot hit Ashley Cole’s arm. The game remained open and was by no means over until those final minutes.

The Good

An encouraging performance from Al Habsi. His best game in quite some time. The talismanic goalkeeper has had a difficult season and Wigan will need him to be at his peak in the games that remain.

Wigan played with organization and spirit and hung in there until the last five minutes when the game swung away from them.

They deserved more than the final scoreline suggested.

The Bad

The midfield was mysteriously absent in the home side’s first two goals.

Player Ratings

Ali Al-Habsi: 8 — An excellent performance, making some spectacular saves.

Ronnie Stam: 5 — Worked hard, but struggled against Hazard.

Paul Scharner: 7 — Solid, showed good technique. A valuable addition to the squad.

Gary Caldwell: 6 — Seemed to be struggling with his hip injury. Nevertheless, he hung in there, showing his usual tenacity.

Maynor Figueroa: 6 — Tried hard to stem opposition attacks.

Jean Beausejour: 5 — Worked hard, but his touch was disappointing.

James McCarthy: 6 — Worked hard, but unable to make the telling pass.

James McArthur: 6 — Worked hard as always.

Roger Espinoza: 5 — Tried hard, but looked short of Premier League experience.

Shaun Maloney: 8 — Wigan’s most energetic and creative player. Took his goal beautifully.

Franco Di Santo: 6 — Worked hard as a very lone centre forward until Kone came on to give him support.

Substitutes:

Arouna Kone — Came on after 59 minutes for Roger Espinoza. Looked useful.

David Jones — Brought on seven minutes from the end for Ronnie Stam.

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Chelsea v Wigan Athletic Preview – Embattled Spanish Managers Meet

Posted by JJ (Tony) in Other and tagged with , , ,

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Two embattled Spanish managers meet head-to-head  tomorrow, as relegation-troubled Wigan Athletic travel to Stamford Bridge to meet a Chelsea side whose recent results are not meeting  the expectations of  their owner nor their fans. Both managers have good track records, albeit in under very different circumstances.

Nobody can deny that the Madrid-born Rafael Benitez has been involved in major successes during his career.  With Valencia he challenged the Madrid-Barcelona hegemony achieving  two Spanish League titles,  also winning  the UEFA Cup.  Few in England will forget his Liverpool team’s miraculous comeback in winning the Champions League final against AC Milan. Although still only 52 years old he has the kind of wealth of experience that places Roberto Martinez in the category of  ‘promising young manager’  in comparison. The 39 year old Martinez‘ career clearly has much further to go, but his accomplishments up to this point should not be underrated. Martinez not only established Swansea in the Championship division, but also provided them with a footballing legacy that has seen them prosper ever since. On a tighter budget than his predecessors at Wigan he has kept the club in the Premier League for the past three years, insisting that they play attractive football.

Benitez comes into this match desperate for a good result, his team having gone four games without a win. Martinez’ team are third  from bottom and have only won one of their last 12 league matches.  Moreover Wigan tend to play particularly bad following international breaks. No wonder the bookmakers’ odds firmly point to  Chelsea victory. However, let’s cast our minds back to April of last season when Wigan were so unlucky to lose 2-1 at Stamford Bridge, beaten by two offside goals, the second being in added-on time at the end of the game. When the teams met at the DW Stadium in August a couple of defensive errors let in the visitors for a 2-0 win, although the overall Wigan team performance that day was by no means bad.

Wigan Athletic are actually two points ahead of where they were at this same point last season. However, they remain in serious danger of relegation.  They will be buoyed by the return of leading scorer, Arouna Kone, from African Nations Cup duty with Ivory Coast.  Not only is Kone leading scorer, but his hold-up play is important for his team. Despite the physical challenges he has faced from ruthless  Premier League central defenders he has shown such self-discipline that he has not  received a single yellow card this season.  Moreover he has made 5 assists, in line with team mates Jean Beausejour and Shaun Maloney. Martinez will have to decide whether to stick to his recent formation with five in midfield, or whether to employ Kone and Franco Di Santo as twin strikers.

Gary Caldwell is a doubt for tomorrow, having picked up a hip injury.  Sadly his potential replacement, Antolin Alcaraz,  is still not fully fit, although he might well make his overdue reappearance in next week’s FA Cup tie.  Last week against Southampton, Paul Scharner started at right centre back, later moving to right full back when the shape was changed to a flat back four. He will probably revert to the former role tomorrow, with young Roman Golobart or Adrian Lopez being brought back if Caldwell does not make it. If Caldwell were to play there would be a possibility of employing Scharner as a right wing back, depending on the fitness of Emmerson Boyce and whether Martinez has the confidence in Ronnie Stam’s defensive qualities. Were Scharner to move to wing back Martinez would bring Golobart or Lopez  into central defence.

Latics go into this match with nothing to lose. Interestingly Chelsea have received more penalties than any other team this season, 8, and Wigan have conceded the most, 7. Nobody expects them to get a result at Chelsea, especially after an international break.  No less than 8 of last week’s starting lineup played for their countries on Wednesday.  The odds are stacked against Wigan, but with a little luck and some fair refereeing, one never knows what might happen.

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No Place Like Home

Posted by JJ (Tony) in Other, Reflections and tagged with , , ,

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Another nervy, edgy performance by  Wigan Athletic on their home ground. The end result a 2-2 draw with newly promoted Southampton. The visitors dominated the game so much that they looked like the home team.  Why were Latics not able to stamp their authority against a team short of Premier League experience, whom they had already beaten in August? Why didn’t Wigan put  them under pressure from the start? So far this season Latics have a woeful record of W2 D4 L7 at the DW Stadium. The wins came against West Ham and Reading. So why are Wigan not a greater force to be reckoned with on their home ground?

Since joining the Premier League Wigan Athletic have an aggregate home record of W46 D43 L57. In fact only in two seasons have they won more matches at home than they have lost, both during Steve Bruce’s reign between 2007 and 2009. Even in that wonderful Premier League debut  season of 2005-2006, under Paul Jewell, they lost more than they won at home, although their away form was excellent. It was in Latics’ second season in the Premier League that they gained the least total of points at home, with just  19. Martinez’ teams  gained 22 home points in 2011-2012, 23 points in 2010-2011,  and the best being 25 points in 2009-2010, when they won as many as they lost at home.  

Steve Bruce had some simple strategies that worked during his brief tenure in the Premier League with Wigan. He produced teams of iron, with a combative and aggressive midfield providing cover for the defence. He did not worry too much about results against the top clubs, but stressed the importance of good performances against teams nearer the bottom.  But more than anything else his teams performed well at home.

Figures sometimes don’t tell a true story, or should I say that results don’t always paint a true picture of a game?  Too often this season  the picture has been Wigan playing good football, but being undone by individual or collective errors. Sometimes they have been plain unlucky. Injuries have reaped havoc and the team has played all season without a settled defence. Critics would say you make your own luck and that Wigan go into matches without a proactive approach, paying too much respect to the opposition and only rallying when going behind. For what reason did Wigan not put the pressure on Southampton in the opening part of the game? Was it due to a lack of confidence or a tactical approach that did not work? In order for Wigan to stay afloat this season their approach needs to be more proactive, less reactive.

Last season Wigan Athletic drew one and won four of their last five home games. Crowd support was a key factor in their resurgence. Latics now have only six home games left this season – with Liverpool, Newcastle, Norwich, Swansea, Tottenham and Aston Villa coming up. It is to be hoped that their home form will have improved sufficiently by then to make that final match with the Villans a meaningful encounter. The DW Stadium needs to become a ‘Fortress Wigan’ if that is going to happen.

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Wigan Athletic v Southampton – A New Blueprint For Survival ?

Posted by JJ (Tony) in Match Previews, Other and tagged with , ,

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Love it or hate it, the Spanish national team play a brand of football that brings results. Not only do they have a generation of outstanding players, but they dominate possession in such a way that the opposition is starved of the ball. At times in the second half in the Britannia Stadium on Tuesday night, watching Wigan was a bit like watching Spain. Stoke could not get hold of the ball, humble Wigan Athletic making a much more  expensively assembled squad of players look ordinary. Tiki-taka,  the modern day version of ‘total football’ was the order of the day, Wigan  retaining possession through constant short passing and movement . 

Roberto Martinez is a brave and innovative manager, if nothing else. He believes in playing stylish football, despite the precarious situations the club has been in during his tenure. There are fans who don’t like his footballing philosophy and would prefer the kind of football of the era of Steve Bruce and others before him. He is not easily swayed by public opinion, but bright and thoughtful in his approach. His achievement in keeping Wigan in the Premier League for the past three years on a relatively low budget – nevertheless playing good football – should not be underrated.

Good results against teams in the lower reaches of the table are vital if Wigan are to stay in the Premier League. Tomorrow’s game against Southampton is not ‘make or break’ but could have a major impact upon the remainder of the season. Only 3 points separate the teams and a win for Wigan would bring the Saints back into the relegation mire. Following a slow start to the season Southampton have picked up and they had lifted themselves out of the relegation zone by time Nigel Adkins was sacked. Adkins had done a wonderful job to take them so far and the ex-Latics goalkeeper had his team playing good football. Only time will tell if Southampton’s decision to replace Adkins with Mauricio Pocchetino will prove best for their club.

What kind of approach will Martinez use for this match? On paper the lineup he put forward against Stoke looked conservative, playing with just one mainline striker. For the first 50 minutes they were poor, giving away  two soft goals and showing no bite in attack. Packing the midfield with an extra player, Roger Espinoza, had not produced results. Then all at once it clicked – the midfield players got further forward and Wigan scored two cracking goals. Espinoza had looked uncomfortable in the first half, but in the second period he was a revelation. He seemed to be everywhere, a midfield general, a catalyst making things happen.

Martinez will be tempted to stick with that same approach against Southampton. In order for it to work the midfield players have to go that extra yard and get into the box to support  the central striker.  If it were to be tried and proved successful  against Southampton it might become  the blueprint for not only survival, but also for the future. Martinez might be tempted to put in new signing Paul Scharner at right centre back in place of the inexperienced Roman Golobart.

Southampton come to their first ever competitive match in Wigan on the back of a fine performance at Old Trafford, where they really took the game to the home side, being unlucky to lose 2-1. Their talismanic striker, Rickie Lambert, has already scored 10 goals and will need careful watching. However, Wigan are certainly capable of beating them, as they did at St Mary’s in August.  Prediction: a win for Latics.

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Stoke City v Wigan Athletic: Bogey team again?

Posted by JJ (Tony) in Match Previews, Other and tagged with , , , , ,

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There was a bad joke being bandied about last summer that Pep Guardiola might be going to Stoke – after all he had been talking about taking a year out of football. Joking apart, a match against Stoke should not be taken lightly. Despite their emphasis on physicality they do have players who can play good football. Moreover the crowd noise at the Brittania Stadium places them at the peak of the league’s decibel table.

Wigan Athletic go into this match with relegation breathing down their backs. Is it a good time to go to Stoke? The Potters have had a torrid time recently, with only one win in the last 8 league matches. However, they have lost only a single  home match this season, that one being largely influenced by Jon Walters’ two own goals and penalty miss in the 4-0 loss to Chelsea. The Potters are a level above Wigan in terms of financial outlay and their fans are getting increasingly frustrated at the lack of delivery of their more well paid players. Peter Crouch and Kenwyne Jones will compete for the centre forward position, alongside leading scorer Walters. Michael Owen scored a goal in the defeat at Swansea last week, after coming off the bench for the last 5 minutes. It was his fifth appearance as a substitute and he has not started a game all season.  Neither Charlie Adam nor Matthew Etherington have been regulars in the team this season. Stoke’s game is built on a physical, but capable defence. They have conceded 27 goals so far this season, compared with Wigan’s 43.  The giant Robert Huth forms a formidable centre of defence with Ryan Shawcross. Huth is 6ft 3in tall, but so are  full backs, Ryan Shotton and Geoff Cameron.

Wigan are likely to approach this match cautiously with a conservative starting lineup containing only one mainline striker, Franco Di Santo. If Stoke’s defence does have a weakness it is probably at full back, but Wigan lack a genuine winger to take advantage, both Ryo Miyaichi and Albert Crusat out with long-term injuries. Following a good display in the cup tie at Macclesfield, Callum McManaman might well be introduced at some stage, but Martinez is likely to start with Jordi Gomez and Shaun Maloney behind lone centre forward, Di Santo. Given the strong possibility of an aerial bombardment by Stoke, Martinez will be looking at having height in his defence. Emmerson Boyce, Gary Caldwell and Maynor Figueroa will most likely form the back three, with Ronnie Stam and Jean Beausejour at wing back. However, there remains an option of providing more height in defence by bringing in either Adrian Lopez or Roman Golobart at centre back, with Boyce at right wing back. The two Jimmy Macs will almost certainly anchor the centre of midfield, although Martinez may choose to deploy a  third holding midfielder  there – David Jones or Roger Espinoza – at the expense of Gomez.

Given the fixture list coming up, Wigan will be anxious to get at least a point out of this match. They are going to have to work hard physically if they are to keep Stoke at bay. At the same time, they will also want to stay free of red cards or further injuries, given the key game against Southampton coming up on Saturday. Let’s hope Roberto Martinez surprises us and puts forward a well balanced lineup, resisting the temptation to pass the initiative to Stoke by playing with only one mainline striker.

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