Tag Archives: Matt Smith

Wycombe Wanderers 1 Wigan Athletic 0: another insipid first half performance dents Latics

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

“The second half was everything that we want, and the complete opposite in the first half.”

So said Shaun Maloney as Latics had narrowly gone down to a 1-0 defeat.

A look at the team sheets an hour before football games start can give us an inkling of what might follow. It probably provided more than that in this case. Matt Smith and Jordan Jones on the bench, Jonny Smith at right wing back, three centre backs in place to blunt the home team’s aerial approach.  

Given such a crowded fixture list and with having players suffering from injuries, knocks and strains a football manager can have difficult decisions to make. In this case Maloney decided the rest midfield king-pin Matt Smith, still easing his way back in after a long spell out with injury. With Liam Shaw, Sean Clare and Steven Sessegnon unavailable he decided to pair Baba Adeeko and Scott Smith in midfield. Jonny Smith had not looked comfortable previously at right wing back, but Maloney was short of options for that position, given the formation he chose.

The lifeless first half performance was another of those we have seem so often: practically devoid of life, players opting for the easy way out when receiving possession by passing the ball sideways or backwards. However, a rare slip by Sam Tickle was to prove the difference between the two teams in the first half. In the 19th minute Josh Scowen had easily got past Scott Smith on the edge of the box to put in a hard cross that the goalkeeper deflected into his own net. Tickle has been Wigan’s outstanding performer over the course of the season, but this time his technique let him down.

Playing with three centre backs had certainly blunted Wycombe’s cutting edge, but Wigan’s lack of movement and mobility in midfield and further forward meant that they posed little threat to the home team’s defence. We were to see that sterile football that has reared its head too often with centre backs gobbling up time passing the ball among themselves, central midfield incapable of providing the link between defence and attack and a blunt and ineffective strike force.

The manager introduced Jordan Jones, Matt Smith and Martial Godo following the half time break, taking off the ineffective Adeeko and Jonny Smith, plus Liam Morrison who had been his usual solid self. Reverting to a back four and with an injection of energy and creativity Latics looked a different team. Wycombe were pushed back into defence with Wigan on the front foot. The ineffective Stephen Humphrys and Josh Magennis were replaced by Chis Sze and Charlie Kelman after 62 minutes. However, despite their much-improved approach play Latics could not put the ball in the back of the net, with Argentinian goalkeeper Franco Ravizzoli having a fine performance for Wycombe.

The first half of this game was depressing from a Latics point of view, but the second period saw them playing with some degree of flair and drive. The challenge for Maloney is to find a way to induce his players to play with tempo and be brave on the ball from the start, not having to rely on bringing on a swathe of substitutes to provide impetus.

Of the 11 players who started the game, 5 were products of the Wigan Athletic Academy, 3 were loanees, two signed by previous managers and one by Maloney last summer. Given the trajectory defined for Maloney by the owner it reflects the kind of balance that we can expect in the coming years. The squad is likely to be made up of a handful of senior pros, together with academy products and loan players.

There are a handful of players in the senior squad whose contracts expire this summer. There has been media speculation that some of them will be offered new contracts, but on much reduced salaries. The likelihood is that all will depart in summer, as will the loan players.

Wigan’s best performing players this season, Charlie Hughes and Sam Tickle, are academy products. Of last summer’s signings Matt Smith stands out as a real bargain, a key cog in Maloney’s preferred style of football. Sean Clare and Steven Sessegnon offer versatility, although the latter has had problems with injury. Jonny Smith has struggled for consistency. Callum McManaman has provided energy and dynamism when used off the bench and might well be offered an extension on his one-year contract.

Whether Hughes and Tickle remain at the club over summer will depend on the offers that will surely be coming in for them on the transfer market from the big clubs. Owner Mike Danson will be keen to cash in on transfer fees following another major loss-making season. Transfer fees for players in League 1 tend to be low compared to those in higher divisions: it will be interesting to see what develops.  

Northampton Town 1 Wigan Athletic 1: two rays of hope for Latics in a battling performance

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

“Anytime you come away from home and go 1-0 down, though, maybe you have to take the point. The performance though…for me, it was even better than Barnsley on New Year’s Day. Barnsley was very different, in that first half, it was very counter attack. Today for me was as good as we’ve played in a long, long time with the ball.”

Sean Maloney’s comments after the game. Latics had 65% possession during the course of the contest.

Maloney made two changes from the team that played Manchester United with 19-year-old Liverpool loanee Luke Chambers coming into the left side of defence and Josh Magennis as a central striker. There was a tweak in the formation with Thelo Aasgaard largely operating a left midfield role, alongside Stephen Sessegnon and Baba Adeeko.

Maloney’s tactical approach invariably involves players interchanging positions, making it difficult to define one specific formation. Such fluidity can make it difficult for the opposition to counter, although at times there can be glitches with gaps in the defensive formation, particularly if a player misplaces a pass. In this game Adeeko’s passing error gifted the home side a goal after 15 minutes after Sam Tickle had conceded a penalty in an attempt to rectify the error. Latics had dominated the game up to that point, but the goal lifted the confidence of the home team for the remainder of the first half.

When the half time whistle blew Latics were a goal down and the social media was awash with comments suggesting Magennis should be substituted out of the contest after being repeatedly causing attacks to break down through being off side.

No changes were made at half time, but there was an improvement in the tempo from Latics. After 61 minutes Maloney made a tactical adjustment took off centre back Liam Morrison, bringing on Callum McManaman. He also brought on Matt Smith for Adeeko. Smith immediately stamped his class into Wigan’s play and his defence-splitting pass to Martial Godo provided a tap in for Magennis after 64 minutes.

In the end a draw was a fair result and the point was enough to put Latics 5 points above the relegation zone with a record of W10 D6 L10.   Northampton had started the game in the top half of the table and had won 3 and drawn one of their previous four home games.  They seemed content to share the points at the end of the proceedings.

It was a delight to see Matt Smith back in action: his ability to receive the ball in tight situations and find his man with the pass makes him virtually irreplaceable in the style of play preferred by Maloney. Luke Chambers made a fine debut, being able to slot into that hybrid role of left back/left centre back. Together they provide rays of hope in their ability to effectively slot into the manager’s style of play.

Since Adeeko played for the Republic of Ireland U21 team in November he has not been able to consistently play at the same level as he did previously. Adeeko certainly provides the physicality and energy needed in the centre of midfield, but his passing has disappointed of late, being prone to pass backwards or sideways. But Adeeko is only 20 and in his first season as a regular in the first team. He has made remarkable strides and made himself a contender for an automatic place in the starting lineup. Given more time he could become a key player.

Stats courtesy of WhoScored.com

Where will Wigan Athletic be in the table when Matt Smith returns to action?

Posted by JJ (Tony) in Player profiles, Specials and tagged with , , ,
Matt Smith: a key player in “Maloneyball” (photo courtesy of Wigan Athtletic)

“We’ve pushed really hard to get him and he’s very important to how we are looking to play this year”

It was Shaun Maloney commenting on signing Matt Smith on a free transfer from Arsenal. 

The 23-year-old Smith was hardly a “marquee signing”, having spent the past three seasons on loan at Swindon, Charlton and Doncaster. But he had been at Arsenal since he was seven and was steeped in the footballing style of the north London club. Why is Smith so important to the way Maloney wants his team to play this season?

Wigan Athletic’s early season form was a revelation. It was characterised by a possession-based style of football diametrically opposed to the long-ball approach that had been the norm over the past five years at the club. In true “Maloneyball” players get lots of touches of the ball, being required to create space for themselves in order to receive it. It is a purposeful style of football, based upon opening up the opposition, rather than merely retaining possession for possession’s sake.

Matt Smith played a pivotal role in excellent team performances in August. He constantly made himself available in tight situations, to receive the ball from defenders, rarely wasting a pass. Latics gained 10 points from their first four games in League 1, including wins at Bolton and Derby, both among the bookmakers’ favourites for promotion. 

After a series of outstanding performances in August, Smith’s form dwindled. He was not able to stamp the same kind of authority on the play. In the first week of October Maloney revealed that Smith had been playing through pain caused by a hernia injury. He would receive surgery and would be out of action for up to six weeks.

The manager added:” I don’t know how these injuries happened; he was wrestling with his stomach. He was the ideal type of No. 6 or No. 8 I needed this summer, as seen by his performances against Derby, Carlisle, and Bolton.” Maloney also stated his expectation that other players would step up to cover Smith’s absence.

Sadly, Latics’ performances and results have taken a dive since August. They have lost their last four league games and the 8-point deduction means that they are in 23rd place with 5 points. Dire refereeing has played its part in the decline: controversial red cards and penalty decisions have hit Latics hard. The low point of the season was a 4-1 defeat at Bristol Rovers, followed by narrow defeats to Portsmouth, Burton Albion and Stevenage.

The praise that Maloney was receiving from fans in August has now veered towards heavy criticism as the results have nosedived. Among the many complaints are those that there seems little method in the way the team has been playing, a far cry from early in the season where the style of play was well-defined and the players clearly knew their roles. Team selection has also come under fire, some saying there has been too much squad rotation. The midfield, which was excellent in early season, has not provided sufficient protection for the defence, nor has it linked up well with the attack. It needs a hard man in the style of Sam Morsy in midfield. There have been too many changes in defence in particular. The inverted full back system has limited the attacking scope of the full backs. Maloney has been too loyal to some players over others. The cynics say that Maloney does not know his best starting X1.

At the start of the season Maloney named Josh Magennis as club captain and Callum Lang as vice-captain. Charlie Wyke has established himself as the first-choice centre forward, with Magennis as back up. Lang had an awful time last season in the Championship and his nightmare has continued in League 1, where the player had excelled a couple of seasons ago. Despite his woeful form Lang has featured in all 11 league games, in the majority of which he was a starter. The manager has continued to believe in the player, but with capable backups in the squad his preference for Lang has been questionable. Magennis has neither the goal scoring talent of Wyke, nor his ability to play as the target man role. With Wyke suspended, Maloney started the game at Burton with with a front three of Lang (one goal in his last 46 league games), Magennis (one goal in 44 league games) and Callum McManaman who scored a great goal against Northampton, but was never a prolific goal scorer.

With the international break Maloney has been afforded time to ponder over his options. Team selections and tactics have to be right. With Wyke suspended he has the option of playing Steven Humphrys at centre forward or to give the 19-year-old Josh Stones a league debut. Without Matt Smith we can expect less inter-passing between defence and midfield, unless Liam Shaw can play such a role. It is important to have a consistency in the centre of defence. Charlie Hughes will start, but who will play alongside him? Liam Morrison was excellent in early season, but has fallen out of favour. Omar Rekik and Kell Watts have been disappointing, although the former has had to play at full back at times. Lang has been mainly playing in the number 10 role, putting in lots of energy, but with close to zero end-product. Thelo Aasgaard is a natural number 10 but has been very disappointing so far. Humphrys might also be tried there.

Ideally Maloney would have Latics play that brand of football we saw in August, but Latics are in a relegation dog fight. Perhaps when Matt Smith returns to action, they will be in a healthier position to revert to that silky football we saw at the start of the season. Smith’s injury certainly had an effect on performances but it is not the sole reason that Latics have fallen down the table.  

Maloney is still a relatively inexperienced football manager, but he is bright and talented and has shown real commitment towards the club. He has a young squad, operating on a quarter of the budget of last season. There is sufficient talent in the squad for Latics to avoid relegation and establish themselves in the division. Such is the youth of this squad that we can expect ups and downs along the road. It could be a bumpy ride until the season ends.

Where will Wigan Athletic be in the table when Matt Smith returns to action?

Posted by JJ (Tony) in Player profiles, Specials and tagged with , , ,
Matt Smith: a key player in “Maloneyball” (photo courtesy of Wigan Athtletic)

“We’ve pushed really hard to get him and he’s very important to how we are looking to play this year”

It was Shaun Maloney commenting on signing Matt Smith on a free transfer from Arsenal. 

The 23-year-old Smith was hardly a “marquee signing”, having spent the past three seasons on loan at Swindon, Charlton and Doncaster. But he had been at Arsenal since he was seven and was steeped in the footballing style of the north London club. Why is Smith so important to the way Maloney wants his team to play this season?

Wigan Athletic’s early season form was a revelation. It was characterised by a possession-based style of football diametrically opposed to the long-ball approach that had been the norm over the past five years at the club. In true “Maloneyball” players get lots of touches of the ball, being required to create space for themselves in order to receive it. It is a purposeful style of football, based upon opening up the opposition, rather than merely retaining possession for possession’s sake.

Matt Smith played a pivotal role in excellent team performances in August. He constantly made himself available in tight situations, to receive the ball from defenders, rarely wasting a pass. Latics gained 10 points from their first four games in League 1, including wins at Bolton and Derby, both among the bookmakers’ favourites for promotion. 

After a series of outstanding performances in August, Smith’s form dwindled. He was not able to stamp the same kind of authority on the play. In the first week of October Maloney revealed that Smith had been playing through pain caused by a hernia injury. He would receive surgery and would be out of action for up to six weeks.

The manager added:” I don’t know how these injuries happened; he was wrestling with his stomach. He was the ideal type of No. 6 or No. 8 I needed this summer, as seen by his performances against Derby, Carlisle, and Bolton.” Maloney also stated his expectation that other players would step up to cover Smith’s absence.

Sadly, Latics’ performances and results have taken a dive since August. They have lost their last four league games and the 8-point deduction means that they are in 23rd place with 5 points. Dire refereeing has played its part in the decline: controversial red cards and penalty decisions have hit Latics hard. The low point of the season was a 4-1 defeat at Bristol Rovers, followed by narrow defeats to Portsmouth, Burton Albion and Stevenage.

The praise that Maloney was receiving from fans in August has now veered towards heavy criticism as the results have nosedived. Among the many complaints are those that there seems little method in the way the team has been playing, a far cry from early in the season where the style of play was well-defined and the players clearly knew their roles. Team selection has also come under fire, some saying there has been too much squad rotation. The midfield, which was excellent in early season, has not provided sufficient protection for the defence, nor has it linked up well with the attack. It needs a hard man in the style of Sam Morsy in midfield. There have been too many changes in defence in particular. The inverted full back system has limited the attacking scope of the full backs. Maloney has been too loyal to some players over others. The cynics say that Maloney does not know his best starting X1.

At the start of the season Maloney named Josh Magennis as club captain and Callum Lang as vice-captain. Charlie Wyke has established himself as the first-choice centre forward, with Magennis as back up. Lang had an awful time last season in the Championship and his nightmare has continued in League 1, where the player had excelled a couple of seasons ago. Despite his woeful form Lang has featured in all 11 league games, in the majority of which he was a starter. The manager has continued to believe in the player, but with capable backups in the squad his preference for Lang has been questionable. Magennis has neither the goal scoring talent of Wyke, nor his ability to play as the target man role. With Wyke suspended, Maloney started the game at Burton with with a front three of Lang (one goal in his last 46 league games), Magennis (one goal in 44 league games) and Callum McManaman who scored a great goal against Northampton, but was never a prolific goal scorer.

With the international break Maloney has been afforded time to ponder over his options. Team selections and tactics have to be right. With Wyke suspended he has the option of playing Steven Humphrys at centre forward or to give the 19-year-old Josh Stones a league debut. Without Matt Smith we can expect less inter-passing between defence and midfield, unless Liam Shaw can play such a role. It is important to have a consistency in the centre of defence. Charlie Hughes will start, but who will play alongside him? Liam Morrison was excellent in early season, but has fallen out of favour. Omar Rekik and Kell Watts have been disappointing, although the former has had to play at full back at times. Lang has been mainly playing in the number 10 role, putting in lots of energy, but with close to zero end-product. Thelo Aasgaard is a natural number 10 but has been very disappointing so far. Humphrys might also be tried there.

Ideally Maloney would have Latics play that brand of football we saw in August, but Latics are in a relegation dog fight. Perhaps when Matt Smith returns to action, they will be in a healthier position to revert to that silky football we saw at the start of the season. Smith’s injury certainly had an effect on performances but it is not the sole reason that Latics have fallen down the table.  

Maloney is still a relatively inexperienced football manager, but he is bright and talented and has shown real commitment towards the club. He has a young squad, operating on a quarter of the budget of last season. There is sufficient talent in the squad for Latics to avoid relegation and establish themselves in the division. Such is the youth of this squad that we can expect ups and downs along the road. It could be a bumpy ride until the season ends.

Wigan Athletic 0 Everton 1: Maloney brings good football back to Latics

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

Pre-season friendlies can be notoriously unreliable in indicating how a club will do in the season proper. They are largely training exercises where the scorelines are so much less important than they will be when the fiercely competitive stuff begins.

However, I cannot remember enjoying a pre-season Latics game as much as I did this one.  Facing Premier League opposition, they started the game with two centre backs aged 19 and 20 and a goalkeeper with just one prior senior appearance under his belt. Moreover, a central striker who was unwanted by previous management was placed on the right wing. It was bold team selection from Shaun Maloney which led to a display that helped lift the gloom the had enveloped us for so long.

Maloney rejoined the club under circumstances which were difficult at the time and became increasingly so. It got to the stage where one worried about the continued existence of Wigan Athletic football club. The situation was on a knife edge with Latics having been served a winding-up order from the HMRC with scant assets to sell to stay afloat. Due to a short-sighted recruitment policy the club had been left with an aged, bloated squad with too many players on inflated salaries, but with minimal sell-on value. The club was in a poor position to woo new owners.

Mike Danson’s takeover in mid-June saved the club from possible liquidation. Despite the turmoil Maloney had stayed at the club, helping to hold things together. It was no surprise that Danson entrusted him in rebuilding the footballing side of the club and setting it on track to sustainability.

We have since seen thirteen senior squad players depart, significantly reducing costs. It was reported that the wage bill for the coming season would be just a third of what it was in 2022-23. Seven new players have been recruited, with four on free transfers and three on loan. The pattern has been markedly different than it was previously, with all but one of the new players aged 26 or below.

It was a fine performance from Latics yesterday, their football being a delight to watch. The much- maligned Kolo Toure had encouraged the players to be “brave on the ball” but it was too much for those who were used to an antiquated physical, long-ball approach to adapt. When Toure’s brief stay was terminated Maloney came in with a more pragmatic approach, trying to get the best out of the players at his disposal, within their means.

With so many of last season’s squad already gone Maloney and his staff have been able to impart a more modern footballing philosophy on the players. Yesterday we saw players unafraid to play the ball out from the back, their teammates creating space to receive the ball. We have not seen such fluidity and movement for so many years.

Maloney’s starting lineup certainly indicated his priorities. The 21-year-old Sam Tickle had a fine game in goal, being brave and dominant in his box, comfortable with playing out from the back. In 2018-19 he played five times for England Schoolboys, conceding only one goal. The manager chose to leave the experienced Ben Amos on the bench, opting for a goalkeeper who is more comfortable with playing out from the back.

Thelo Aasgaard was paired with Matt Smith in central midfield in the first half. It is a long time since we have seen two players in that holding role who show so much skill on the ball. Smith, 22, was excellent throughout. Aasgaard, 21, was less effective in the second half when he was moved further forward. Aasgaard has made 79 senior appearances, but has never been an automatic starter. Maloney and the club clearly have great belief in him and he remains the most prized asset, as evidenced by him signing a new contract until 2028. Like so many others he has a poor season in 2022-23. Will 2023-24 be his best yet?

Stephen Humphrys was largely employed as a central striker under Leam Richardson, who sent him out on a season-long loan to Hearts last summer. It was a surprise to see him on the wing yesterday, although he had played there during his stay in Edinburgh. Humphrys showed pace and trickery, with thunderous shooting. He is 6ft 1in tall and physically powerful. Still only 25 he has all the attributes to be a top-class footballer.  Can he establish himself as a regular starter and score the number of goals that his talent indicates?

We can expect more staffing changes in the coming weeks with players on higher salaries being released if they can find suitable clubs to accommodate them. This season’s squad will certainly have a different profile than that of last summer, being younger and recruited to fit into a more modern possession-based style of play.

With an eight-point penalty on their backs, Latics have a difficult season ahead. There will be occasions when the opposition adopt a strong physical approach to nullify the smooth, skilful football that Maloney seeks. A mid-table position would be an achievement, given the circumstances.