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Wigan Athletic 0 Manchester United 4: A match too far for Wigan

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

2012-united

The fixture congestion around the festive season would have been exhausting enough for an injury-hit squad on a bad run of form, but after the exertions against Arsenal and Everton, and a vital away win against Aston Villa, the visit of high-flying Manchester United proved a bit too much for Wigan Athletic.

While Alex Ferguson had the luxury of recalling the fresh and rested duo of Robin Van Persie and Chicharito Hernandez, Roberto Martinez gave Arouna Koné his 20st consecutive appearance this season — every league match since his arrival in August — which will also be his last before jetting off to participate in the African Cup of Nations. To highlight the gulf between the clubs, Koné’s replacement in the squad will be Chilean loanee Angelo Henriquez, an 18-year-old Manchester United striker yet to make an appearance.

The game itself wasn’t much of a spectacle. Wigan had the best of the first half hour, controlling possession, limiting United’s strikers, and occasionally threatening themselves. The game turned sharply after a series of unfortunate events. James McArthur’s wayward headed clearance forced Gary Caldwell to scramble the ball away in haste. The ball ended up with Patrice Evra, who darted into the box, scuffed his shot, only for it to fall into his path for a second pop. Al-Habsi made a fine reflex save but the ball fell at Hernandez’s feet for the decisive goal.

A similarly lucky rebound fell to Hernandez moments later, who fed Van Persie. Ivan Ramis had slipped in the build-up but was then outclassed in what was a delightful finish by the Dutchman.

Wigan’s response in the second half was subdued and the team looked a bit drained until Arouna Koné stabbed in against the run of play, but the goal was ruled offside. It did provide some inspiration, however, and Latics enjoyed a good spell before a poor Van Persie free-kick was deflected into the path of Hernandez yet again, for the Mexican to hammer home.

It would not be a United fixture without a refereeing decision going favourably Ferguson’s way, however. Arouna Koné was hauled down by last man Chris Smalling only to be let off with a yellow card in circumstances that the rule book would have guaranteed a red.

Van Persie finished things off with a tap-in after England international Danny Wellbeck, a late sub, pounced on an error by Jean Beausejour.

The Good: 

Both United fixtures are out of the way, no injuries were sustained, or any red cards. The first half hour was positive, before the goal turned the tide. Maynor Figueroa and Emmerson Boyce had decent games despite some patchy defending around them. There is now a break for the first team as FA Cup play begins against Bournemouth this weekend. It will be interesting to witness possible debuts from Henriquez and Roger Espinoza — and the potential returns from injury of Antolin Alcaraz and Ryo Miyaichi. Callum McManaman and Jordi Gomez both looked sharp in their cameos against United and will also be champing at the bit to make an impression.

The Bad: 

Much like the visit to Old Trafford earlier this season, this was a demoralizing experience. Most losses this season have felt close, but not this one — United were clearly the more potent side . Their strength — ruthless, clinical finishing — has been Wigan’s weakness.

After a clean sheet at Villa Park and the happy return of Ivan Ramis, the defense was wobbly and made mistakes. Ramis himself had a poor game and struggled with the quality of the opposition. Ali Al-Habsi looked nervous throughout. Gary Caldwell was substituted early, possibly as a pre-caution. Beausejour was clearly targeted for his lack of pace, as he was by Arsenal’s Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Conclusions:

Glad to have it out of the way. After Bournemouth, the club faces Fulham away and Sunderland at home. The most intriguing storyline will be how Martinez adapts his lineup to cope with Koné’s absence. Franco Di Santo seems certain to lead the line, but Roberto has numerous options to ponder as to who partners him. Mauro Boselli and Angelo Henriquez will be hoping he opts for a direct swap and two up top. Jordi Gomez and Callum McManaman looked useful and keen and could fit in with a slight tactical adjustment. Or we may see a version of the formation used against Everton, with a three-man midfield — probably David Jones — behind Maloney and Di Santo. Four points would be an excellent return from those two fixtures.

Player Ratings:

Ali Al-Habsi: 6 — Nervy. In my opinion, not at fault for the first goal.

Ivan Ramis: 5 — Day to forget. Made a couple errors but generally struggled to contain United’s excellent strikers.

Gary Caldwell: 6 — Made several important blocks, but also struggled with Chicharito’s acceleration. His substitution allowed the pacier Emmerson Boyce to slot into the defense.

Maynor Figueroa: 7 — Covered for the mistakes of his teammates and defended well. May find himself in the wing-back role soon, however, with Beausejour looking in need of a break and Alcaraz’s return imminent.

Emmerson Boyce: 7 — Started at wingback, ended at centre-back. Solid in both roles.

Jean Beausejour: 5 — Has looked off the pace recently. The opposition has become wise to his importance to Martinez’s tactics. United pinned him back with both Ashley Young and Rafael attacking down his side.

James McArthur: 6 — Wigan ended the match with more possession than United, a testament to the Jimmy Macs.

James McCarthy: 6 — See McArthur.

Shaun Maloney: 6 — Quick and sharp, but not incisive on this day.

Franco Di Santo: 6 — Played a nice cross for Kone’s offside goal but not much joy otherwise.

Arouna Kone: 6 — Offside for the one half-chance that came his way, then hauled down by Smalling when he should have been one-on-one with De Gea.

Subs: 

Jordi Gomez: Made a difference when he came on, almost scored a spectacular free-kick.

Ronnie Stam: His energy was a plus once again when he came on. If his crossing was consistent he might keep his place.

Callum McManaman: Quick and positive, waiting for chance.

Aston Villa 0 Wigan Athletic 3: Latics punish fragile Villans

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

There was a vulnerability to Paul Lambert’s young Aston Villa side today thoroughly reminiscent of Wigan Athletic in Roberto Martinez’s first year at the club. Tactical naivety, inexperience and a struggle to adjust to the pace and physical demands of the Premier League to name a few similarities.

What Lambert is trying to do at Villa is not dissimilar in magnitude to Roberto’s undertaking at Wigan — it’s a long-term project. He has bravely frozen out Darren Bent, who must be on a huge financial packet, and put his faith in a promising but inexperienced crop of youngsters. They’ve now suffered three humiliating defeats in a row for a total score of 0-15. But if they survive, and by extension if Lambert is given time to see his project through, it will be intriguing to see where these lads take them. A risky, but refreshing approach. When you look at the more contemporary cash-driven approach of relegation rivals QPR, I know which one I’d like to stay up.

The match, however, should have been over within ten minutes. Ivan Ramis made a very welcome return to the starting lineup and thumped in — albeit unmarked — a Jean Beausejour corner a couple minutes in. Latics piled on the pressure and had a couple half chances before Shaun Maloney was rather violently taken down in the penalty box. It was the second time this week that the Scotsman was denied a stonewall penalty. There was absolutely no question — no debate at all — that this was another penalty denied. It was, at this stage, adding insult to injury as Chris Herd had clearly handballed in the box minutes prior.

Villa’s response gave their crowd hope and they enjoyed the better of the play towards the end of the first half including a goal disallowed correctly for offside, but Latics’ refreshed back line held firm. When Emmerson Boyce combined with Arouna Kone for a goal of great quality in the opening moments of the second half, it was game over.

The Good:

Plenty to be pleased about today. Ivan Ramis could not have made a more encouraging return to the starting lineup. His emphatic finish not only put Wigan in the driver’s seat but added to the tension in the stands. He looked like he’d never been gone, confident and excellent with his distribution. His return also resulted in Boyce’s return to the right wing-back position from which he scored.

Arouna Kone has now scored two in a row, and that boost in confidence might just be the difference between a first touch finish or moment of hesitation against United in the home fixture on New Year’s Day. Unfortunately, his improved form also coincides with a trip to the African Cup of Nations for most of January.

Shaun Maloney was a joy to watch at his former stomping grounds. Aston Villa supporters must have been wishing they could have him back. He was the modern playmaker exemplified in the first half in particular, popping up all over the pitch, creating and extremly unfortunate not to have won a penalty. That Martinez didn’t substitute him when 3-0 off speaks well of his fitness levels. That Villa didn’t heavily mark him as other sides have started to do speaks negatively of Lambert’s preparation.

Finally, a bit of luck with the fixture list. There probably couldn’t have been a better time to face Villa. A very valuable away win that allows for the possibility of a double over direct relegation rivals.

The Bad:

Penalty decisions and the continued cowardice of match officials when it comes to blowing the whistle in favour of Wigan Athletic. The fine Roberto had to pay earlier this season for criticism of match officials is becoming increasingly ludicrous in hindsight, but has effectively silenced him. What is happening to Wigan with these crucial decisions is astonishing. We all read through the lines when Martinez himself said after the Everton match that Latics have to “be even better” to compensate for the treatment they seem to get. But it is a sadly corrupt situation when Alex Ferguson’s assault on Mike Dean in the Newcastle fixture goes unreported by Dean himself — and Martinez, the most decent and principled man in British football is keeping his thoughts to himself for fear of punishment when his team is consistently wronged.

Player Ratings:

Ali Al-Habsi: 7 — Didn’t have very much to do, but the clean sheet is much-needed.

Maynor Figueroa: 7.5 — Very solid, with one last ditch clearance sticking out in the memory.

Gary Caldwell: 7 — Outjumped by Benteke a couple times but good otherwise.

Ivan Ramis: 7.5 — Strong return from injury with a goal to boot.

Jean Beausejour: 7 — Found space down the wing in the first half, faded in the second. Still not at his best, but enjoyed a bit of freedom with Boyce restored on the other side.

Emmerson Boyce: 8 — Scored a cracker and didn’t let the team down in any way. When he plays at wing-back, Beausejour is given more freedom on the left, as Boyce stays deeper. Latics are also stronger on set pieces.

James McCarthy: 6.5 — Did nothing wrong and indeed was involved in a lot of neat footwork in midfield, but we’ve come to expect a greater influence.

David Jones: 7 — Continued his fine run of form but went off with a knock.

Shaun Maloney: 7.5 — A joy to watch.

Franco Di Santo: 6.5 — Lovely ball for Kone’s goal, but it’s not just his goal-scoring statistics that are cause for concern — he doesn’t get in goal-scoring positions. Still, his hold-up play is second to no one’s.

Arouna Kone: 7 — Goal and assist for the Ivorian. Should have scored a second, but he’ll be pleased.

Subs:

James McArthur: Non-descript performance, kept it simple.

Jordi Gomez: Not enough touches to really have an impact.

Callum McManaman: Lively and unlucky with a good shot. This was a perfect match to give him some experience, but sadly only got about 8 minutes of it.

Aston Villa – Wigan Athletic: a broken-spirit clasico

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

If Latics were facing Aston Villa at home tomorrow I’d be writing about the kind of result that could turn the club’s season around. Instead, Martinez’s men travel to Villa Park for one of the more unpredictable fixtures of the season.

After an encouraging run of form including a convincing away win at Anfield, Paul Lambert’s men have now conceded 12 goals in the last two matches. Chelsea and Spurs — their victors — are coincidentally also responsible for Wigan’s heaviest Premier League defeats in Roberto’s early days at the club. Villa’s young team’s capitulation bore many similarities to that of Wigan’s in those drubbings — inexperience and lack of tactical cohesion. A team at the beginning of a new cycle.

So whose morale is more firmly rooted in the gutter?

While Wigan’s results of late have been poor, all losses have been close, and recent ones tinged with the injustice of penalty decisions going the wrong way. It was no coincidence that the bottom three all suffered from harsh treatment from referees this weekend (Reading conceded a last-minute goal in which Gareth Barry had fouled his defender; QPR’s Robert Green did not receive protection from the officials when conceding their second goal). When you’re down there, things don’t seem to go your way. But the performance level against Arsenal and Everton was good, and players are starting to return from injury. Gary Caldwell got better as the game went along on mid-week, and Ivan Ramis was on the bench suggesting he is near full fitness. All things points to improvement.

The question, of course, is which Villa will turn up?

Prediction: Latics finally get something from the match officials.

Everton 2 Wigan Athletic 1: No luck

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

It’s old news by now. A sound defensive-minded Latics effort was undone by a lucky deflected Leon Osman strike early in the second half. Wigan’s response was strong — so strong in fact that it posed the question why Roberto didn’t have a more concerted go at Everton in the first place. A crystal clear Shaun Maloney penalty was not given, and soon after Everton had doubled their lead through a Phil Jagielka wonder-header. Arouna Kone scrambled in a consolation goal in the last ten minutes.

The Good:

The defending was good. Martinez’s decision to drop Franco Di Santo in favour of the extra midfield player worked well from a possession and defensive perspective. David Jones was excellent and is really enjoying his extended run in the team. The team performance overall, was favourable. Arouna Kone got a much-needed goal. The league table is still tight — a few points would dramatically change the club’s outlook.

The Bad:

Another narrow defeat down to a bad refereeing decision. Rumours that Liverpool are after Franco Di Santo.

Player Ratings:

Ali Al-Habsi: 6 — Had very little to do. No fault on the goals.

Emmerson Boyce: 8 — Very good defensive performance.

Gary Caldwell: 6 — Unlucky to have the ball deflect off him for the first goal but it was nice to have him back.

Maynor Figueroa: 7 — Defended very well, might have been out of position for Jagielka’s goal.

Jean Beausejour: 6 — Needs to find his form if Wigan are to start scoring goals again.

Ronnie Stam: 6 — Struggled against Baines and Pienaar but offered energy in attack.

James McArthur: 7 — Steady as always.

David Jones: 8 — Excellent shift.

James McCarthy: 7 — As ever.

Shaun Maloney: 7.5 — Very positive, should have been awarded a penalty, and probably would have emerged with the equaliser from it.

Arouna Kone: 6 — Worked very hard but was isolated for most of the match. Hopefully the goal will give him that confidence and composure he had at the beginning of the season but has lost in recent times.

Subs:

Franco Di Santo: Took a few touches to catch up to the pace of the game, but added energy to the attack.

Jordi Gomez: Not enough time.

Wigan 0 Arsenal 1: Robbery or something like it

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

Despite the absence of eight senior players through injury, Wigan Athletic were every bit as good as their illustrious and in-form visitors on Saturday, and their supporters will be entitled to a feeling of injustice after Arsenal ran away with all three points.

Martinez’s men were once again on the wrong end of refereeing decisions that ultimately determined the match’s outcome. First, a soft penalty was awarded after Theo Walcott went down under pressure from Jean Beausejour. Next, Franco Di Santo was refused re-entry to the pitch for a full four minutes after being asked to remove an earring or something of the sort. The incident riled Di Santo up, leading to his substitution minutes later. Referee Jon Moss passed on an opportunity to make things right when Jordi Gomez’s shot clearly struck Kieran Gibbs’ hand before rebounding out.

Refereeing and result aside, this was a very strong performance by Wigan despite a totally makeshift defence. Given the unavailability of his four first choice centre-backs, Martinez alternated between a Maynor Figueroa—Emmerson Boyce partnership, and a trio boosted by the excellent James McCarthy. The Republic of Ireland international was again outstanding, dropping in as a centre-back when the team was on the back-foot, and launching attacks when the team had possession of the ball. It has been a true pleasure to watch his development even if this level of performance will inevitably shorten his stay at the club.

The Good:

Ali-Al Habsi looked back to his best, with some very sharp saves, while Emmerson Boyce and Maynor Figueroa put in excellent defensive shifts. James McCarthy was everywhere, while David Jones had his best match for the club against very high-level opponents and was unlucky not to score the equalizer with a sweetly struck left-foot shot.

The Bad:

Arouna Kone missed badly after skillfully being put through by Di Santo. He later did very well to carve out a second opportunity but shot at the Arsenal keeper’s feet. He needs to start scoring goals.

The wingbacks’ crossing was poor. Beausejour has a bad game in general, against the impressive Oxlade-Chamberlain who skinned him a number of times and limited his forays forward. Ronnie Stam was poor until suddenly coming alive in the last half hour with purposeful running down the right. The heavy conditions probably didn’t help their crossing, but Martinez needs them to start clicking soon.

Player Ratings:

Ali Al-Habsi: 8 – That’s the Ali we know and love.

Emmerson Boyce: 8 – Disciplined and focused in his central role.

Maynor Figueroa: 8 – His best in some time. Wasn’t helped by Beausejour’s bad day, but he covered more than adequately.

James McCarthy: 8 – Excellent work-rate, and often the player to drag the team forward. Becoming a real leader.

Ronnie Stam: 6 – Poor crossing but dramatically improved in the last half hour.

Jean Beausejour: 5 – One to forget.

James McArthur: 7 – Neat, efficient.

David Jones: 8 – Excellent in midfield, didn’t put a foot wrong and almost scored.

Shaun Maloney: 7.5 – Inventive and lively.

Franco Di Santo: 7 – Had no chances, but some nice passing, including a through-ball that should have led to a goal.

Arouna Kone: 5 – Appears to have lost his confidence. Needs a goal.

Subs:

Callum McManaman: Given a big chance but looked unsure of his role and over eager, as he has done in the past. Needs a start when the team is in a more comfortable league situation, to give him time to adapt to the pace and level of play.

Jordi Gomez: Immediately involved despite the late substitution. Had two shots, one of which could easily have been given as a penalty.