Category Archives: Match Previews

Latics out to prove relegation battles are behind them

Posted by Ned in Match Previews, News, Other and tagged with , ,

Following an exceptional result at White Hart Lane and convincing home success against West Ham before it, Wigan Athletic are starting to answer the question many of us spent the summer pondering: can the performance levels from our season-saving run of form be matched when the pressure is off?

Back in April and May, the intensity and tenacity of Latics’ defensive play at times seemed superhuman. The harrying, chasing down, selflessness — surely this was an attitude borne of need, the will to survive and fight another day. Over the summer, doubt intensified. Without that full commitment, would Wigan lose its edge?

Early season results did little to clear things up. A couple weeks ago, after some strong performances and one or two rotten ones, the general consensus was that a lack of sharpness at the decisive ends of the pitch were costing the club points. Wigan was stuck in the all-too-familiar bottom quarter of the table. Forward to present, and Roberto is a win away from the top half. What changed?

Despite a history of starting slowly at home in the Martinez era, I would argue that home wins are catalytic to the club’s good form. The players enjoy an unusually close relationship with the support, and the good feeling brought after a convincing win breathes not only confidence but urgency into the team. If anything, the last minute consolation goal by James Tomkins strengthened that resolve. A reminder that whilst the victory was more-than-warranted, a lead is a fragile thing that you have to fight to protect.

It was with this urgency that Wigan approached the Spurs match. All for one, and one for all. Ben Watson, eventually the match winner, put in a defensive shift we didn’t know he was able to. There was unity all over the park. Finesse in attack, real steel in defence. It was on par with the wins over Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool last season. And one notch below the 4-0 hammering of Newcastle, only due to missed chances to increase the scoreline.

And so what would have been viewed as more of a must-win home tie against West Brom when fixtures were announced, has become a real opportunity. Instead of the trepidation that accompanies these home matches we “should” win, there is real excitement that Wigan have rekindled the form that gave us so much joy earlier this year — and may deliver us three wins in a row and a place in the top half of the table.

But West Brom are not to be underestimated. In fact, they took advantage Wigan’s good work against Spurs and leapfrogged the London side into fifth place when no one was looking. Steve Clarke appears to be doing terrific work with an odd group of players, who seem capable of pulling off big results but never really look all that special. They’ve had two fewer days of rest, but will hardly have needed them after beating Southampton very comfortably indeed. The match should find two sides in decent form with few injuries to complain of — Latics’ main doubt is James McArthur, but Ben Watson will have earned a recall if there is any doubt about the Scot’s fitness.

There is always the possibility of a flat start, an unlucky deflected goal, a red card or an injury. But if Wigan can match the performance levels of Spurs and West Ham, it will put any lingering doubts to rest. Roberto has brought this club, beyond reasonable doubt, up a full level since this time last season. Relegation battlers simply can’t play the sort of football his team is capable of.

Bradford preview: More for Mauro?

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

I have often thought that the League Cup is a waste of time. Shadow teams playing each other in empty stadia. What purpose does it really serve? However, in a disappointing season for Wigan Athletic up to this point it has been the League Cup matches that have been the highlight. We have seen two successive 4-1 away wins where the finishing has been lethal, an uncommon experience for Latics fans. Moreover the ties have also shown that the club has considerable strength in depth, with ‘fringe’ players putting in excellent performances.

Will the finishing in the game against Bradford City tonight once again be of that order? Leading the charge, with three goals already in the competition, will be the excellent Mauro Boselli. Boselli is well on the way to proving his doubters wrong. It has been all too easy for the cynics to knock him. All kinds of misleading statistics have been thrown his way. Recently I even heard a football commentator on television say that Boselli had not scored a Premier League goal in three years at Wigan. It is not unusual for such people to put Wigan Athletic down, with their condescending attitudes towards the club. However, this recent comment was palpably unfair. Boselli started only five times in the first part of the 2010-2011 season before going off to Genoa and Estudiantes on loan. He has not started for Wigan in the Premier League since returning in July.

At Estudiantes, prior to joining Wigan, Boselli had scored 22 goals in 29 league starts in 2009-10 and 10 in 23 league starts in 2008-09. Impressive stats when playing for a relatively small club in a league with tight defences. He was the leading goalscorer in whole of the Copa Libertadores competition in 2008-09, helping his team lift the trophy with the match winner in the final against Cruzeiro. Since his return to Wigan he has been carefully nurtured by Roberto Martinez, being limited to three brief  substitute appearances in the Premier League. However, the snippets we have seen of Boselli’s finishing for Latics League Cup and Under 21 teams have shown us how he scored so many goals in tough and competitive competitions in South America. We may well see that tonight.

Prior to cup ties Roberto Martinez typically reiterates that they are an opportunity for the fringe players to break into the first choice lineup. However, he was careful to provide a backbone of experienced first choice players in defence for the wins at Forest and West Ham. Tonight he is likely to play both Roman Golobart and Adrian Lopez in the back three. They come from the opposite sides of Spain and have contrasting styles.

Roman Golobart – a Catalan from Barcelona in the east of Spain – is a big, powerful central defender, nevertheless with good passing ability. Golobart joined the club from Espanyol as a 17 year old in August 2009. Last season he had a successful loan spell at Inverness, being voted fans’ player of the year. Playing under the influence of manager Terry Butcher, ex-England centre half, will surely have helped his game. Still only 20 he is an excellent prospect.

Adrian Lopez –from the province of Coruña in Galicia, north west Spain – signed for Wigan in December 2010 from local team Deportivo La Coruña, as a free agent after a heated dispute over his contractual situation. In the previous three years he had played 26 matches for Deportivo, scoring one goal. In Spain he was known under his nickname ‘Piscu’ to distinguish him from the other Adrian Lopez ,a forward who plays for Atletico Madrid. Now 25 years old, Piscu has had 6 starts since joining Wigan. According to the Wigan Athletic club website, Lopez “ brings cultured development to Latics’ back line”. Clearly a different type of player to the more muscular Golobart. Lopez has struggled with the physicality of the Premier League, but Martinez retains confidence in the player.

Other likely starters for the match are Callum McManaman, Ronnie Stam, Fraser Fyvie, David Jones and Jordi Gomez. There are doubts over the fitness of Ryo Miyaichi. Albert Crusat remains out injured. Martinez may once again opt to put in some of his first choice players, although maybe fewer  than in the previous League Cup games with the away match at Tottenham coming up at the weekend.

Although tonight’s match is at the DW Stadium it might seem more like a home game for Bradford City, who have sold all of their 5,000 ticket allocation. Bradford are currently in 5th place in League Two, but have the highest average attendance in the division at just below 10,000.

Prediction: at least one goal from Mauro Boselli and a win for Wigan Athletic.

Wigan Athletic vs. West Ham: Diame returns with Big Sam’s bruisers

Posted by JJ (Tony) in Match Previews, News, Other

Misfiring Wigan Athletic face newly promoted West Ham at the DW Stadium on Saturday. West Ham have made a good start to the season, currently in 8th place with 14 points. Despite their poor results Wigan are placed just above the bottom three with 5 points from 8 games. However, another adverse result is likely to push them down into that psychologically daunting relegation zone.

The last time the teams met in a Premier League fixture at the DW Stadium was on May 15th of 2011, when a thrilling fight back from the home side condemned West Ham to relegation after six years in the top flight. West Ham had been 2-0 up at half time and relegation looked a certainty for Wigan. The players who scored the goals for Wigan that day – Charles N’Zogbia and Conor Sammon – have since moved on. West Ham’s current XI is unrecognizable from the team that played that day, Sam Allardyce having since brought in a swath of new players. Wigan retain seven of that starting lineup, one notable absentee being Mohamed Diame who now plays for West Ham.

The teams have met six times at the DW Stadium in the Premier League, ending in three wins apiece. Latics beat West Ham 4-1 in a League Cup encounter at the Boleyn Ground a month ago, but Hammers supporters would tell you that their team was largely composed of fringe players. There will be few surprises in their style of play and you can expect long balls to be played forward for Andy Carroll, with the dangerous Kevin Nolan sniffing around the box for rebounds. Nolan has already scored four league goals this season. Once again Wigan will have to be prepared to resist a physical barrage. In their win at QPR, the Hammers committed 22 fouls and received 8 yellow cards.

Given the potential aerial threat from Andy Carroll, Roberto Martinez might be tempted to bring back Antolin Alcaraz in central defence. Ivan Ramis has done well since his unfortunate debut against Chelsea, but Alcaraz’s ability in the air and his understanding with Gary Caldwell make him a strong contender if fit. Another possibility is that Maynor Figueroa will be rested, with Ramis moving across top the left. Figueroa has played non-stop for the past year, having spent the summer playing for Honduras in the Olympics.

Despite the poor results this season Roberto Martinez is once again likely to keep faith in his trusted first team regulars. One of the criticisms leveled at Wigan teams in the Martinez era has been that they pay too much respect to the opposition. The flawed tactic of playing deep in defence against Swansea allowed the opponents to get away with their defensive deficiencies, which Latics only started to expose when they were two goals down. The substitutions came too late and were largely uninspiring. Bringing on Jordi Gomez at a time when urgency was required was unfortunate. The effect was to slow down play and have the ball retreat back into the Wigan half. Mauro Boselli clearly deserved an opportunity, after banging in goals regularly in cup games and for the under 21 team, but bringing him on 7 minutes from the end was not ideal. Franco Di Santo has played some good stuff this season, but was not on top of his game at Swansea. He could have been replaced at least 10 minutes earlier. However, the introduction of Ben Watson into a holding role in front of the defence allowed greater freedom to James McArthur and James McCarthy to play further forward and create opportunities. A definite option for future substitutions.

One could say that Wigan Athletic have been unlucky so far this season. Refereeing decisions have not gone their way and they have not played as badly as their record suggests. Critics would say that you create your own luck and have to go into a match with a positive attitude and really “get at” the opposition. Let’s hope that Martinez resists the temptation of putting Jordi Gomez into a forward role and plays with three upfront. That would likely be his preferred formation of Di Santo, Kone and Maloney. Boselli, Miyaichi or McManaman might enter the fray at some point.

Given an attacking lineup and assertive approach this game is definitely winnable. Prediction: a win for Wigan Athletic.

Swansea vs. Wigan Athletic: Goals guaranteed

Posted by Ned in Match Previews, News, Other and tagged with , , , , , , , ,

Of all the clubs that voluntarily or otherwise replaced their managers over the summer break, the Swansea revolution has been the most intriguing. Steve Clarke’s positive start at West Brom has been surprising in its results, but not in approach or style. Norwich’s decline had been gloomily predictable, while their old boss Paul Lambert is going to need years and quite possibly a magic wand to steady Villa’s sinking ship. Andre Villas-Boas endured a rocky start but has started to show signs of the fast-paced attacking football that won him a treble with Porto a year and a half ago. All four of them were relatively known quantities or familiar faces.

Enter Michael Laudrup, and Swansea.

When Brendan Rodgers left to pursue a career in corny one-liners on “Being Liverpool,” many wondered if the style of play would go with him. It is often overlooked that it was not Rodgers, but our very own Roberto Martinez, that instilled such a style of play at Swansea long before Mr. Ok came along. That said, Rodgers deserves enormous credit for an excellent season brimming with possession-based, continental-style football. Until that magical final stretch for the Latics, watching Swansea last season had been like watching Wigan 2.0 — a new and improved version of our team with goals and clean sheets added.

In appointing Laudrup, they made a real statement. As successful as Brendan Rodgers was in Wales, he was never a big name. Appointing the Dane, such a stylish and well-travelled player, brings an air of prestige to the Liberty Stadium. And it opens up markets.

New signings Jonathan De Guzman, Michu and Chico admitted the Dane was the main draw in their respective moves to the Liberty Stadium, while Pablo Hernandez said he was his childhood idol. All four are proven performers in the Spanish league and Michu already looks like the signing of the season at 2 million pounds. Ki Sung-Yeung, signed from Celtic, has been described by the Swansea writer on ESPN FC network as “being able to do everything Joe Allen does at a third of the price.” Tidy business indeed.

And the style has changed. And not necessarily for the worse, from an entertainment perspective. They look a more potent threat in attack, committing more men forward, which in turn renders them a bit more susceptible at the back. Their results are extreme to say the least — starting with 5-0 and 3-0 wins before a 2-2 draw, then a three match losing streak, and another 2-2 draw. At home, they’ve won 3-0, lost 3-0, and drawn 2-2 twice. There appears to be a bit less tikki-takka and more direct attacking play. Still skillful and on the ground, but less patient, and more adventurous. The result is possibly an even more entertaining brand of football, but less reliable.

All of which should contribute to a mouthwatering fixture tomorrow. Wigan’s front three of Koné, Di Santo and Maloney showed tremendous movement and understanding against Everton and were unlucky not to win it for their teammates on the day. If Swansea take the initiative as one would expect playing at home, there should be space on the counter. The key will be who scores first. When Everton visited Liberty Park several weeks ago, Swansea were vulnerable on the break and conceded two more. Reading put two past them before a spirited second half fightback that rescued a point.

Wigan should expect to start with the same XI that faced Everton — unless anyone returns from international duties with injury or severe jet-lag. Maynor Figueroa will be buzzing after Honduras thumped Canada 8-1 to advance to the final phase of CONCACAF qualification. Jean Beausejour fared less well, with Chile losing both of their qualifiers. Ali Al-Habsi’s Oman beat Jordan to keep their dream alive, though Australia’s late winner against Iraq pegged them back on goal difference. James McArthur, Gary Caldwell and Shaun Maloney all featured for Scotland, while James McCarthy played two matches for the Republic of Ireland. Comparatively, Swansea lost few of their starters to international travel and may have an advantage there.

A difficult one to predict, but all signs point to goals galore. 2-2, anyone?

Wigan vs. Everton: Three points needed

Posted by Ned in Match Previews, News and tagged with , , , ,

Never has a Premier League table so early in the season so closely resembled the way most of us expect it to finish in May. Yes, Liverpool will climb and West Ham will slip, and Arsenal have had a difficult fixture list. The mid-table teams will shuffle around according to form. But by and large, the top and bottom five include four of those you would expect to be in there. There is no Hull (or Norwich, or Wigan for that matter) flying in 2nd place on enthusiasm and adrenalin — in fact, this year’s candidates for such a feat, Southampton and Reading, are already languishing in the relegation zone.

The team that does occupy 2nd place is Everton. Are they the Newcastle of last season? You certainly don’t get the sense that they’re just keeping the spot warm for a bigger club.

It was clear they meant business in the opening fixture against Manchester United. Players and fans alike were fired up with energy levels high and atmosphere both electric and intimidating at Goodison. After that win, they deflated Michael Laudrup’s high flying (at the time) Swans with a 3-0 away victory, were extremely unfortunate not to beat Newcastle, and took all three points from Villa. They disposed of Southampton quite easily last weekend, and only stumbled away at West Brom. It is fair to say they are a team in form.

Latics meanwhile, have had a topsy turvy start to the season. The thumping 4-1 League Cup wins over Nottingham Forest and West Ham have cushioned the disappointment of missed opportunities in the Premier League. If the kind of finishing we saw in the confident and stylish win at Southampton had been on show against Stoke, Fulham and Sunderland, Latics may well have picked up 9 points and be in that top five. Instead, poor finishing from Wigan has left the side in the bottom five.

Jakarta Jack called for a shake-up in his article earlier this week. Not necessarily wholesale, but a few fresh faces to liven things up. I suspect we might see one or two. For one, I think Mauro Boselli will be involved. His form and finishing in the League Cup and reserves has been sensational. Arouna Koné has been unlucky but really should have scored one or two more than he has, while Di Santo’s form interrupted by injury.

Jordi Gomez’s suspension has been repealed, but Di Santo’s return to fitness should in turn signal a return to the bench for the Spaniard. Ryo Miyaichi and Callum McManaman have been used as impact subs in the last two matches but must be in contention. Antolin Alcaraz can’t return soon enough in defence.

Everton are looking scary. Leighton Baines is practically a playmaker at left back, and an excellent one at that. His partnership with Steven Pienaar down the left is extremely dangerous and Emmerson Boyce and Ivan Ramis will have to be alert. Kevin Mirallas looks a quality player. Nikica Jelavic has continued last season’s form with three goals in five league matches. Marouane Fellaini is attracting interest from bigger clubs. Their defence is one of the most established in the league having played together for a number of seasons. And with Victor Anichebe, Seamus Coleman and Steven Naismith on the bench, they have depth.

But Latics need three points to arrest this slump of late — I suspect there will be a real urgency around the DW tomorrow. If they take their chances, they can get them.