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.

Wigan vs. Arsenal: Latics out to defy reason

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

2012-arsenal

If the deepest injury crisis of Wigan’s Premier League existence has led to a slide down the table, Saturday’s home fixture against Arsenal — on paper — promises to extend the misery. Not only are the Latics potentially without two more players, bringing the injured or doubtful list to nine senior players — the London club are enjoying a resurgence and love nothing more than a leaky defence.

The last time these two clubs met was a glorious occasion for Martinez’s men, but it would be a minor miracle if Wigan could repeat the feat on home soil with the casualty list so strong and morale so fragile.

The biggest question is who will play alongside Maynor Figueroa and Emmerson Boyce at the heart of the defence. Gary Caldwell, Ivan Ramis, Antolin Alcaraz and most recently, Adrian Lopez, are injured. While it is feasible one of the four will recover in time to play, there are no guarantees. David Jones deputised at left centre-half against QPR, but a similar move would force Maynor Figueroa into an unfamiliar central role. Roman Golobart is untested at this level and it would be a baptism of fire to face Walcott, Cazorla and company in this sort of form. A change of shape would be an option if there was another left back in the available squad, but not so.

And yet, in situations like these when it all seems impossible, Wigan is capable of surprising everyone. Shaun Maloney has been eased back from injury and should start after being Latics’ brightest spark in a poor team performance against Norwich. Franco Di Santo has also been used a little more sparingly recently but could return to partner Arouna Kone up front. The big question is whether Jordi Gomez will be dropped for one of them. And whether James McCarthy’s ankle injury heals in time. His importance to the team grows by the match.

It’s always an unfair contest when Wigan faces Arsenal. But when you have nine senior players injured, including your four senior centre backs, against a team that just scored five goals away from home, all you can do is your best. Reason says straightforward win for Arsenal today — Wigan will be out to defy it.

What happened to Wigan? 10 thoughts

Posted by Ned in Other, Specials and tagged with , , , , ,

2012-survive

1. The current defensive injury crisis is extreme, but nothing new

This is the third year running that Antolin Alcaraz has missed substantial match time to injury in the first half of the season. In previous years, he had participated in a full World Cup and Copa America respectively, with little recovery time. On both occasions, he eventually returned to fitness around this time of the year to play a key role. His understanding with Caldwell and aerial ability is crucial to the solidity Latics’ positive results have been built on.

Meanwhile, Gary Caldwell has missed less match time but is prone to rushing back before fully fit — probably in part due to his role as skipper. He was clearly not at the races in the Newcastle fixture several matches back, and prolonged his absence by tweaking the injury before it had fully healed.

Then there are Ramis and Lopez, neither with a history of injuries in their Wigan careers, but owners of hamstrings with a bad sense of timing.

2. We’ve missed Moses more than we care to admit

Many Wiganers are quick to point to Moses’ often-frustrating final pass or finish, but he gave the team a lot more than that. One of his most important contributions was to relieve pressure by holding the ball up, dribbling and drawing people into fouls while his teammates regained their shape. The penalties and free-kicks have dried up in his absence. Aside from Jordi, who unfortunately lacks pace to be a consistent attacking threat, there are few players in the starting XI capable or willing to take on their man and unlock a defence.

3. Espinoza can’t arrive soon enough

If our Sporting Kansas City friends are to be believed, our new Honduran signing is nothing if not committed. More important than skill, he should inject an element of urgency and fight into the squad. I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw his first appearances in the right wing-back position, though he is destined to fill one of the defensive midfield slots. Injuries may force his inclusion sooner than anticipated.

4. Ali Al-Habsi desperately needs a clean sheet

The Omani international has been the club’s most consistent performer over the past two seasons. But a couple mistakes have seen a huge dip in confidence. The fact that there is a different set of defenders in front of him each week can’t be helping, but it’s clear he needs a clean sheet, a penalty save or similar, to get his head back where it was.

5. Arouna Koné’s participation in the African Cup of Nations could be disastrous, or a blessing in disguise.

The Ivorian is clearly a quality player but hasn’t quite got fully going. Scored a couple, missed a couple, he is now suffering from a dip in form along with his teammates. While his absence will be problematic, a good tournament could see the return of a confident in-form international striker. If Martinez can plug the hole with a January window signing, or by giving Mauro Boselli an extended run in the team, it may be a blessing in disguise. There are other options, albeit with some adjustment to the team’s attacking shape — Jordi and Maloney both have goals in them but do best when the other one isn’t on the pitch. Ryo Miyaichi still has a big role to play this season. Callum McManaman is waiting for his chance. Is a Nouha Dicko return from Blackpool a possibility?

6. Would it be worth a loan-move for Wilson Palacios in January?

If everyone’s fit, it would be hard to argue against the Jimmy Mac axis in centre midfield. But with the glut of injuries at present, surely it would be worth a gamble. Stuck out in the wilderness at Stoke, he would likely jump at the chance to be re-united with a set of supporters that loved him, two fellow Hondurans, and a system that would would very much play to his strengths. One could easily see a McArthur-Palacios defensive midfield, allowing James McCarthy a bit more license to push forward, with Maloney in behind Di Santo.

7. Mauro Boselli’s success depends on the form of the wingbacks

Finally given an opportunity to start against Norwich, Boselli was let down by poor performances by both Jean Beausejour and Ronnie Stam. He is a very different type of striker to either Franco Di Santo or Arouna Kone — a poacher who needs service into the box. The only decent delivery against Norwich came from Maloney. Give Boselli three of those a match and he’ll score goals.

8. Boycey looks a bit tired

In the wingback role, he was failing to get forward as he did to such great effect last season. As a centre-back, he has done admirably but is starting to look a little jaded. The defensive injury crisis has meant a lot of football. A young right wingback must surely be a priority on Roberto’s shopping list.

9. Will Di Santo sign a new contract?

The Argentine started the season in scintillating form, suffered a couple minor injuries, and has been used sparingly in recent matches. It would not be surprising to see his head turned after a first international appearance alongside Messi, Aguero and Higuain. But the hope in the Wigan camp is that Martinez has been restricting his appearances to keep him fresh for the period of time Arouna Kone is away — rather than using him sparingly with the knowledge he plans to leave in the summer as did Rodallega and Diame.

10. It’s an interesting league table this year

QPR are starting to get results under Harry, as one would expect. With the talent in their squad, and half a season to run, they should be able to escape. Reading look doomed. Southampton don’t have much to work with, especially with the recent injury to the excellent Adam Lallana. But the third relegation birth is very difficult to call. Sunderland have been very poor but it’s hard to imagine a Martin O’Neill team being relegated. Newcastle have far too much quality in their squad, surely. Villa have started to look impressive, if reliant on striker Christian Benteke. It’s hard to see many teams above them slipping too far. Wigan needs to improve.

CALDWELL IS THE KEY

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

Caldwell_2690233

This time a year ago Wigan Athletic were in the doldrums. Fans were getting frustrated and there was some strong talk passing around the electronic and social media. Latics were at rock bottom and really looked like they were going to go down. People were targeting certain players, suggesting they were not good enough for the Premier League. Among those was the captain, Gary Caldwell. By the end of the season Wigan Athletic were 7 points above the relegation zone and Gary Caldwell was voted fans player of the year. Last season Caldwell’s form was the barometer for the performance of the team. Put simply, when Caldwell played well, so did Latics.

In May 2009 Gary Caldwell was voted the Scottish League Football Writer’s Player of the Year. The Daily Mail quoted the 27 year old Caldwell as saying ‘I think I can still improve. I feel as fit as I’ve ever felt. They do say that, nearer to 30, as a centre-back the experience you’ve gained over the years can help you…..I feel I’ve got better every year and that’s what you have to do.’ Caldwell reached 30 in April of this year. His performances during that month were outstanding and helped Wigan keep their place in the Premier League.

Caldwell signed for Wigan on a four and a half year contract in January 2010. During that time his performances have ranged from the excellent to the other extreme that might be called calamitous. He is the kind of player who polarizes fans. Like him or loathe him, he is not one to be ignored. In his early days at Celtic, after arriving on a free transfer from Hibernian, he was given a hard time by a section of the Celtic crowd who said he was not “Celtic class”. He won the nickname of “Heid” and the fans would sing a song about him. It took him time to win them over. A TalkCeltic.net forum in May 2009 asked fans if they thought Caldwell was Celtic class. The responses reveal how much he won over the majority of them.

Gary Caldwell has proved that he has the determination to succeed, despite the criticism he has received at various times in his career. He is the kind of player who will put his body in the firing line. This has meant he has made some amazing blocks of goalbound shots, but then the flipside can be when the ball deflects off him and puts his goalkeeper and fellow defenders off guard. His distribution from the back is as good as that of any central defender in the Premier League. Together with Antolin Alcaraz and Maynor Figueroa they provided the defensive platform that Wigan needed to stay afloat last season. That mutual understanding between the three central defenders was of paramount importance.

Caldwell has had injury problems this year and has not been at his best. Wigan need him fit and performing to maximum capacity if they are to avoid the relegation dogfight. He is the captain who can provide the inspiration and drive to lift his team. With the return of an experienced central defensive trio we will see a major improvement in Wigan Athletic’s performances. Gary Caldwell holds the key to Wigan moving towards mid-table or sinking down into the oblivion.

NORWICH 2 WIGAN ATHLETIC 1

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

Wigangoal

Hoolahan2

In stoppage time Arouna Kone looked odds-on to net the equalizer, after being put through by a great flick by Franco Di Santo. It might have helped Wigan get a result they would have scarcely deserved following a lacklustre performance. In the event Kone was blocked by a great tackle by Sebastian Bassong, who together with his central defensive partner, Michael Turner, had blunted so many Wigan attacks.

Norwich are a pretty ordinary team, but they have been in a good run of form and have that kind of self confidence and belief that Wigan lack. Once again the Wigan defence gifted the opposition their goals. An error by Boyce enabled the excellent Hoolahan to put through the predominantly right footed left winger, Pilkington. Al Habsi will be kicking himself for not stopping Pilkington’s left footed shot. Norwich had been easily the better team in the first half.

Wigan lost  James McCarthy to an ankle injury after a nasty tackle from midfield enforcer Bradley Johnson, with David Jones replacing him at half time. A second change made during the interval was to take off the ineffective Gomez and replace him with Maloney. The diminutive Scot was to make a difference with a rasping shot in the 61st minute to bring Wigan level. For a little while the roles were reversed and Wigan looked the better team.  However, poor defending allowed Norwich back in the game. Wes Hoolahan is 5 ft 5 inches tall,  but nevertheless managed to outjump Maynor Figueroa and the Wigan defence to put the  ball in the net, after Pilkington had too easily found his way past Boyce to put over  a right footed cross.

The Good

A cracking goal from Shaun Maloney. Arouna Kone adapted well to the Di Santo role, using his dribbling abilities to run at the opposing defence. It was good to see Mauro Boselli given a chance after being left out in the cold so long, although he looked rusty and was taken off after 72 minutes. .

The Bad

The lack of defensive cohesion is costing Wigan dearly. It would be unfair  to point the finger at individuals who have operated in the back three this season. However, it has been that lack of cohesion that has led to soft goals being gifted to opponents. The back three that was the fulcrum for Wigan’s revival last season – Alcaraz, Caldwell and Figueroa –  has not played together this season.

Wigan’s injury woes continue with James McCarthy (ankle ligament) and Adrian Lopez (hamstring) set to miss the upcoming matches.

Player Ratings

Ali Al Habsi: 7 – made some outstanding saves, but should have done better with opening goal and later fluffed a cross that should have led to another Pilkington goal. Not at his brilliant best, but still Wigan’s best player on the day.

Ronnie Stam: 5 – disappointing. His crosses were not up to his usual standard.

Emmerson Boyce: 5 – had problems dealing with Pilkington. Disappointing.

Adrian Lopez: 5  – pacy and committed, but lacks aerial presence. Together with Figueroa should have cut out Norwich’s second goal. Pulled a hamstring in added on time.

Maynor Figueroa: 5 – unimpressive. He has played too much football over the past year and needs a break. However, he is not going to get one until Wigan’s injury woes subside.

Jean Beausejour: 4 – out of touch.

James McCarthy: 6 – fine until crocked by injury in first half. Went off at half time.

James McArthur: 6 – tried hard, but it was not his best day.

Jordi Gomez: 4– ineffective and lightweight. Taken off at half time.

 Mauro Boselli: 4.5 – could not get into the game. Taken off in 72 minutes.

Arouna Kone: 6 – looked lively in this more “roaming role”. Not afraid to take on defenders. Got another assist with his cut back to Maloney for Wigan’s goal.

Substitutes

David Jones: 5 – hard working, but passing too predictable. Lacking spark.

Shaun Maloney: 6 – his goal revealed his excellent technique. Worked hard to get Wigan moving, but to no avail. Why wasn’t he on from the start?

Franco Di Santo: – came on for Boselli. Put a lovely pass through for Kone in the dying moments.