Tables turned as Latics pinch a point

Posted by Ned in Match Reports, News, Other and tagged with 2-2, analysis, maloney, relegation, report, southampton, survival, wigan February 3, 2013

A familiar scenario was reversed at the DW this afternoon, as an unfancied relegation-threatened side impressed its audience with a thoroughly dominant and cultured performance, only to be robbed of three points by two goals from set pieces.

Wigan Athletic, so often outdone by slack defending from set pieces after dominating proceedings, saw the tables turned and were fortunate to emerge with a point — which will only seem disappointing to those who didn’t watch the match. Mauricio Pochettino’s high-pressing game denied Latics their usual midfield comforts and limited them to four or five efforts on goal in the 93 minutes played. Southampton’s second half performance at Manchester United in midweek during which Sir Alex Ferguson’s men could hardly get the ball no longer seems a fluke. Despite a midfield-heavy lineup, Latics just couldn’t get a grip on the game.

The Good:

Paul Scharner was one of the best, if not Wigan’s man of the match, on his return. It might have been a lot worse without his aerial presence and timely clearances. He never was the most technically gifted player, but a talented, tall and quick — if reluctant — defender. He looks fit as ever despite limited minutes in Hamburg and slotted into the back three perfectly. When the chips are down, you need players with self-belief who are willing to take a chance, and it was the Austrian’s hopeful effort that landed at Maloney’s feet for the equaliser. It was telling that Ronnie Stam was substituted shortly after making a mess of a Scharner pass. The Austrian had expertly intercepted a cross and played the ball out, only for the Dutchman’s poor control to put the Latics back in trouble. Scharner’s less-than-pleased reaction must only have expedited Roberto Martinez’s plan to get Stam off the pitch.

The result is a positive, given the circumstances. While most Wigan supporters had thought of the fixture as a must-win, the fact that Southampton remain only three points, and not six, ahead of Latics is hugely important. Their form is likely to dip after the new manager boost, and as Martinez said in his post-match comments it was a point gained.

To see Wigan score two goals from set pieces or hopeful crosses was a bit strange but a big plus. The team also benefited from Scharner’s height on set pieces — with Boyce restored to the right wingback role this will only improve.

The Bad:

It’s hard to gauge if Latics were really poor or if Southampton were just excellent. The Saints’ fitness levels were certainly impressive — perhaps the result of a training week in higher temperatures in Barcelona. Manchester United couldn’t handle them and were very lucky during Wednesday’s second half.

James McCarthy stands out as someone we expect more from. After his late autumn brace and press coverage, he was targeted and subsequently injured against Norwich — his form has suffered ever since. This is not to say the player has been poor in any way — but it is clear to those of us watching that he could dominate, and yet he reduces himself to simple five yard passing. You can’t fault his effort or technique, only his belief. If you gave McCarthy Scharner’s positivity and self-belief, you might have the next Steven Gerrard.

Roger Espinoza had a rough go of it after such an encouraging second half at Stoke. Ronnie Stam unfortunately showed once again this season that his attacking play is not good enough to make up for his poor defending. The substitutes had no effect — Henriquez excepted who did well in his three minutes. While largely down to injuries, Wigan’s bench was thin and there wasn’t a player on the bench that you felt could really make a difference. Compare it to having Rodallega and Diame available in the last half hour this time last year. Callum McManaman showed again that he is quick and 100%, but neither fast or composed. Jordi Gomez was sent on to try and regain possession but couldn’t do it.

The league table is worrying. Reading are in good form. Southampton clearly are. QPR may not have won but have signed half a team as usual and will only improve. Villa — the best bet at the moment — scored three goals at Goodison Park but at least dropped two points in the last minute of injury time. It’s time to start getting results.

Player Ratings:

Ali Al-Habsi: 6 — Not to blame for the goals, made a couple decent reaction saves.

Paul Scharner: 7 — Very good. An excellent loan signing, a positive influence and stop-gap. Inspired confidence and will lend some much-needed experience.

Gary Caldwell: 7 — Was out-jumped in the build-up to the equaliser. Scharner sprinted across anticipating it when he probably should have stayed on his mark. If Caldwell were a few inches taller he would be at a top club. He otherwise had an excellent game making a large number of crucial blocks and interceptions, not to mention his exceptionally well taken headed goal and some exquisite passing. Unfortunately, the midfield ahead of his was totally overrun, but his good form bodes well.

Maynor Figueroa: 6 — Difficult to assess. He made some very good tackles and was probably Latics busiest player in the second half, but got beaten very easily a few times as well.

Ronnie Stam: 5 — Not good enough at present. Is capable of good attacking play, but is a defensive liability. Remarkable turnaround excepted, Martinez’s attempt to sign John Stones was confirmation that Stam will leave this summer.

Jean Beausejour: 6 — His best game for some time. Would receive an 8 for a brilliant first half during which he played several top-class crosses — one of which Franco Di Santo almost scored from — and was generally composed and effective. Has started all but one league match for Martinez since joining just over a year ago and looked refreshed after being substituted early against Stoke. Disappeared in the second half however. Once again, the opposing manager neutralized Wigan’s main attacking threat by making sure the Chilean was kept busy defensively.

James McCarthy: 5 — His error led to the second goal. McCarthy is difficult to grade — his potential is so huge it is disappointing to see him underperform. If he underperforms, the team does.

James McArthur: 6 — Persevered and showed quick thinking and passing, but wasn’t given the chance to get forward as he did in a fantastic display at Stoke.

Roger Espinoza: 5 — After a game of two halves at Stoke — wobbly and excellent — he struggled in this one. As supporters, we need to be patient as he adapts to the pace and physicality of the Premier League. He was involved, but largely outmuscled and ineffective. Still, a promising signing.

Shaun Maloney: 7 — As has been the case for several months, he was a class above his teammates and the bravest of Wigan’s attacking players. Very close to creating the opening in the first half, he finally got his goal in the second despite a complete lack of support. Setting an example by recently signing a new contract, he celebrated his goal by emphasizing the importance of his club’s shirt.

Franco Di Santo: 7 — Perhaps not everyone’s grade, but the Argentina striker put in a near perfect target man performance, receiving and holding the ball under duress, with very little support. His effort from Beausejour’s cross in the first half was excellent — a goal would have been just reward for a man not only doing the hard work alone up front but constantly chasing back to win the ball for his teammates. He has scored two from four since being deployed in the advanced striker role largely reserved for Arouna Kone this season, a good strike rate better than his teammate, and has been unlucky it’s not been more.

Subs:

Jordi Gomez: Plays well when the team has possession of the ball. Sent on to try and help the team regain it — wasn’t able to do so in this match but didn’t play poorly either.

Callum McManaman: It’s always pleasing to see him come on. Works hard, has skill and is clearly quick though not fast. The jury is still out on him at this level. He played some positive balls forward but his failed lunge in the build-up to Southampton’s second goal gave the winger the confidence to play such a thoughtful cross in. A more experienced player would have stayed stayed with him long enough to make him rush a cross, or would have earned a yellow card for the team stopping him. In his defence, he is being played in a different position every week, for anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes at a time. I would love to see him given a starting opportunity behind Di Santo and imagine it would do wonders for his confidence and development. It

Wigan Athletic v Southampton – A New Blueprint For Survival ?

Posted by JJ (Tony) in Match Previews, Other and tagged with midfield general, Roger Espinoza, tiki taca February 1, 2013

Love it or hate it, the Spanish national team play a brand of football that brings results. Not only do they have a generation of outstanding players, but they dominate possession in such a way that the opposition is starved of the ball. At times in the second half in the Britannia Stadium on Tuesday night, watching Wigan was a bit like watching Spain. Stoke could not get hold of the ball, humble Wigan Athletic making a much more expensively assembled squad of players look ordinary. Tiki-taka, the modern day version of ‘total football’ was the order of the day, Wigan retaining possession through constant short passing and movement .

Roberto Martinez is a brave and innovative manager, if nothing else. He believes in playing stylish football, despite the precarious situations the club has been in during his tenure. There are fans who don’t like his footballing philosophy and would prefer the kind of football of the era of Steve Bruce and others before him. He is not easily swayed by public opinion, but bright and thoughtful in his approach. His achievement in keeping Wigan in the Premier League for the past three years on a relatively low budget – nevertheless playing good football – should not be underrated.

Good results against teams in the lower reaches of the table are vital if Wigan are to stay in the Premier League. Tomorrow’s game against Southampton is not ‘make or break’ but could have a major impact upon the remainder of the season. Only 3 points separate the teams and a win for Wigan would bring the Saints back into the relegation mire. Following a slow start to the season Southampton have picked up and they had lifted themselves out of the relegation zone by time Nigel Adkins was sacked. Adkins had done a wonderful job to take them so far and the ex-Latics goalkeeper had his team playing good football. Only time will tell if Southampton’s decision to replace Adkins with Mauricio Pocchetino will prove best for their club.

What kind of approach will Martinez use for this match? On paper the lineup he put forward against Stoke looked conservative, playing with just one mainline striker. For the first 50 minutes they were poor, giving away two soft goals and showing no bite in attack. Packing the midfield with an extra player, Roger Espinoza, had not produced results. Then all at once it clicked – the midfield players got further forward and Wigan scored two cracking goals. Espinoza had looked uncomfortable in the first half, but in the second period he was a revelation. He seemed to be everywhere, a midfield general, a catalyst making things happen.

Martinez will be tempted to stick with that same approach against Southampton. In order for it to work the midfield players have to go that extra yard and get into the box to support the central striker. If it were to be tried and proved successful against Southampton it might become the blueprint for not only survival, but also for the future. Martinez might be tempted to put in new signing Paul Scharner at right centre back in place of the inexperienced Roman Golobart.

Southampton come to their first ever competitive match in Wigan on the back of a fine performance at Old Trafford, where they really took the game to the home side, being unlucky to lose 2-1. Their talismanic striker, Rickie Lambert, has already scored 10 goals and will need careful watching. However, Wigan are certainly capable of beating them, as they did at St Mary’s in August. Prediction: a win for Latics.

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Why Scharner Makes Sense

Posted by Ned in News and tagged with latics, loan, paul, scharner, wigan January 30, 2013

With confirmation of his return to Wigan seemingly imminent and Wigan circles on Twitter ablaze with Paul Scharner-related discussion, we take a look at what promises to be an intelligent piece of business by Roberto Martinez.

1) Wigan needs an experienced centre-back

We’ll start with the obvious. The long-term injury to Ivan Ramis and continuing absence of Antolin Alcaraz have placed Martinez in a pickle. Roman Golobart did admirably in his league debut yesterday but is still unproven at this level. An up-and-coming centre back on loan such as Sebastian Coates would be better than nothing, but what Latics really need is someone who knows their way around the league and can slot in seamlessly. At 32, with some seven Premier League seasons under his belt, Scharner is just that.

2) The loan move suits both parties

With Gary Caldwell, Maynor Figueroa, Alcaraz, Ramis, Lopez and Golobart on the books, Martinez doesn’t need another centre-back on the books. Scharner has not been playing for Hamburg and is in desperate need of minutes to earn himself his next move.

3) The “new” system will suit him

While his desire to play in midfield hastened his move in the first place, he has presumably agreed to sign as a central defender. With Caldwell and Figueroa mainstays in the centre and centre-left respectively, the Austrian would likely slot in at centre-right in Martinez’s back three. Playing on that right side will allow him to occasionally get forward as Figueroa does on the other side, which should appeal to him.

4) His aerial ability is much needed

At 6’3, he is taller than both Caldwell and Figueroa and will surely help shore up a defence with an appalling record from set plays and open play crosses. He used to occasionally pop up with headed goals, a tendency that would be very warmly received in this new era.

5) Wigan is his footballing home

The reunion should be a warm one. Few of us have forgotten his warmth and enthusiasm as a player, usually spelled out in his hair. Despite the delusions of midfield maestro stardom he suffered from towards the end of his first stint at the club, his return is likely to be a nice event and can only morale. For the player, a return to the place where his best football was played can only have a reinvigorating effect.

Conclusions:

While the return of a former player is always a tricky transaction, Scharner’s is only temporary and is mutually beneficial. Martinez knows the Austrian, having overlapped with him briefly. Wigan’s football has come a long way since then, but Scharner always fancied himself a ball player, and he should slot in nicely. Now he just needs to stay fit.

Stoke City 2 Wigan Athletic 2: Brilliant Latics bounce back

Posted by Ned in Match Reports, News and tagged with 2-2, comeback, McArthur, relegation, Stoke, wigan January 29, 2013

Two top quality strikes capped a stylish second half comeback after a freak goal and isolated breakaway had given Stoke City a 2-0 lead.

Given the scarcity of defenders and strikers at his disposal, Roberto Martinez fielded a midfield-heavy XI reminiscent of the Spanish national team in makeup. If the first half was sloppy and disjointed from both sides, however, the second was all Wigan, with the type of calm possession football that would have done Spain themselves proud.

The first goal was perhaps the best piece of football in Wigan’s season thus far, Franco Di Santo cushioning a driven ball to Roger Espinoza, whose perfectly weighted one-time pass was elegantly finished by the on-rushing James McArthur. One touch football at its finest.

It rightly gave Wigan the kind of confidence we haven’t seen since that run of form last season. It was the same trio that created the equaliser — Espinoza floating the ball towards McArthur, who nodded it back for an emphatic Di Santo finish.

McArthur, Maloney and Di Santo would go close as Latics went in search of victory, but it wasn’t to be. The point, however, is a good one, and the second half performance has us dreaming again.

The Good:

Midfielders in the Martinez era have been goal shy. Although James McCarthy had a conservative match, it was fantastic to see both Roger Espinoza and James McArthur takes some risks and get into scoring positions. The goals came when they drove forward.

Espinoza had a wobbly first half, but an excellent second one. He certainly looks a useful signing. He is positive with his passing, energetic, and willing to try something different.

Roman Golobart had a sound match, defensively speaking. With Emmerson Boyce hobbling off with a hamstring injury, it was a huge boost to witness the young Spaniard make a satisfactory Premier League debut.

The Bad:

Both goals conceded were arguably errors that need to be wiped out. While the first had an element of bad luck to it with Jean Beausejour’s clearance bouncing off the back of McCarthy’s head, a more assertive clearance would have prevented the goal.

Ali Al-Habsi’s new habbit of saving the ball into the path of an on-rushing striker has cost Wigan several goals this season. It was a difficult save to make on a wet pitch, but a confident Ali would have steered it away from goal.

Conclusions:

While an opportunity to take three points was lost, any draw at the Britannia is a valuable one. The football Wigan played in the second half — and the quality goals they scored — should give them the confidence boost needed to prevail over Southampton in Saturday’s crucial match.

Player Ratings:

Ali Al-Habsi: 5 — Just isn’t inspiring confidence. Didn’t have much to do, but spilled the second goal into Peter Crouch’s path.

Roman Golobart: 6 — Some nervous passing in the first half, but got better and made one vital tackle in the second half. His distribution improved as he grew in confidence.

Gary Caldwell: 7 — Did very well to cope with the physical and aerial threat of the Stoke attackers. His passing was excellent.

Maynor Figueroa: 7 — Average first half but classy in second. Drives the team forward when he attacks.

Emmerson Boyce: 5 — Went off with a hamstring injury, which might explain why he was being beaten so easily by Matthew Etherington in the first half.

Jean Beausejour: 6.5 — Mixed bag. His best game for some time, he delivered two or three lovely crosses and played some good football but still not confident. Poor clearance in the build-up to the first goal, however.

James McArthur: 8 — One of the few to put in a good full 90 minutes. Scored a cracker, set up the equaliser, and almost struck a winner.

James McCarthy: 6 — Steady but wish he would take the match by the scruff of its neck. He could dominate.

Roger Espinoza: 7.5 — Some dodgy passing early on, but was outstanding in the second half. Influential.

Shaun Maloney: 7 — A constant menace but no end product today. He did supply a gorgeous, Beckham-esque cross for Di Santo towards the end that deserved to end up in the back of the net.

Franco Di Santo: 7 — Took his goal very well and almost got a second, but drifted out wide often away from the box. Should take on defenders more frequently. Needs to be more arrogant, as Martinez would say.

Subs:

Ronnie Stam: 6.6 — One fantastic cross, otherwise held on to the ball well and didn’t let the team down defensively.

Stoke City v Wigan Athletic: Bogey team again?

Posted by JJ (Tony) in Match Previews, Other and tagged with Albert Crusat, di santo, mcmanaman, Ryo Myaichi, Stoke City, wigan January 29, 2013

There was a bad joke being bandied about last summer that Pep Guardiola might be going to Stoke – after all he had been talking about taking a year out of football. Joking apart, a match against Stoke should not be taken lightly. Despite their emphasis on physicality they do have players who can play good football. Moreover the crowd noise at the Brittania Stadium places them at the peak of the league’s decibel table.

Wigan Athletic go into this match with relegation breathing down their backs. Is it a good time to go to Stoke? The Potters have had a torrid time recently, with only one win in the last 8 league matches. However, they have lost only a single home match this season, that one being largely influenced by Jon Walters’ two own goals and penalty miss in the 4-0 loss to Chelsea. The Potters are a level above Wigan in terms of financial outlay and their fans are getting increasingly frustrated at the lack of delivery of their more well paid players. Peter Crouch and Kenwyne Jones will compete for the centre forward position, alongside leading scorer Walters. Michael Owen scored a goal in the defeat at Swansea last week, after coming off the bench for the last 5 minutes. It was his fifth appearance as a substitute and he has not started a game all season. Neither Charlie Adam nor Matthew Etherington have been regulars in the team this season. Stoke’s game is built on a physical, but capable defence. They have conceded 27 goals so far this season, compared with Wigan’s 43. The giant Robert Huth forms a formidable centre of defence with Ryan Shawcross. Huth is 6ft 3in tall, but so are full backs, Ryan Shotton and Geoff Cameron.

Wigan are likely to approach this match cautiously with a conservative starting lineup containing only one mainline striker, Franco Di Santo. If Stoke’s defence does have a weakness it is probably at full back, but Wigan lack a genuine winger to take advantage, both Ryo Miyaichi and Albert Crusat out with long-term injuries. Following a good display in the cup tie at Macclesfield, Callum McManaman might well be introduced at some stage, but Martinez is likely to start with Jordi Gomez and Shaun Maloney behind lone centre forward, Di Santo. Given the strong possibility of an aerial bombardment by Stoke, Martinez will be looking at having height in his defence. Emmerson Boyce, Gary Caldwell and Maynor Figueroa will most likely form the back three, with Ronnie Stam and Jean Beausejour at wing back. However, there remains an option of providing more height in defence by bringing in either Adrian Lopez or Roman Golobart at centre back, with Boyce at right wing back. The two Jimmy Macs will almost certainly anchor the centre of midfield, although Martinez may choose to deploy a third holding midfielder there – David Jones or Roger Espinoza – at the expense of Gomez.

Given the fixture list coming up, Wigan will be anxious to get at least a point out of this match. They are going to have to work hard physically if they are to keep Stoke at bay. At the same time, they will also want to stay free of red cards or further injuries, given the key game against Southampton coming up on Saturday. Let’s hope Roberto Martinez surprises us and puts forward a well balanced lineup, resisting the temptation to pass the initiative to Stoke by playing with only one mainline striker.