A look at Latics’ Europa League opposition – Part 3: Rubin Kazan

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

Wigan Athletic’s third match in the Europa League will be at home to Rubin Kazan on October 24th.  The return match is scheduled for November 7th .

Rubin are currently in 7th place in the Russian Premier League, but are unbeaten. They have won two and drawn five matches, conceding only three goals. Last season Rubin finished 6th, becoming one of four Russian teams qualifying for the Europa League.

Rubin performed well in the Europa League last year, winning their group, being unbeaten in the six matches. In doing so they beat Inter Milan 3-0 at home after drawing 2-2 at the San Siro. They stunned holders Atletico Madrid in the last 32 with a 2-0 win at the Vicente Calderon Stadium after losing 1-0 in the home leg.

Then followed a 2-0  home victory in extra time over another Spanish team, Levante, after drawing 0-0 in the first leg. The quarter final first leg at Stamford Bridge saw Chelsea beat them 3-1. Rubin fought hard in the return match played  in Moscow but a valiant 3-2 win was not enough and saw them eliminated.

Rubin Kazan was founded in 1958 under the name of Iskra. The club never played in the old Soviet Top League and languished in the lower regional leagues until they won promotion to the Russian First Division (the second tier) in 1992. They won the First Division eleven years later, being promoted to the Russian Premier League for the first time in 2003.

Since then they have performed well, winning the championship in 2008 and 2009 and the Russian Cup in 2011-12. They took four points off Barcelona in the group stage of the Champions League in 2009-10, including a 2-1 win at the Nou Camp.

Rubin – which means ruby – are based in Kazan, a city of over 1 million people in the Republic of Tatarstan. Kazan is around 460 miles south east of Moscow. It is the eastern-most city with a team competing in this year’s  Europa League group stage. Average daily high temperatures drop from 8º C in October to -1º C in November.

2129__rubin_kazan-home-kitRubin currently play at the Central Stadium, which is municipally owned, accommodating 30,133 spectators . They are shortly due to move the new Kazan Arena – capacity 45,105 – which will host the 2018 World Cup. Rubin’s home kit is ruby red. Around one half of their senior squad are Russians, the remainder foreign players from diverse backgrounds.

In order to reach the group stage of this season’s Europa League, Rubin had to go through three qualifying round. They not only knocked out Jagodina (Serbia), Randers (Denmark) and Molde (Norway), but won all six ties they played.

Rubin have substantial experience over the past ten years in both the Champions League and the Europa League, gaining notable results. They have a tight defence and a dangerous forward in the Venezuelan Salomón Rondón – signed in summer 2012 from Malaga for €10 million – who scored three goals in the games against Inter Milan last year.

Central stadium, Kazan

The Central Stadium, Kazan

Before the draw for the group stage was made Latics were hoping to avoid a trip to Russia. They are going to have to come to terms with the length of the journey and the visit to Tatarstan will be at the onset of winter, when low temperatures are a strong possibility.More than that they are going to meet a side that is going to be difficult to beat.

Group D of the Europa League – with Wigan, Zulte Waregem, NK Maribor and Rubin Kazan – might not have the glamour clubs of some of the other groups.

However, it is going to be very competitive with any one of the four teams having a decent chance of progressing to the next round. There are going to be no easy games.The top two teams in each of the 12 groups, together with 8 third placed teams from the Champions League, will compete in the Round of 32 which starts in February.

The Europa League is a big competition. Last year 193 clubs from 53 countries were involved.  In order to reach the final from the group stage Wigan would need to play 14 matches. When Fulham got there in 2009-10 season from the qualifying rounds they had to play 19  extra games. However, there are significant financial rewards for progressing through the various  stages of the competition.

It will be interesting to see how Owen Coyle approaches the Europa League matches, where the football is going to be a different style than in the fast and furious Championship. He has some players who have already played in the competition for their previous clubs, but for the majority of his squad it will be a learning experience.

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A look at Latics’ Europa League opposition – Part 2: NK Maribor

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

Wigan Athletic’s second match in the Europa League is scheduled for October 3rd with a visit from NK Maribor of Slovenia.

Maribor currently top the PrvaLiga – the Slovenian League. After winning their first six league matches they were held to a disappointing 1-1 home draw by Gorica on Sunday.

Last season Maribor won the 10 team PrvaLiga by a margin of 8 points.  As Slovenian champions they entered the  second qualifying round of the 2013-14 Champions League, being drawn against Birkikara of Romania. Home and away victories against the Romanian team put them into the third qualifying round where they met APOEL of Nicosia.

Maribor came away from the first leg in Cyprus with a hard fought 1-1 draw courtesy of a header from Brazilian forward Magno Tavares.  Maribor were to qualify for the playoffs through a 0-0 draw in Slovenia, after having to withstand a second half barrage from the Cypriot team. However, with the Champions League group stage beckoning they were to come unstuck against Czech champions, Viktoria Plzen, losing 3-1 away and 1-0 at home.

Jurij_PivkaMaribor is a beautiful town of around 95,000 inhabitants in the Styria region in the north east  of Slovenia. It is around 60 miles from the capital Ljubljana.

Nogometni  Klub Maribor was founded in 1960. The club initially played in the Yugoslav leagues, competing in the top tier from 1967-72. During that time their highest league position was 10th place in the 1969-70 season.

In 1991 Slovenia had broken away from Yugoslavia and they established their own football league. Since then NK Maribor have dominated the PrvaLiga, winning it 11 times and the Slovenian Cup 8 times.

The Ljudskivrt Stadium

The Ljudskivrt Stadium

NK Maribor play at the Ljudskivrt stadium, built in 1952 on the banks of the Drava River. It has a capacity of 12,994. They play in an all purple kit.

Despite being a small club by European standards Maribor have reached the group stage of the Champions League in both 2011-12 and 2012-13. They frequently lose their prized assets to bigger clubs, but nurture talented young players through their youth programme.

Much of Maribor’s more recent success can be attributed to the appointment of national hero, Zlatko Zahovic, as their Director of Football in 2007. The ex-Benfica and Porto attacking midfielder  was the key figure in  Slovenia  qualifying for both the World Cup and the European Championship in the early 2000’s. He played a record 80 games for his country, scoring 35 goals.

Maribor enter the Europa league after already playing six matches in European competition this season. This well-run club continues to punch above its weight and should not be underestimated.

With such a wealth of experience behind them in European competitions they are going to be hard to beat.

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McCarthy out, Powell and Shotton in

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

It seemed inevitable that James McCarthy would leave Wigan Athletic and Everton were always going to be the clear favourites to secure his services. Once Everton could confirm the sale of Marouane Fellaini to Manchester United they were going to have the funds to pay Latics the kind of asking price that Dave Whelan demanded. Although not at his best this season, McCarthy will be sorely missed by Latics.

For some time we have been waiting for Owen Coyle to sign another experienced defender and a forward capable of scoring goals. Coyle left it late, but managed to go some way towards providing what was needed through loan signings.

Latics’ interest in 19 year old Manchester United youngster, Nick Powell, had been broadcast in the media for some weeks. It was therefore no surprise when the loan deal was completed on the last day of the transfer window. However, the name of Liverpool’s Andre Wisdom had also been banded about the media, but a deal did not materialize. Wisdom would have fitted the defensive bill through his ability to play at full back or in the centre of defence.

Unable or unwilling to sign Wisdom, Coyle made an eleventh hour move to sign Ryan Shotton from Stoke on a one year loan deal. Shotton is a more experienced player than Wisdom and can also play in any slot in the back four.

Many Latics fans had questioned the need for the signing of an attacking midfield player like Powell, given the presence of playmakers Shaun Maloney and Jordi Gomez in the squad. Even with the departure of McCarthy, Coyle was still going to have a wealth of quality midfield players at his beckoning.

There is no doubt that Powell can score goals, including spectacular ones. At Crewe he had played in a more forward role, scoring 16 goals. On Powell’s  arrival last summer Sir Alex Ferguson stated that  “We see him as a central midfield player. Crewe played him as a forward in behind the striker, but I asked a question of [Alex director of football] Dario Gradi as to whether he thought central midfield was his position. That’s what he thinks, and Nick thinks that’s his position too, so we’re all in accord on that.”

Grant Holt’s injury leaves Latics stretched, with only Marc-Antoine Fortune available to fill the central striker role. It could be that Powell will be asked to step into that position sooner rather than later. Powell is clearly a fine young player and could make a major impact on Latics season, providing he can avoid the injury problems he had at Manchester last season.

The signing of the 24 year old Shotton is going to give Wigan much more defensive cover. The 6’3” Shotton has been used as a full back or midfield player by Stoke, although his natural position is in the centre of defence. He provides cover for Emmerson Boyce at right back. Although the captain remains a fine player he is now 33 and is going to find it difficult to get through a long season without some breaks. Shotton is not a cultured attacking full back like Boyce, but he will add defensive solidity. Shotton took over the long throw-in role from Rory Delap at Stoke and it might well be a ploy that Coyle will favour.

Coyle has now recruited 12 new players since his arrival in July. Both Powell and Shotton on one year loan deals are good signings with the view of getting Latics back to the Premier League.

It is the lack of a third specialist central striker that is the concern, but that might happen when the transfer window reopens in January. Given the audacious attempt to lure Jordan Rhodes from Blackburn it appears that Whelan is willing to pay what is needed to get another top class striker.

Coyle has once again done a good job in the transfer market.

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A look at Latics’ Europa League opposition – Part 1: Zulte Waregem

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

Europa

Wigan Athletic’s first match in their Europa League campaign commences on September 19th, with a trip to Belgium  to play Zulte Waregem.

SV Zulte Waregem lie in second place in the Belgian Pro League, currently known through its sponsor’s name as the Jupiler League. They are unbeaten in the first six league games, beating Anderlecht  4-3 at home this afternoon. In a stormy game Anderlecht had two men sent off compared with one for the home team for whom Thorgan Hazard – brother of Eden – was on the score sheet.

Last season Waregem finished in second place behind Anderlecht in the Jupiler League play-offs. That put them into the third qualifying round of this season’s  UEFA Champions League but they were to be defeated by PSV Eindhoven of Holland.

Waregem is a Flemmish-speaking town about 40 miles west of Brussels. Its population is around 36,000.

The original club from the town, TSV Waregem, was founded in 1925. Their major achievements were to win  the Belgian Cup in 1974 and to reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup in 1985-86. In 1996 they were relegated to the second division, falling down into the third division in 1999.

In 2001 financial problems led to the Waregem club merging with Zultse VV, from the neighbouring town of Zulte. The new club was to be called Sportvereniging Zulte Waregem.

The new club was soon to climb up the leagues, winning promotion to the first tier in 2004-05.

Constant Vanden Stock Stadium, Brussels

Constant Vanden Stock Stadium, Brussels

Zulte Waregem play their home league matches at the Regenboog Stadium, the home of their predecessors TSV. It has a capacity of 10,200. However, the ground is not up to UEFA standards and they have played their recent Champions League and Europa League games at Anderlecht’s ground, the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium in Brussels. Their home kit is all red.

Zulte Waregem come to the group stages of the Europa League following their exit from the Champions League. In the third qualifying round of the Europa League they made resolute performances against  APOEL of Nicosia.  A gutsy display gave them a somewhat fortunate 2-1 away win in the first leg in Cyprus. A tight 1-1 home draw was then enough to see the Belgian team through to the group stage.

Although Zulte Waregem are not well known at international level they will be hard to beat They have prior experience in Europe and are excelling in the Belgian Pro League.

It will be a demanding opening game for Latics in their first European campaign.

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Latics get Manchester City again as the Coyle revolution stutters

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

The realists might say that Roberto Martinez left Wigan Athletic at the right time.

Despite a meagre budget Martinez kept the club in the Premier League for three consecutive seasons.  In his time at Wigan his teams recorded victories against the elite clubs who dominate the league – Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham .

Wigan’s operating budget during Martinez’s tenure was around a quarter or a third of those of the elite clubs. Despite his achievements there were fans who wanted him gone. With the ups came the downs and Latics were on the receiving end of many a hammering from those same clubs.

Martinez’ critics just didn’t like the tiki-taka  style of play and wanted a more direct approach. They never understood why he would not field twin strikers – the term ’lone’ centre forward was an apt description for unfortunates such as Jason Scotland and Hugo Rodallega who got little service or support. They said there were too many foreigners who did not take pride in wearing the Latics shirt. Why weren’t  local lads being given a chance?

However, Martinez had masses of self-belief and courage. He was not to be swayed by his critics and he held firm to his principles. The incredible FA Cup final victory over Manchester City was earned through playing football the Martinez way. They beat City on merit, committing only 5 fouls (compared with City’s 11) and receiving only one yellow card (City had three yellows and one red). It was an exceptional achievement that put Wigan Athletic on the global football map. It was not just the result, but also the style with which it was achieved, that impressed the millions of viewers all over the world.

Through their longevity in the Premier League and winning the FA Cup in such style Wigan Athletic have shed the “small club” image that dogged them for so many years.  However, now that they have risen up the totem pole, so too have expectations. This year Latics are expected to give a good account of themselves in the Europa League, to challenge for promotion from the Championship, at the same time maintaining their reputation for good football.

Owen Coyle is now the man in the Latics hot seat who will have to maintain that same level of strength of conviction shown by his predecessor. Expectations are high and the pressure is on. Wigan’s best chance at getting back into the Premier League is while they have a competitive advantage over other clubs in the Championship through parachute payments.

However, like Martinez before him, Coyle is working under budgetary constraints. It is hard to believe he has sold two players, brought in ten, and still has cash in hand. Coyle’s work in the transfer market is not yet finished – he desperately needs at least one more quality striker and one more defender.

Coyle arrived following a mass exodus of players at the end of the Martinez era. Moreover there remain three players with long-term injuries who would excel at Championship level were they fully fit. Two of them – Ali Al Habsi and Gary Caldwell – were recipients of the club’s ‘Player of the Season’ award for their performances at Premier League level. Add to them  Ivan Ramis, who might well have been in the running for that same award last year had he not suffered a cruciate knee ligament in January.

Coyle has been appointed with a brief of getting immediate success. While Martinez always looked towards the future and took a more long-term view, Coyle does not have that opportunity. Coyle has brought in new players who have the experience and ability to get Latics out of the Championship. Few would be likely to stay at the club for the long haul were Latics to get promoted.

Coyle has had a rollercoaster ride during his couple of months at Wigan. His initial appointment was not well received by many fans, but he managed to win people round by his hard work in the transfer market and his optimistic outlook. Following a 4-0 win over a poor Barnsley side, Latics fans were riding on a wave of optimism . No wins in the following four matches has doused the good cheer and the manager is already under attack from disgruntled fans.

Things have not gone according to plan. In the absence of a strong leader of the back line – like Caldwell and Ramis – there have been defensive weaknesses that have been effectively exploited by the opposition.

Of the new signings only the goalkeeper, Scott Carson, has consistently impressed. Moreover most of the senior pros remaining from the Martinez era have not yet shown their best form.

What a coincidence that Latics have been drawn to play at Manchester City in the Carling Cup  on September 25th.  By then Wigan will have played three more league games, plus their debut fixture in the Europa League.

In the meantime Owen Coyle will be looking at getting his key players back to form. His squad is certainly capable of challenging for promotion, but a showdown with City is a different matter.

It is a long season ahead and the Coyle revolution is going to have its ups and downs. Let’s hope that recent performances prove to be no more than stutters in the path ahead.

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