Now the dust has settled on an eventful season for Wigan Athletic we can take the opportunity to look back on some of its highlights.
Despite a topsy-turby season Callum McManaman remains Wigan’s most exciting player.
The video below is kindly shared with us by a Latic fanatic and captures some of his best moments in the 2013-14 season.
What a refreshing sight it was to see a sparking Callum McManaman running at the Arsenal defence on Saturday. It was almost like a glimpse from the past. When he plays like that few defences can contain him. Per Mertesacker will not be the last player to give away a penalty against the young winger, who outdid him on pace.
A week or two back if someone had said that McManaman would be back to his best and Shaun Maloney would be back in action it would have been hard to believe. Maloney sat on the bench at Wembley, but would most likely have come on for the extra time period if it were not for the unfortunate injury to Ivan Ramis, which required Uwe Rosler to use a defender as his third substitution. But the Scot had somehow played for the whole ninety minutes in the previous match against Millwall, despite not having played competively for some six months.
Maloney and McManaman, together with the departed Arouna Kone, provided the attacking thrust for Roberto Martinez’s cup winning side. A centre forward of Kone’s class was always going to be difficult to replace since he was not only a superb target man but also had an eye for goal. We have seen a succession of players in that position this season – Grant Holt, Marc-Antoine Fortune, Nicky Maynard and Nick Powell – but none has so far managed to get the balance between the two main facets of a central striker’s game. Until the end of the regular season Uwe Rosler will rotate Fortune, Maynard and Powell, although the young Manchester United loanee probably has the edge on claiming a starting position should Latics reach the playoffs.
Wigan’s injury problems continue, following Ivan Ramis’ sad exit in the FA Cup Semi Final. The Spaniard had been on superb form since coming back from injury. However, Latics are well covered for central defenders. Apart from a missed penalty that he should probably never have taken, Gary Caldwell made a successful return from long-term injury against Arsenal, surprisingly getting the nod ahead of the dependable Leon Barnett.
Since his hamstring injury at Ipswich Barnett has not been able to re-establish himself as the automatic choice he was previously. However, Rosler might well be holding him back until he regains full fitness. Barnett is the best header of the ball in the Latics defence and might well be preferred against teams who play a more direct style.
On the bright side it was good to see Roger Espinoza on the bench at Wembley, following a hernia operation. With the non-emergence of Ryan Tunnicliffe Latics have been short of options in midfield. A national newspaper reported last week that Tunnicliffe’s loan period had been cut short by Rosler with the player sent back to Fulham.
Having to play Reading at home on Good Friday and Burnley away on Easter Monday, Rosler will continue to rotate his squad. However, he is likely to put forward his strongest lineup against Reading, who lie a place below Latics in the playoff zone. It could well be close to that which lined up at Wembley, but with Maloney and Martyn Waghorn stepping in. The exciting, if enigmatic, James McClean did not make the bench at Wembley but will also come into consideration.
Reading themselves have some injury problems. According to their manager, ex-Latics goalkeeper Nigel Adkins “It’s been the story of the season. I don’t know who we’ll have available for Wigan, we’ll have to have a roll call with everybody. The easy thing would be to say ‘there you go, have a few weeks off’ but we just can’t afford that. We’ve got to keep pushing as much as we can, with all the players. We’re probably rushing people back a bit sooner than we would ideally want, but that’s where we are at this stage of the season.”
Given the injury problems Latics have faced this season, Adkins is unlikely to receive any sympathy from them. However, the visitors could well be without a handful of their senior players for the clash tomorrow.
Latics have been afforded a recuperation period of six days since the FA Cup Semi Final, rather than the 3-4 days that has been the norm over the last couple of months.
They go into the game relatively fresh, with McManaman and Maloney ready to cause problems for the Royals.
Three points for Latics is definitely on the cards.
Being ‘Man of the Match’ in an FA Cup Final can be hard to live up to. Callum McManaman knows that all too well.
Just eleven months ago McManaman was the toast of the town as he led Gael Clichy and the Manchester City defence a merry dance at Wembley. He had not only been the star of the Final, but also of the whole FA Cup tournament. He had started in all of Latics’ seven matches in that cup run, scoring three goals and making two assists. His free running in the final trapped Pablo Zabaleta into a red card, turning the momentum of the game. His superbly taken goal from Jordi Gomez’s exquisite pass had sealed the semi-final win over Millwall.
Who could have known that just three days later he would get an ankle injury that would not only put him on crutches, but seriously knock back his career prospects in the process. A burgeoning young talent had been coming through, with managers of the rich and famous clubs casting an eye in his direction. The injury put everything on hold.
Many Latics supporters had viewed McManaman’s injury as a kind of blessing in disguise. If it had not happened the young player would most likely have been whisked away to a big club rather than helping Latics get back to the Premier League. Moreover the excellent Shaun Maloney remained at the club following the large turnover of players in the summer. Latics had a new manager in Owen Coyle and he would have at his disposal two players who could tear the hearts out of the defences of Championship sides.
Those hopes were soon quashed as Maloney’s injury In September put him out of action long term. Moreover McManaman was dealing with illness and niggling injuries that hampered his return to full fitness. When Coyle left in December, McManaman had made hardly any impact up to that point. Fans were hoping that new manager Uwe Rosler could get the best out of the exciting young forward.
At this point of the season McManaman has started in only 14 of the 41 league matches played, scoring one goal and making one assist. Moreover he has rarely played the full ninety minutes. However, he has started in four of the five FA Cup matches Latics have played, scoring in the home tie with MK Dons.
It has been a disappointing season so far for Callum McManaman, but there is still time for him to make a major impact. He has clearly enjoyed playing at Wembley, judging by his performances against Millwall and Manchester City, maybe less so than in his appearance as a 60th minute substitute in the Community Shield.
Rosler will surely take McManaman into strong consideration for lining up in the semi-final against Arsenal at the weekend. Coincidentally it was against the Gunners that his career took that set-back last season. Saturday’s game will be one in which he will be keen to impress, showing a big audience that he still has that talent that has been hiding under the surface for so long this season.
If he is given the chance McManaman can get his career back on fast-track with a star performance against the Gunners. At his best there are few more exciting players to watch in English football.
In a recent interview the likeable Latics talisman Ben Watson was asked who was the best player he had played with during his five years at Wigan. The names of Antonio Valencia and Charles N’Zogbia soon rolled off his tongue, and he said he had to mention his friend and teammate James McArthur. But above all stood Shaun Maloney.
At the start of the season things were looking bright for Owen Coyle’s Latics. Coyle had made some good summer signings and the exciting talent of Maloney and Callum McManaman remained at the club. The disappointing results during Coyle’s tenure could at least partly be attributed to the loss of Maloney through injury after only five league games, together with the lack of form of the young McManaman.
Maloney was clearly enjoying playing in the Championship where his skills shone like a beacon. He scored four goals and made two assists in those five matches. Although he had dropped down a division Maloney was still first choice for his country and played in two friendlies and three World Cup qualifying games for Scotland over those weeks.
Uwe Rosler would most likely prefer to bring in Maloney gradually as the season progresses. Were Latics to secure a playoff place the Scot could well prove to be the ace in the German’s pack. He will clearly be a marked man – 13 fouls were committed against him in those five matches – and Rosler will hope to get Maloney back to full match fitness and free from further injuries, during the month of April.
Given his current predicament with so many matches coming a short period of time Rosler might have to risk fielding Maloney more frequently than he would prefer. But the German will be delighted to have him available.
Maloney has had a long convalescence period from major surgery and given those circumstances it would be unwise to expect too much from him too soon.
However, Leicester City could be the first team to suffer when the little magician reappears at the DW Stadium tomorrow.
Getting a result at the City Ground against a Nottingham Forest side that has lost only two home matches in the league is not going to be easy. Billy Davies is a formidable foe, a manager for whom the players give their all and one not averse to using negative tactics to get a result. However, Forest have lost some momentum in recent weeks and injuries to key players are disrupting their game. It would appear to be a good time to play them.
Forest will go into this game without playmaker Andy Reid, who scored a superb free kick in Wigan’s win at the DW Stadium in late August. They will also be without central defender Jack Hobbs, who was courted by Uwe Rosler in the transfer window. Dexter Blackstock, Chris Cohen and Henri Lansbury are also likely to miss the game. Forest had gone on a 16 match unbeaten run until February 16th when they were knocked out of the FA Cup by two added time goals from Sheffield United. Since then they have drawn 2-2 at home to Leicester and lost 3-1 at Burnley.
In contrast Wigan Athletic have won 5 of their last 6 matches. Latics know all too well about injuries and have Gary Caldwell, Shaun Maloney and Ben Watson unavailable. However, there is a possibility of both Scott Carson and Nick Powell returning at long last.
New signing Ryan Tunnicliffe will probably make an appearance at some stage tomorrow. If Latics play with a flat back four he will compete with Josh McEachran for the Ben Watson role of deep-lying playmaker. However, given Forest’s playing style, Uwe Rosler might decide to strengthen his aerial defences. The big Swede Markus Holgerrson will be ready to step into a backline of three central defenders.
If both Callum McManaman and Nick Powell are back from injury, Rosler will face a hard choice on whom to play upfront. He got away with a win against the odds at Brighton where a couple of well taken, opportunist goals gave his team a win against a profligate home side. After taking James McClean off at half time the German was take off a second forward after 73 minutes in Martyn Waghorn. Playing the final 17 minutes light on attacking power invited the opposition to pressurize Latics’ defence.
It was a great result at Brighton, but it was achieved with a tad of good luck. There is a saying that good teams make their own luck, but also another that says fortune favours the brave.
Rosler has built team spirit within his group of players. These Latics players have the “character” to grind out results if need be. Although one hopes to see a fluid, attacking approach it might well be the qualities of doggedness and resilience that are to prove paramount in getting Wigan a good result at the City Ground tomorrow.
LOS THREE AMIGOS 