Tag Archives: Callum McManaman

Macclesfield Town 0 Wigan Athletic 1 – Professional display sees off non-leaguers

Posted by JJ (Tony) in Match Reports, Other and tagged with , , , , , , ,
Jordi Gomez puts Wigan 1-0 up.

Jordi Gomez puts Wigan 1-0 up.

Wigan Athletic’s second string put them into the  5th round of the FA Cup for only the second time since the club was formed in 1932. A professional performance saw them grind out a 1-0 victory, courtesy of a Jordi Gomez penalty after Callum McManaman had been clumsily scythed down in the box.

The crowd of 5,849 packed Macclesfield’s small Moss Rose ground to the rafters, reminiscent of a bygone era when the clubs were adversaries in the Cheshire League. How times have changed since those epic tussles between those two well-matched clubs in the 1960s. Curiously the football played by the non-league side yesterday more than matched that of Premier League opponents, ranked 82 places above them. Wigan had to hang in there with resolute defending as the Silkmen launched their second half assault.

The second string have been fascinating to watch in cup matches this season. On previous occasions they have been reinforced with a smattering of first choice players, but only Maynor Figueroa was in the starting lineup this time around. The  pragmatic approach of the second string has contrasted sharply with that of the Premier League XI. In this match there was an absence of the flowing football that characterises the senior team. Although it made for a drab spectacle Wigan looked defensively strong and resolutely defended their lead for 83 minutes after the penalty had put them in front.

This time they did not have Mauro Boselli to score goals for them, the Argentinian seemingly going on another loan move to Italy. He was replaced by Nouha Dicko who almost scored in the second half, after being put through by an incisive pass by Gomez, the goalkeeper making a good save.

A word of mention for Maynor Figueroa. The admirable Honduran has not had a rest from football for some 18 months. He played with his national  team in the Olympics over the summer and has started in all but one of Wigan’s Premier League games this season. It was no surprise that he was the senior professional who stepped forward to lend a hand in this match.  Captain for the night, he looked a class above anyone else on the pitch.

The Good

A win is a win, albeit against non-league opponents. This match was a potential banana skin, but the players worked hard to make sure the unthinkable did not happen.

Roberto Martinez views cup matches as an opportunity for players to stake a claim in the senior squad. Once again Callum McManaman looked the part. Although he rarely plays more than a few minutes as a substitute in the Premier League he has recently signed a new three year contract. One wonders when Martinez will jump in at the deep end and start the young forward in a league match. Roman Golobart teamed up well with Maynor Figueroa in the centre of defence and looks a powerful presence. If Martinez does not get an experienced central defender in what remains of the transfer window then Golobart will push for a first team spot, together with Adrian Lopez who made a welcome return from injury.

Fraser Fyvie is gradually making his mark, after being given a settling in period. The 19 year old is not without experience, having played 58 games  in the SPL for Aberdeen prior to joining Wigan in summer.  It was a pity an injury caused him to go off after 53 minutes. Roger Espinoza made a promising Premier League debut against Sunderland last weekend, but was unable to really stamp his mark on this match. It was good to take a first look at the big Spanish goalkeeper, Joel Robles, on-loan from Atletico Madrid.

 The Bad

More injuries for Wigan with Fraser Fyvie and Nouha Dicko going off in the second half.

 Player Ratings 

Joel Robles: 6 – looked comfortable, though Macc’s poor finishing rarely tested him.

Ronnie Stam: 6 – clearly worked hard on the defensive side of his game, following recent criticism.

Roman Golobart: 7 – teamed up well with Figueroa in the centre of defence.

Maynor Figueroa: 8 – a captain’s display.

Jordan Mustoe: 5 – a rare start for the young defender. Was kept busy by attackers on his side of the pitch, but hung in there.

Fraser Fyvie: 6 – starting to look like the player who had so much hype in Scotland. Clearly one for the future.

Roger Espinoza: 5 – disappointing after his exciting first team debut last week.

Jordi Gomez: 6 – put through the pass that led to the early penalty that he converted. Nicely set up Dicko at the beginning of the second half.

Nouha Dicko: 6 – looked lively. A pity he had to go off injured when he was establishing himself in the game.

Angelo Henriquez: 6 – showed some nice touches, but must have learned how hard it can be being the lone centre forward in the Martinez system.

Callum McManaman: 7 – looked dangerous in the first half.

Substitutes:

David Jones – a capable replacement for Fyvie after 53 minutes.

Adrian Lopez – made a welcome from injury, coming on for  Dicko after 66 minutes.

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WEST HAM UNITED v WIGAN ATHLETIC – CAPITAL ONE CUP PREVIEW

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

In the second round of the Capital One Cup Latics destroyed Nottingham Forest through superb finishing. They fielded a mixed team, but with an experienced back three providing defensive stability. Let’s  hope the back three for tonight’s game have that  kind of experience and resolve to deal with the aerial bombardment that is to be expected.

West Ham beat Crewe 2-0 in the last round, Nicky Maynard scoring the first goal, but refusing to celebrate against his old club.  We saw the same on Saturday with Rodallega’s goal at the DW Stadium. Let’s hope that Mohamed Diame does not appear on the scoresheet tonight to repeat that. He was most people’s man of the match in their last minute draw with Sunderland at the weekend. West Ham put out a mixed team for the encounter with Crewe. They have  a tricky London derby against QPR coming up on Monday, but still might be tempted to put on a few more first team regulars given the six day gap involved.

What can we hope for in this difficult match? Neither Callum McMananan nor Ryo Miyaichi started in the Forest match, but both came on as substitutes against Fulham on Saturday. We can expect Mauro Boselli to start at centre forward and the attacking option would be to put the two young wingers upfront alongside him, although Albert Crusat also justifies being brought back into the fold. However, this is not the normal Martinez formation. On Saturday we went back to the lone centre forward system, with midfield players on each side. Playing the pedestrian Gomez nominally on the right wing deprived the team of pace and power. Both Gomez and Maloney are creative players but playing them together just does not seem to work.

Antolin Alcaraz is still  unable to return from injury, so Adrian Lopez will probably replace him. More than anything else it has been the sheer physicality of the English game that has caused Lopez most problems since his move from Galicia. Tonight will provide him with another stern test if he is included in the lineup.  In the Forest game Ivan Ramis played in the most central position of the back three and looked comfortable there. Gary Caldwell was our player of the year last season, but his recent form has been  poor.  His apparent petulance after being rightly substituted on Saturday was not what one would expect from the captain who usually leads by example. His form has dipped – being outjumped by Rodallega for the opening goal on Saturday being symptomatic – so he may be given the chance to redeem himself tonight.

David Jones is likely to appear, either as left wingback or in central midfield. We can expect Ronnie Stam to come in at right wing back. Ben Watson has looked rusty after his long layoff from first choice duty, so he might figure in central midfield. There also remains the option of testing James McArthur’s fitness and giving the young and promising Fraser Fyvie his first start .

Whatever lineup Martinez puts out we can expect a hard and physical tussle. Sam Allardyce is not the Hammers’ fans favourite all time manager, but he has brought them back to the Premier League. For the Crewe  visit there was a crowd of over 18,000 at the Boleyn Ground, sizeable by League Cup standards. The small pitch and crowd support make West  Ham a difficult side to play away from home. Not knowing what strength of lineup each team is going to put out makes it hard to predict any kind of outcome to this encounter.  With the exception of the fine display at Forest, Wigan Athletic’s performance in cup competitions  over recent years has been infuriating. Let’s hope that whatever  the lineup the Wigan team will play with enthusiasm, style and pride.

Nottingham Forest 1 Wigan Athletic 4 – Boselli leads the rout

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

One of the criticisms often leveled at Roberto Martinez’s Wigan Athletic teams is that they cannot finish. Four brilliantly executed goals destroyed their Championship opponents in this match.

Forest had dominated the early proceedings. However, in the 25th minute Ronnie Stam went on one of his foraging runs down the right and whipped in a trademark cross. It cut out the goalkeeper and defenders but not Mauro Boselli, who nipped in to score an opportunist header. How often last season Stam had played similar balls in that nobody capitalized on. The goal shocked Forest and more were to follow. Suddenly there were acres of space in midfield and classy Latics took full advantage. Watson and Jones started to dominate the centre of midfield, with their silky skills and high workrate, linking up well with the forwards and the wing backs.

Roberto Martinez had kept only four players from the team that had started at Southampton, and all at the back: Al Habsi, Ramis, Figueroa and Alcaraz, who was captain for the night in the absence of Caldwell. Ramis was to move to the centre of the back line of three, with Figueroa taking up his now more familiar position left of centre. There were two specialist wing backs in Stam and Beausejour, Watson and Jones in central midfield and Gomez, Crusat and Boselli further forward.

Latics were to add to their tally on the 35th minute mark when Maynor Figueroa hit an absolute screamer from 30 yards, the ball flying across goalkeeper Camp into the far corner of the net. This followed nice approach play by Crusat and Watson. Forest defender Halford could be faulted for not making sufficient effort to block Figeroa’s shot, but it was a truly stunning strike. Latics made it three a minute before half time when Jordi Gomez hit a right-footed rocket past Camp, after receiving from Crusat 20 yards out. Even before then Gomez had gone close a couple of times and Boselli had two clear penalties not given. One was a handball in the area, the second when he was pushed when in a goalscoring position. The Argentine was also unlucky with a clever flick that would have put Crusat clear, but for a deflection.

The second half started and Forest were starting to recover from the shellshock of the last 20 minutes of the first half . After only two minutes had passed Simon Cox got them back in the game with a spectacular 30 yard shot. They started to press, pushing Wigan on the back foot. Latics seemed content to defend and hold their lead. Callum McManaman came on for Jordi Gomez after 72 minutes. Antolin Alcaraz carelessly got himself a second yellow card with a trip on Moussi in the 78th minute, but the defence held resolute. A couple of minutes later Ryo Miyaichi came on to make his debut in place of Albert Crusat. Fraser Fyvie was also make his competitive bow three minutes later for Mauro Boselli.

As the match was winding down Miyaichi revealed his blistering pace, passing inside the box the Callum McManaman who made finishing look easy, side stepping his marker and coolly placing the ball past Camp.

The Good

Wigan Athletic’s performances in cup competitions in the Martinez era have been poor in the past. It had seemed like the players had not been interested. This was not the case here. Martinez smartly chose a team with a strong backbone in defence, with a good balance in midfield and upfront. The players showed commitment and at times they looked almost as classy as the first choice lineup at Southampton last weekend. Latics clearly have strength in depth and their now well-established style of play makes it easy for players to step in. Everybody knows their role and there are at least two players seriously challenging for selection in all eleven positions.

Up front Latics look in really good shape. There are three central strikers of varying styles, but each one a quality player. In this match Mauro Boselli led the line with skill and effort, getting into good positions and meriting his opportunist goal. The arrival of Ivan Ramis has given Latics another quality central defender, so necessary when one of the three regulars gets injured or is suspended.

The Bad

What a shame Alcaraz made a reckless challenge to get his second yellow card and get sent off. He has a great technique and is physically strong. His career at Latics has been dogged by injuries and sometimes reckless decision making. At his best he is one of the classier central defenders in the division.

Player ratings

Ali Al Habsi: 7 – solid and did what he needed to.

Antolin Alcaraz : 7 – played well until his sending off.

Ivan Ramis: 7 – looked a natural in Gary Caldwell’s role. Quickly getting accustomed to the pace of the English game.

Maynor Figueroa: 9 – notwithstanding his spectacular goal he has developed into an excellent central defender. His positional sense and power make him a fine player. Outstanding performance.

Ronnie Stam: 8 – as always attacked with verve, his crosses being menacing for the opposition defence. Worked hard in defence.

Jean Beausejour: 7 – a class act as a wing back. Performed his dual role in defence and attack with his usual diligence.

Ben Watson: 6 – worked hard and showed his class. At times seemed to be trying too hard, hitting ambitious passes that did not quite come off. More to come from him, given the chance.

David Jones: 7 – that cultured left foot together with a high workrate helped him make a good contribution.

Jordi Gomez: 8 – excellent passing and posed an attacking threat. His right footed rocket shot for his goal was a surprise to us all. Let’s see more of that Jordi!

Mauro Boselli: 8 – led the line with skill and panache. Looked dangerous and linked up well with teammates.

Albert Crusat: 6 – not his best match but he put in some nice touches. The best is yet to come from the diminutive winger.

Substitutes:

Callum McManaman – took his goal with such coolness and self confidence. Has been unlucky not to be given more opportunities in the past.

Ryo Miyaichi – impressive in his brief time on the pitch. This speed merchant could have a key role this season, especially in the closing stages when the opposition tires.

Fraser Fyvie – not on for long, so hard to judge. Clearly one for the future.

WIGAN ATHLETIC 0 MANCHESTER CITY 1 – A VALIANT DISPLAY FROM LATICS

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

A valiant display by Wigan Athletic, but in the end not enough to share the points. It was heartening to see the amount of fight and conviction shown by the Latics against a team way beyond their league in resources and sheer footballing talent. This was certainly no capitulation: no player could be faulted for effort from my viewpoint.

Latics switched their tactical lineup to the old 4-2-1-3 system, with Albert Crusat coming in on the left wing and James McArthur brought in to play the holding midfield role with James McCarthy. Mohamed Diame was absent on Senegal duty and David Jones out injured. Manchester City played Dzeko and Aguero up front and they were to give the Latics central defenders, Caldwell and Alcaraz, a very testing afternoon.

The first 20 minutes or so were really quite open with Wigan attacking with some verve and City promising, but not quite delivering. There was a warning sign after 10 minutes when a cross from Clichy found Dzeko unmarked, but luckily for Wigan he headed wide. It was therefore no surprise when he scored an opportunist header in the 22nd minute from Silva’s free kick. Neither Caldwell nor Alcaraz were close enough to challenge him in his leap. It was a pity to lose a goal like that because Latics had played some good football and had some half chances. Al Habsi made a great save from the dangerous Aguero as the first half was coming to an end.

The first part of the second half saw increasing City pressure, only the excellence of Al Habsi keeping them out. His double saves from Aguero, then from Silva, were absolutely outstanding. Not long after that Aguero skated through the Wigan defence, but somehow Dzeko got in his way and Wigan were let off the hook. Despite this pressure Wigan had still not thrown in the towel and seemed to grow in confidence. Watson and Di Santo were brought on to replace the tiring McArthur and Crusat and Wigan began to attack with some gusto. Their best effort came when a fine pass by Rodallega put McCarthy through, only for his cross shot to be blocked by Hart’s foot.

In the 88th minute Maynor Figueroa deliberately handled the ball when Aguero would have been clean through. He was fortunate to escape with a yellow card, although much has been made in the press since of Mancini’s cynical waving of the imaginary red card at the refereeing team. Mancini should have no complaints about the refereeing: practically every time City went down they got a foul whereas they were not afraid to stifle any attacking intent from Latics with tactical/professional fouling. City average over 12 fouls per game this season, significantly higher than those other clubs in the top six. The match stats read 17 fouls committed by Wigan and 15 by City, but those figures could have been easily reversed given the number of calls he made for 50-50 challenges, almost all of which went against Latics. Both teams finished with 3 yellow cards.

The Good

Martinez showed tactical flexibility in reverting to the old system and the lineup was well balanced. He played with three front players plus Jordi Gomez in the hole behind the centre forward. A bold move against such formidable opposition. Latics played some good football at times and, with luck, could have snatched a result in the last 20 minutes. There was certainly no capitulation and they were taking the game to City in that last quarter of the match. A spirited performance.

The Bad

The defence looked leaky throughout, despite really gritty efforts from the back four to hold back the floodgates. Having said that Dzeko and Aguero are two of the best strikers in the league and are going to cause problems for any defence. However, failing to challenge Dzeko in the air led to one goal and it was lucky it was not two in the first half.

Player Ratings

Ali Al Habsi: 9 – Another superb display. Kept Latics in the game with outstanding saves.

Ronnie Stam: 5 – Has been outstanding in recent games as a wing back, but in this game he had to revert to full back, where he struggles.

Antolin Alcaraz: 4 – The poorest game I have seen him play for Latics. We rely on him to win the ball in the air and he did not do it enough in this match.

Gary Caldwell: 4 – At times looked out of his depth. Tends to really struggle against the quality strikers of the top teams.

Maynor Figueroa: 5 – Not one of his best days, but as always he hung in there and tried his hardest. Lucky not to be sent off.

James McCarthy: 8 – Worked tirelessly in shielding his defence from the City onslaught, showing good skills. Good to see him getting forward, unlucky with his shot on goal in the second half.

James McArthur: 6 – The perennial substitute was given a starting role in the Premier League for only the second time this year. Given his lack of match practice he did a pretty good job. Although he misplaced some passes he did a lot of solid defensive work and put some nice balls forward. Showed his technique with a good snap-shot in the first half.

Jordi Gomez: 7 – Worked hard to try to engineer Latics attacks. Put in some nice touches and covered a lot of ground.

Victor Moses: 5 – Was too greedy in this match, too many times opting to dribble when teammates were in better positions awaiting a pass.

Hugo Rodallega: 7 – Worked tirelessly as the lone centre forward. Gradually regaining his form.

Albert Crusat: 6 – Hardly got the ball. Looked good when he had it. Showing improvement in the defensive side of his game.

Substitutes

Ben Watson: – Surprising to see McArthur preferred to him in the starting line-up. Did a useful job after coming on in the 68th minute.

Franco Di Santo – Tried hard but to no end result after coming on in the 68th minute.

Callum McNamaman – Only came on in the last 10 minutes and had little chance to shine.