Tag Archives: Roman Golobart

Bournemouth v Wigan Athletic – Golobart ready to stake a claim

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

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On Tuesday a largely second-string Wigan Athletic side travels to Dean Court to play Bournemouth in a Third Round FA Cup replay. So what are the odds of Wigan pulling off a victory? Shouldn’t a team composed of Premier League squad players be expected to beat a team from League 1, given the gulf in quality between them? Judging by the 1-1 draw between the teams at the DW Stadium 10 days before, it appears this game could go either way.

The bookmakers, William Hill, currently offer 6/4 on a Wigan win and 9/5 on an opposition victory. They clearly see it as tight. Much will depend on the lineup that Roberto Martinez puts out and the Wigan players’ willingness to physically match a rejuvenated Bournemouth team that has gone 18 matches without defeat since manager Eddie Howe’s return in mid October.

Much has been said in of Wigan’s cup performances in the Martinez era. Last year they exited the FA Cup Third Round after being beaten by League 2 Swindon, much to the chagrin of their loyal supporters. This season their performances in the cup – in this case the League Cup – have been mixed, with excellent 4-1 wins at both Nottingham Forest and West Ham, followed by an abject defeat at home on penalties to Bradford City. However, the away wins were largely due to fine counterattacking and bode well for tomorrow’s cup fixture.

So what type of lineup will Wigan put forward tomorrow? The cruel injury to Ivan Ramis at Fulham on Saturday leaves Martinez in a quandary as to whether he should risk his first choice centre backs to bolster what would be an inexperienced central defensive line. It appears that Antolin Alcaraz is still not ready to return after injury, leaving only Gary Caldwell and Maynor Figueroa of the normal back three, unless Emmerson Boyce were to revert there. However, to play any one of the three would be a gamble with the important Sunderland match looming on Saturday.

Martinez has limited options available. Roman Golobart will be keen to show his quality. By most accounts Golobart played well in the previous encounter and Martinez has made it clear that the 20 year old Catalan is a prospect for a first team place in Ramis’ absence. This encounter could prove to be the acid test for him. Given the absence of experienced central defenders Martinez might well revert to a flat back four for this game.

Mike Pollitt might well start in goal, giving Ali Al Habsi a well-earned rest. Ronnie Stam will probably play at right back/wing back, but the left side position could be up for grabs. New signing Roger Espinoza and Fraser Fyvie are likely to feature in the centre of midfield and there are lots of possibilities for the front three positions. Mauro Boselli, inexplicably left out of the lineup at Fulham , will be set to line up at centre forward with Angelo Henriquez, Callum McManaman, Nouha Dicko and Daniel Redmond all pushing for places. Jordi Gomez tends to play in cup games and it would not be surprising to see him appear at some time during the game.

On paper Wigan have the quality to beat League 1 opposition. However, whatever side Wigan put out it is not going to be a team which has the mutual understanding developed between players who consistently play together. It remains to be seen whether Martinez is going to be willing to risk first choice defenders, given Wigan’s precarious position in the Premier League. But then again, playing an inexperienced defence against a team full of confidence and motivation could prove costly. However, the development of young players is a key driver in Wigan Athletic’s future plans. Roberto Martinez has not yet thrown his youngsters into the Premier League arena, being fearful of plunging them into a team that is stuggling. The cup competitions remain the main outlet and a good performance at Bournemouth could open doors for a young player. The opportunity is there to be taken. Roman Golbart in particular will surely take note.

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A Need for Height?

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

In the early 1990s Arsenal had a couple of central  defenders – Tony Adams and Steve Bould – who my father used to call ‘gaspipes’. I never really asked my dad to explain what he meant by that term, but always assumed it had something to do with their height and shape: tall and slim. Adams was 6′ 3″ , Bould an inch taller. Not surprisingly these two central defenders were key to Arsenal’s successes in that era, when the long ball was in vogue. If a high centre were to be launched into the Arsenal box you could bet your bottom dollar that one of the two would be on to it.

Let’s get back to modern day. Brede Hangeland of Fulham is 6′ 61/2″ tall – and that, together with his lean shape  –  would certainly place him in  the ‘gaspipe’ category. Not surprisingly he dominates the air in the penalty boxes at each end of the field, very solid in defence, dangerous from corner kicks. His regular defensive partner, Aaron Hughes,  is a mere 6’0″ tall. Per Mertesacker of Arsenal is the second tallest Premier League defender at 6′ 6″. Both of Stoke City’s uncompromising central defenders, Robert Huth and Ryan Shawcross are 6′ 3 “. The same stats apply to the Liverpool pairing of Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel. By and large Premier League teams typically have two central defenders well above 6 ft tall.

Latics have no gaspipes in their senior squad. According to the club website,  of the central defenders who have played for Wigan this season:  Antolin Alcaraz and Ivan Ramis are the tallest at 6’2”. Maynor Figueroa and Adrian Lopez are 6′ 0 “, Gary Caldwell and Emmerson Boyce  are 5’11”.  The two tallest players, Alcaraz and Ramis,  have played together only twice, in the opening two games of the season.

When Roberto Martinez installed a trio of central defenders midway through last season he bolstered Latics’ aerial defences. All too often over these past years Wigan have been undone with a ‘soft’ headed goal from the opposition at a crucial time in the game. Phil Jagielka’s recent  goal for Everton and Ryan Nelsen’s for QPR are two that most Premier League defences would have prevented. You can add to that Hoolahan’s goal for Norwich, although that was more down to the positioning of defenders than their ability to leap. Latics have lacked that type of tall, rugged centre back who can dominate the aerial defences.

One of the pioneers of recruiting big players in the old Football League was Jimmy Sirrel, a canny Scot who was a successful manager at Notts County for over a decade around the 70s. When asked on television why he recruited so many big players he said “If I have the choice between a good big ‘un and a good little ‘un,  I go for the good big ‘un.” Larry Lloyd’s promotion winning side of 1981-82 was probably the physically biggest team Wigan had ever had. Both Lloyd and Colin Methven in central defence were around the 6’3″ mark. Add to them the 6’5″ centre forward Les Bradd (previously with Sirrel at Notts County), 6’2″ Graham Barrow and the other 6 footers – Joe Hinnegan, Kevin Langley, Peter Houghton – and you can see why they were well prepared to cope with the aerial and physical challenges of the old Division 4.

Roberto Martinez’ style of football is far from that of the old Notts County and Larry Lloyd’s Wigan team. The current Latics team is typified by its elegance of passing from defensive positions, more than by  its physical and aerial power. The top tier of football in England has moved on from the times of the long-ball game, but there is still a need for strong aerial defence. This season injuries have prevented Wigan from fielding their first choice back three, the result being a lack of cohesion as players have had to be shuffled around. Although the lack of a towering central defender puts Wigan at some disadvantage, it is the lack of  cohesion and defensive discipline that has cost them dearly. Too many penalties and soft goals have been given away. Having an established back three, who play well as a unit, is the key to success in the second half of the season.

Hopefully Antolin Alcaraz will soon return to fortify the centre of defence. Wigan’s best defensive performances have tended to  coincide with his consistent presence in the starting lineup. One for the future is the young Catalan, Roman Golobart, who is 6’4″ and has strong physical presence. Providing he has the necessary pace to match he could become that towering central defender that the defence has been lacking.

Bradford preview: More for Mauro?

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

I have often thought that the League Cup is a waste of time. Shadow teams playing each other in empty stadia. What purpose does it really serve? However, in a disappointing season for Wigan Athletic up to this point it has been the League Cup matches that have been the highlight. We have seen two successive 4-1 away wins where the finishing has been lethal, an uncommon experience for Latics fans. Moreover the ties have also shown that the club has considerable strength in depth, with ‘fringe’ players putting in excellent performances.

Will the finishing in the game against Bradford City tonight once again be of that order? Leading the charge, with three goals already in the competition, will be the excellent Mauro Boselli. Boselli is well on the way to proving his doubters wrong. It has been all too easy for the cynics to knock him. All kinds of misleading statistics have been thrown his way. Recently I even heard a football commentator on television say that Boselli had not scored a Premier League goal in three years at Wigan. It is not unusual for such people to put Wigan Athletic down, with their condescending attitudes towards the club. However, this recent comment was palpably unfair. Boselli started only five times in the first part of the 2010-2011 season before going off to Genoa and Estudiantes on loan. He has not started for Wigan in the Premier League since returning in July.

At Estudiantes, prior to joining Wigan, Boselli had scored 22 goals in 29 league starts in 2009-10 and 10 in 23 league starts in 2008-09. Impressive stats when playing for a relatively small club in a league with tight defences. He was the leading goalscorer in whole of the Copa Libertadores competition in 2008-09, helping his team lift the trophy with the match winner in the final against Cruzeiro. Since his return to Wigan he has been carefully nurtured by Roberto Martinez, being limited to three brief  substitute appearances in the Premier League. However, the snippets we have seen of Boselli’s finishing for Latics League Cup and Under 21 teams have shown us how he scored so many goals in tough and competitive competitions in South America. We may well see that tonight.

Prior to cup ties Roberto Martinez typically reiterates that they are an opportunity for the fringe players to break into the first choice lineup. However, he was careful to provide a backbone of experienced first choice players in defence for the wins at Forest and West Ham. Tonight he is likely to play both Roman Golobart and Adrian Lopez in the back three. They come from the opposite sides of Spain and have contrasting styles.

Roman Golobart – a Catalan from Barcelona in the east of Spain – is a big, powerful central defender, nevertheless with good passing ability. Golobart joined the club from Espanyol as a 17 year old in August 2009. Last season he had a successful loan spell at Inverness, being voted fans’ player of the year. Playing under the influence of manager Terry Butcher, ex-England centre half, will surely have helped his game. Still only 20 he is an excellent prospect.

Adrian Lopez –from the province of Coruña in Galicia, north west Spain – signed for Wigan in December 2010 from local team Deportivo La Coruña, as a free agent after a heated dispute over his contractual situation. In the previous three years he had played 26 matches for Deportivo, scoring one goal. In Spain he was known under his nickname ‘Piscu’ to distinguish him from the other Adrian Lopez ,a forward who plays for Atletico Madrid. Now 25 years old, Piscu has had 6 starts since joining Wigan. According to the Wigan Athletic club website, Lopez “ brings cultured development to Latics’ back line”. Clearly a different type of player to the more muscular Golobart. Lopez has struggled with the physicality of the Premier League, but Martinez retains confidence in the player.

Other likely starters for the match are Callum McManaman, Ronnie Stam, Fraser Fyvie, David Jones and Jordi Gomez. There are doubts over the fitness of Ryo Miyaichi. Albert Crusat remains out injured. Martinez may once again opt to put in some of his first choice players, although maybe fewer  than in the previous League Cup games with the away match at Tottenham coming up at the weekend.

Although tonight’s match is at the DW Stadium it might seem more like a home game for Bradford City, who have sold all of their 5,000 ticket allocation. Bradford are currently in 5th place in League Two, but have the highest average attendance in the division at just below 10,000.

Prediction: at least one goal from Mauro Boselli and a win for Wigan Athletic.