FA Cup Fifth Round: Huddersfield Town v Wigan Athletic

Posted by JJ (Tony) in Match Previews, Other and tagged with , ,
John Smith's Stadium, Huddersfield

John Smith’s Stadium, Huddersfield

Wigan Athletic have reached the  6th round of the FA Cup only once before. That was in the 1986-1987 season, when they were unluckily beaten by Leeds United on a bitterly cold and blustery afternoon at  Springfield Park. On Sunday they will be hoping to get there again when they travel to meet a Huddersfield Town team that pulled off a surprise 2-1 victory at high flying Championship rivals Leicester on Tuesday.

The last time Wigan played Huddersfield in the FA Cup was in 1973, when Latics were a non-league side and the Terriers were in Division 3. The result at the old Leeds Road stadium was a 2-0 win for the home team. Huddersfield moved to their new ground, now known as the John Smiths Stadium, in 1994. Not surprisingly there have been some concerns about the state of the pitch, since Town share the ground with the local rugby league club.  There has been  debate among Town supporters as to what has caused the  recent  problems. Some say it has been churned up by having rugby matches played on it;  others say it is been because of the bad weather and the need for undersoil heating.  A familiar debate well known to Wigan fans. Let’s hope the issue does not rear its ugly head again in the matches remaining this season at the DW Stadium.

Given their current predicament  in the relegation zone of the Premier League,  Wigan will be reluctant to risk first choice players for this game. However, a few are likely to be drafted in to provide balance. There appears to be an outside chance that Emmerson Boyce will make  a return, following his recent hamstring injury. However, Martinez will probably play safe and play Ronnie Stam at right wing back, saving the senior professional for the Reading game.

The big Spanish goalkeeper Joel Robles will have the opportunity to stake a claim for a  first team place. He is likely to see much more action against a Championship side than he did against Conference side Macclesfield in the last round. Roman Golobart is likely to step into central defence, with Adrian Lopez alongside him, if fit. The third central defensive position would go to a senior player, although the return of Antolin Alcaraz is still in doubt. Jordan Mustoe staked a claim at left wing back in the Macclesfield game in the previous round, but it could also be taken by Maynor Figueroa or Jean Beausejour.

David Jones  will surely start in the centre of midfield, but Fraser Fyvie is injured, so Roger Espinoza will probably step in. Jordi Gomez will surely start in the front three, together with two of Callum McManaman,  Angelo Henriquez and Nouha Dicko. Given that he has not had much football in recent weeks we can expect Arouna Kone to feature at some time during the game.

This will be a stern test for the second string. Huddersfield currently lie 18th in the Championship table, but they have only lost 4 matches out of 16 at home. All teams in the Championship are competitive and this Huddersfield side is likely to stretch a Wigan lineup that only plays together in cup matches. However, the second string has already shown this season that it can take its chances clinically and grind out results. A good result at the John Smith’s Stadium would lift the spirits of all at the club.

Like us on Facebook, or follow us on twitter here.

A Return to Alcaraz and a Settled Defence?

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

Soccer - Barclays Premier League - Wigan Athletic v Chelsea - DW Stadium

Wigan Athletic’s injury woes continue to hit their chances of Premier League survival.  The hamstring injury suffered by Emmerson Boyce in the recent away game at Stoke was another hammer blow to a defensive line already short of Ivan Ramis and Antolin Alcaraz. Add to that Gary Caldwell continuing to take the field despite a hip injury. Injuries have also taken away midfielder Ben Watson and the speedy wingers, Albert Crusat and Ryo Miyaichi. But it is in the defence where the injuries have been most disruptive, with Roberto Martinez constantly having to change his back line over the course of the season. The end result has been a lack of cohesion, with too many soft goals being given away.

The last time Roberto Martinez was able to field together his most cohesive line of central defenders – Antolin Alcaraz, Gary Caldwell and Maynor Figueroa – was at Blackburn in May of 2012. It was that trio that provided the defensive strength and backbone for Wigan to have an outstanding end to the 2011-2012 season.  Alcaraz has only started two games this season.  It has been a long and slow recuperation from his groin injury. There has been speculation among some fans that it is not the injury that has been keeping the big Paraguayan out, but that his contract runs out at the end of the season. Given Wigan’s predicament one hopes that it is not the latter case, although Alcaraz has had long spells out due to injury in each of his three seasons at the club, making it less likely that his contract would be renewed. For the moment Alcaraz is needed to help Wigan stay clear of relegation.

There is a possibility that Alcaraz will make his return in Saturday’s FA Cup tie at Huddersfield. Were he to come through unscathed he would then be available for the crunch game at Reading the following weekend. Certainly Alcaraz’s return would give Martinez the possibility of putting together that back line which gelled so well at a crucial time last season. However, it would also open up options of releasing Paul Scharner and Maynor Figueroa as wing backs.

Wigan fans will hope that Emmerson Boyce will be fit for the Reading game. The improvement in the 33 year old’s passing since the arrival of Martinez has been huge. Boyce has become an excellent wing back, solid in defence, tireless in approach and even scoring spectacular goals in attack. In his seventh season at the club,  Boyce too has been susceptible to injury in recent years.  He completed 26 games last season and 22 the previous year. A fully fit Emmerson Boyce is another key factor in Wigan’s bid to avoid relegation.

It has been fascinating to watch Paul Scharner settle back so quickly into the Latics team. He looks a natural in that right centre back position, although he still has to work on his alignment with his fellow central defenders. Scharner has always been a useful central defender, if he himself has preferred to play in midfield.  One hopes he can maintain his discipline and resist the urge to commit himself too far forward, putting the defence at risk.

A settled back line is of paramount importance to Wigan Athletic’s chances of staying in the Premier League this season. Let’s hope that the injury jinx will no longer rear its ugly head. Even though Ivan Ramis is out for the reminder of the season, it would help Roberto Martinez greatly if all the other experienced defenders in his squad were to be available.

Like us on Facebook, or follow us on twitter here.

Chelsea 4 Wigan Athletic 1 – Scoreline Flatters Benitez’ Team

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

soc_g_maloney11_576

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.

Like us on Facebook, or follow us on twitter here.

Chelsea v Wigan Athletic Preview – Embattled Spanish Managers Meet

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

BenitezMartinez

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.

Like us on Facebook, or follow us on twitter here.

No Place Like Home

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

dwstdred

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.

Like us on Facebook, or follow us on twitter here.