Wigan vs. Norwich: Six-pointer at the DW

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

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If Wigan Athletic is a team in the ascendancy with four wins out of six, then Norwich is one fighting valiantly to arrest the opposite. After an amazing run of unbeaten games in late 2012, the Canaries find themselves just seven points clear of Latics in 12th place, having drawn five of their last seven matches.

Tellingly, all of those stalemates came against mid-table or relegation-threatened sides. All signs point to a loss of momentum for Chris Hughton’s charges, and if left to the Laws of Form, a victory for Wigan appears the most likely outcome.

Of course, it’s never that simple, and nothing shakes things up quite like an international break. Some players, most vocally Paul Scharner, have benefited from a two-week break. Internationals at both clubs, however, will have played two matches in the space of five days. People like Maynor Figueroa and Ali Al-Habsi were not only key performers for their countries in high stakes World Cup Qualifiers, but have had to recover from flights back from Panama and Australia and the jet lag that comes with it.

Enough has been written about Wigan’s post-international break struggles, however. There is a real opportunity at the DW this weekend, and there is a squad to achieve it. Many eyes will be focused on Callum McManaman, so influential in Latics’ two most recent victories. The last few weeks will have brought very mixed emotions for the young winger, after the ecstasy of scoring against Everton followed by the media witch hunt after his bad challenge on Massima Haidara. Glad that discussion is over. But it will be interesting to see how the player reacts. If recovered from his own injury, one would expect him to start. Roberto Martinez’s comments in the build-up to the match about his potential as a future England star should not only give him a shot of confidence, but hopefully minimize ill-treatment from the visiting supporters.

Given he has now fielded the same starting XI for consecutive victories over strong opposition, there is no reason to believe Martinez will not do the same tomorrow. This should mean another start for young Spaniard Joel Robles in goal, who looks increasingly likely to be permanent signing in the summer. He’ll — hopefully — be protected by a back four of Emmerson Boyce, Antolin Alcaraz, Paul Scharner and Maynor Figueroa. James McCarthy and Jordi Gomez would continue in midfield, with Shaun Maloney ahead of them in a free role. McManaman and Beausejour should retain their places on the wings, while Arouna Koné will lead the line. This leaves Franco Di Santo, who partnered Lionel Messi in attack for a period of time in Argentina’s 1-1 draw against Bolivia, on the bench once again. As it does Ali Al-Habsi, captain Gary Caldwell, and James McArthur.

A win tomorrow would heap pressure on Southampton, Sunderland and Aston Villa, who are four, four and three points ahead of Latics respectively having played an extra match. It could also suck Norwich into the battle — although with 34 points already and home fixtures against Reading, Aston Villa, West Brom and Swansea, they should be fine.

More importantly, another win would make it five in seven for Wigan and fuel the belief that they can do it yet again.

Closing the chapter on the McPocalypse

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

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After the news that Michael Owen finally called time on a career that had long petered out as a result of injury, what better way to close the chapter on an unpleasant week for Wigan Athletic than to receive the good news that Newcastle player Massadio Haidara has not suffered serious injury after the much-discussed Callum McManaman challenge last weekend. Bone bruising and soft tissue damage was the extent of the injury, which just goes to show you that dodgy hamstrings can damage a career plenty more than a bad tackle, while the most innocuous of scuffles can end in a broken leg — as Ben Watson discovered earlier this season.

As with many associated with Wigan in the past week, I’ve been given a bit of stick for what some perceived to be a failure to address the seriousness of McManaman’s tackle. To be clear, I neither believe the tackle was clean as a whistle, nor do I believe it was done with any intent to injure. It was an avoidable accident — a mistake — a crude tackle from an inexperienced attacking player. In a quiet news week, media coverage was bloated and sensationalistic, with the words “career threatening” fanning the flames well before any diagnosis had been made on the severity of the injury.

Of course, we now know — almost a full week later — that the player’s injuries are essentially bruises. Results of x-rays and MRI scans, needed to rule out broken bones or ligament damage respectively, do not take more than a few hours each. If Newcastle knew there was no serious injury early in the week, they chose to keep it to themselves to strengthen their case for McManaman’s punishment or compensation.

Having scored a brilliant goal in the FA Cup tie against Everton and set up the opening goal on his first Premier League start, McManaman was making his long-awaited breakthrough.In retrospect, I suspect a majority of Wigan supporters would have chosen a ban or suspension over the vilification he has received that now threatens to stunt his progress. If Wigan’s reputation has been tarnished by this, so too has Newcastle’s after some of their supporters unleashed a truly obscene barrage of tweets toward our young player which even culminated in the arrest of one fan for making death threats.  No one has benefited.

As a reflection of society, football has always been and will always be charged with emotion, bias, and hypocrisy. The hope is that we can all shift our focus back to the fact that Wigan and Newcastle have a tendency to produce some fantastic football matches, neither side is out to get the other, and no lasting damage has been done. Lets hope Massadio Haidara’s bruises heal quickly and he enjoys a successful career in England, while young McManaman learns to channel his energy in a more controlled manner and continues his exciting progress free of any bullying or threats.

Arouna Koné – Best yet to come

Posted by JJ (Tony) in Player profiles and tagged with , , , , , ,

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In August 2007 Sevilla paid PSV Eindhoven a reported €12 million for their Ivorian striker, Arouna Koné. Club president, José María del Nido, commented at the time that Koné was “One of the best attackers in the world” and that his acquisition gave them the strongest side in their history. Sevilla had just won two successive UEFA Cups and the signing of Koné on a five-year contract was the icing on the cake.

Koné had come to Europe as a 19-year-old, playing for Lierse SK in the Belgian first division. Despite his youth and lack of experience Kone scored 11 goals in 32 games in his year at Lierse. He then moved to Roda JC of Kerkrade, a town in the old coal mining area in the south of Holland. He regularly scored goals, like this spectacular one, for the club which usually finished in the top half of the Eredivisie table. In his two years at Roda he scored 27 goals in 63 appearances.

Koné clearly impressed reigning champions PSV when he scored this beauty against them for Roda, so it was no surprise when he joined the Eindhoven side in the summer of 2005. He was to spend two years at PSV, winning the Eredivisie title twice and scoring 21 goals in 52 matches.

Given Arouna Koné’s previous track record in Holland, the move to Sevilla promised so much for him and the club. However, the first season did not go to plan. He had been signed only a few days after  Sevilla midfielder, Antonio Puerta, had suffered a heart attack on the field of play and died three days later.  A couple of months after that their successful coach, Juande Ramos, left for Tottenham. It was a difficult period for the club and Koné. The striking partnership of Frederic Kanoute and Luis Fabiano was to become very successful and Koné’s altercation with a member of the club’s training staff made national television. His difficulties were compounded when he suffered cruciate knee ligament injury  in August 2008,  when playing for Ivory Coast against Guinea, leaving him out of action for six months.

On 1 February 2010 Koné joined Hannover 96 on loan, scoring on his Bundesliga debut, at Hoffenheim. He had only appeared once for Sevilla in the 2010-2011 season, that being as a substitute in the last minute. His career was to be revived when he was loaned to Levante UD for the 2011-2012 season.

Levante had come up from the second division the previous year, gaining 14th position in La Liga. Koné’s arrival was to spark an upturn of fortune for the poorer relations in the city of Valencia. His first goal for them was a winner against Real Madrid in September 2011. Levante were to finish 6th and qualify for the Europa League, with Koné scoring 15 goals in 34 appearances, including one against Sevilla. He missed the last three games of the season , having suffered an injury. Moreover, if he had reached 18 goals the terms of his contract meant that he would have to return to Sevilla.

Koné played one game for Ivory Coast in the recent African Nations Cup tournament, on the right wing against Algeria. He has tough competition for a striking position for his country, being up against Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou. However, he has already represented his country 38 times, scoring 9 goals. Koné also played Champions League football at PSV.

The Ivorian comes from a humble background, being the eighth of fifteen children that his father had through three wives. He is a man who stays in contact with his roots, supporting his large extended family back in Ivory Coast. Together with Ali Al Habsi they are practicing muslims and both will be found praying at the appropriate times. His elder brother Bakari is a 31 year old winger currently playing in Qatar, following seven years in France playing for Lorient, Nice and Marseille. Bakari has played 41 games for Ivory Coast, scoring 9 goals.

When Koné joined Wigan Athletic in summer he took over the number 2 shirt, as he had done at Levante. He likes to dye his hair yellow, as did his basketball hero, Dennis Rodman. With 10 goals in the league under his belt, Koné is getting close to reaching Henri Camara’s record of 14 goals in a season for Latics. He has also made 5 assists. His transition to English football has been rapid. An excellent target man, able to withstand strong physical challenges, he is yet to incur a single yellow card this season. He is fast, intelligent and a team player.

The move to Wigan has been a good one for Arouna Koné. The disappointment of his time at Sevilla is now water under the bridge. He has all the attributes to be a top class Premier League centre forward. Although he has done very well so far one feels that the best is yet to come from the 29-year-old Ivorian.

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The Canals of Alcaraz

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

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In May of 2010 Wigan Athletic supporters were to hear that their club had made a ‘Bosman signing’ of a Paraguayan centre half from a club in Belgium. A month later, on June 10, Antolín Alcaraz was to make himself known on the world stage when he scored a headed goal against Italy in Cape Town. The 1-1 draw helped steer Paraguay into the World Cup quarter finals. But who was Alcaraz and how did he get into his national team despite never playing at senior level in his own country?

Aveiro is a prosperous coastal town in central Portugal. It is often called the  ‘Venice of Portugal’ because of its canals and boats. It aveiro3is home to SC Beira Mar whose crowds rarely reach five fugures. One of their claims to fame is that the great Eusebio played for them for a brief time in 1976. When the 21 year old Antolín Alcaraz joined them in January 2003 they were in the first division, although the club has oscillated between the first and second divisions since then. Alcaraz was to spend four years in Aveiro, cutting his teeth as a professional footballer, becoming Beira Mar’s defensive lynchpin and captain. He was to pick up the first of his 22 caps for Paraguay in his final season at the club.

Antolín Alcaraz comes from a humble background. He was raised in the south of Paraguay in San Roque González, a town of around 12,000 people, some 100 km from the capital Asuncion. After joining Racing Club of Argentina as a teenager he was snapped up by Fiorentina, but at a bad time since the ‘Viola’ were to be relegated to Italian lower leagues because of financial problems. He left, and after a trial with Palermo, headed for Aveiro.

Alcaraz was to leave Aveiro in July 2007 to move to another place famous for its canals, Bruges. Club Brugge were a more well known club than Beira Mar, having reached two European finals and won the Belgian league 13 times. During Alcaraz’ time in that beautiful city the club finished in the top three each year. In the 2008-09 season Alcaraz made six appearances for Club BrugesBrugge in the UEFA Cup, when they were knocked out in the group- phase, although overall they had only lost one match in the competition. He made seven appearances in 2009-10 in the newly formed Europa League. Brugge qualified through the group stage but were to be undone in extra time at Valencia.

Alcaraz has been a regular member of Paraguay’s side since the World Cup, his team reaching the final of the Copa America in 2011, beating Brazil on penalties in the quarter final.

Strangely enough the Leeds-Liverpool canal runs right next to the DW Stadium. It might lack the beauty of those in Aveiro and Bruges, but certainly played its part in the Industrial Revolution and today offers pleasant walks along its paths. Not that Antolin Alcaraz will be too concerned about that. He will be focusing on two things: helping Wigan Athletic avoid relegation and finding himself a new contract for vnext season at 30 years of age.

One has often felt that the best has been yet to come with Alcaraz. He has had his ups and downs with the club, including a controversial red card in December of 2011 for spitting at a Wolves player. He made 34 appearances in his first season, but only 25 in his second due to injury. However, his return to the team in April last year was crucial in providing a solid defensive backbone alongside Gary Caldwell and Maynor Figueroa . A defence that had been leaking like a sieve was to concede only 10 goals in the final 11 league games.

This has been a frustrating season for Antolín Alcaraz, with 6 months out through injury. However, once again his return to the team has stabilised the defence. His partnership with Paul Scharner promises to be something special. For once Wigan have height and pace in the centre of their defence. The way the two players have gelled in the Everton and Newcastle matches has been quite remarkable, given that Scharner had left Wigan when Alcaraz arrived in 2010.

There is no certainty that either Antolín Alcaraz or Paul Scharner will be at Wigan next season. At the moment they are both playing the best football of their Latics careers. If they can continue to do so until the end of the season it could mean Wigan achieving the double goal of Premier League survival and playing in the Europa League.

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Wigan Athletic 2 Newcastle United 1: Great escape still on, just

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

KoneWigan emerged with three vital points by the hair on their chinny chin chins as Arouna Kone netted a somewhat fortunate last gasp winner to make the score 2-1. A Davide Santon equaliser on 70 minutes had swung the game Newcastle’s way after Wigan had largely looked in control, and both managers had signaled their intent with attacking substitutions. Jean Beausejour had scored his first goal for the club since arriving just over a year ago after excellent work from Callum McManaman early in the affair.

The win means three of the bottom five won this weekend, narrowing the gap between them and the middle of the table. Roberto Martinez has frequently spoken of a team higher up in the league becoming embroiled in the relegation battle, and so it seems with Sunderland, Norwich, West Ham — and Newcastle themselves — once again failing to win.

The good feeling had returned to the DW before kick-off thanks to the stunning 3-0 win at Goodison Park a week earlier, and the buzz created by the crowd translated into endeavor on the pitch in a strong and committed first half. Martinez was rewarded after surprising many by keeping his cup XI intact, as the lively McManaman repeatedly beat his man down the right flank and crossed only for the ball to bounce Beausejour’s way to put Wigan up. It was the young winger’s first league start, and despite being involved in a dangerous tackle later in the half, his performance should see him cement his place in the starting line-up come next weekend.

There were worrying signs after Newcastle leveled against the run of play, but lady luck smiled on the Latics as a corner bobbled wildly before bouncing off Kone’s outstretched leg to dramatically settle the contest.

The Good: 

An absolutely crucial and decisive result that breathes fresh hope into Wigan’s annual push for survival, and sends a message to the teams around them. With a second consecutive home tie against beatable opposition, there is a real opportunity to build momentum and make up some ground in the table. It is now four wins in five matches in all competitions and two in three in league play.

Martinez’s gamble paid off. Despite a couple wobbly moments, Joel Robles held his own between the sticks, while Jordi Gomez and McManaman performed well in midfield, and Antolin Alcaraz was once again excellent in defense. These were the four changes made to the side for the success at Everton and they may well have cemented their places in the team for the next few fixtures.

Wigan managed to do what they had thus far failed to do — grind out a result.

The Bad:

The way heads dropped after Santon’s equaliser was a concern. Before James McCarthy’s speculative cross led to the corner that ultimately won them the game, Wigan had not looked like scoring during the period of the match with a 1-1 score line.

Player Ratings:

Joel Robles: 6 — Looked confident, showed comfort on the ball, but flapped at a couple crosses. Considering the intensity of the occasion, however, this was a strong league debut for the young keeper. It is looking increasingly likely he will be signed permanently in the summer if terms can be agreed upon.

Emmerson Boyce: 7 — Disciplined defensively and occasionally burst forward, though often without support.

Antolin Alcaraz: 9 — Marshaled his defence with the composure, strength and speed that has so sorely been lacking this season.

Paul Scharner: 8 — Some excellent tackles, particularly in the first half. A couple panicky moments in the second but overall defended very well.

Maynor Figueroa: 7.5 — Probably should have blocked Santon’s goal-bound shot, but was otherwise excellent. Strong in his aerial defensive play and played some stunning cross field passes.

James McCarthy: 7.5 — Tireless. Covered a lot of ground, threatened to burst through on a couple occasions.

Jordi Gomez: 7 — Good first half with some good interceptions and slide tackling. Faded in the second.

Jean Beausejour: 7.5 — Also strong in the first half from his more advanced wing position. It was a pleasure to see him score — the goal was reward for a player who started the season poorly but has quietly regained his form.

Callum McManaman: 8 — He fades out of the match for periods of time, but every time he was on the ball he made things happen. His pace and dribbling added a new dimension to Wigan’s attack, and his quick feet and cross created the first goal.

Shaun Maloney: 8 — Full of invention as always, unlucky not to score with a trademark curling effort in the first half and created several opportunities of danger that his teammates were unable to capitalise on.

Arouna Kone: 7 — Worked hard up front as lone striker and got his reward as he prodded home from the right place at the right time. Heavy touch on occasion, but his goal haul for the season has already been an improvement on any other striker in the Martinez era.

Subs: 

James McArthur: 8 — Came on as a defensive replacement for Callum McManaman and played very well, disrupting play and driving forward.

Franco Di Santo: On for the last ten minutes but couldn’t really get going. His presence unsettled the Newcastle defence in the build-up to the winner.