Tag Archives: wigan

Sheffield Wednesday Preview – a potential banana skin

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

The dream continued to come true on Sunday as Latics grafted out a win that took them into the FA Cup semi-finals. Apart from a few glimpses in the first half we did not see the kind of flowing football that won them the FA Cup in May. But we did witness once again the “character” that this Latics team now displays under Uwe Rosler. It might not have been as pleasing on the eye as what we saw in May, but in many ways this win was even more impressive. Only one English team- Chelsea- had beaten Manchester City this season at the Etihad Stadium prior to Wigan’s victory. City had hit six against Arsenal and Tottenham and seven against Norwich.

It is a reflection upon the changes that have occurred since the historic May victory that only four players from that Wembley final made the starting lineup on Sunday. There may be even less in the team that meets Sheffield Wednesday tomorrow.

If any match this season presents a potential banana skin it is this one. It would be all too easy for Latics to slip up against the Yorkshire club after the elation of the quarter final win. Latics are clear favourites to win this match after six successive victories and a 3-0 win at Hillsborough a month ago. However, the performance at City will have taken its physical toll and this match is the second of three in a period of six days.

Rosler will certainly have to rotate his squad for this match. Chris McCann went off injured at half time on Sunday, so will be doubtful. Rosler has already stated that Ivan Ramis is not yet fit enough for two games a week. Leon Barnett, who has played more games than anyone this season, was rested from the starting lineup on Saturday but had to come on for McCann after half time. Rosler will also be tempted to rest Emmerson Boyce, who was superb on Sunday.

Nicky Maynard and Martyn Waghorn will almost certainly return to the starting lineup. Callum McManaman and James McClean shared game time on Sunday and may well do so again, the latter being the more likely starter. If Rosler goes for a flat back four then Ryan Tunnicliffe might well start in holding midfield. The big Swede Marcus Holgersson might well make his debut, teaming up with Barnett in the centre of defence. However, he can also play right back if Rosler decides to rest James Perch. Jean Beausejour will return at left back, providing he is fit. Rosler is fortunate to be able to choose from probably the two best goalkeepers in the division, in Ali Al-Habsi and Scott Carson.

Dave Whelan was quoted this week as saying “I’ve loved that FA Cup and the whole town has but this year you’ve got a feeling the league is more important. You get people asking ‘what do you want to do?’ Well there’s only one thing – promotion back to the Premier League.”

Rosler will be therefore be keen to bring his players back down to the ground following the elation of their amazing performance at the Etihad. They will have to knuckle down and fight for the fifty-fifty balls against a Wednesday team currently sitting in 16th place.

Latics fans will be hoping they don’t slip up on that banana skin tomorrow.

Like us on Facebook, or follow us on twitter here.

A good time to play Forest

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

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.

Like us on Facebook, or follow us on twitter here.

Brighton Preview – Latics need to show character

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

Photo courtesy of Visit Brighton

‘Character’ is a word that is much used – but much abused – in football vernacular. Ever hear a manager say his team showed character after his side has stolen the points with a controversial goal after being outplayed for most of the game?

The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines character as “moral excellence and firmness”. Clearly it takes on a new meaning in the language used by football managers of modern day.

Wigan Athletic’s players will have to show a lot of character – that of technical excellence and consistent application – over the next two to three weeks. Before the next home tie with Sheffield Wednesday on March 12th Latics have three difficult matches on the road. Two are league matches against teams challenging for promotion, the third an FA Cup tie at the Etihad.

The first of that trio of matches is at Brighton tomorrow. Latics went 1-0 down to the Seasiders in a tight contest at the DW Stadium on November 23rd. Little did we know at the time that it was to be the beginning of the end for Owen Coyle, with further home defeats to Zulte Waregem and Derby County to follow. Two more defeats followed, at Leeds and Millwall, in the interim period between Coyle’s departure and Uwe Rosler’s arrival.

It is an indication of the turnaround in Latics’ fortunes that they have now caught up with Brighton, being level on points and with the same goal difference. Moreover Brighton have not done badly since their win at Wigan with a league record of W6 D4 L3 since then. In that same period Latics have an average of two points per game, with a record of W7  D3 L2. If they are to reach a play-off spot by the end of the season they will have to maintain that same average in the 16 matches remaining.

Over the January transfer window Brighton sold their most prized asset, Liam Bridcutt, to Sunderland for £3m. Moreover Ashley Barnes, who troubled the Wigan defence in  that last encounter, moved on to Burnley £750,000. However, they brought in Dale Stephens – Charlton’s best player in the 0-0 draw with Latics at The Valley – for an undisclosed fee.

Like Wigan, Brighton had their fair share of injuries early in the season and were short in firepower up front. Since then the Argentinian centre forward Leonardo Ulloa has returned to good effect, with 8 goals in 16 league starts. He is likely to be partnered by either Kazenga Lua Lua or David Rodriguez, a recent signing from Celta Vigo.

Once again it will be interesting to see how Rosler shuffles around his lineup. Sadly it looks like Ben Watson has played his last game for the club following the horrendous injury he picked up against Barnsley. The player’s contract expires in summer. Such a pity as he was approaching the best form of his career. It looks like Rosler is lining up Josh McEachran as Watson’s replacement, although Roger Espinoza is another in contention.

Ivan Ramis was excellent in his return to action at Cardiff and might well make the starting lineup tomorrow. Rosler could rest Emmerson Boyce or push him over to right full back at the expense of James Perch. Perch has started in 35 matches this season, second only to Leon Barnett. The ex-Newcastle man has been a key player in the tightening up of Latics’ defence since Rosler’s arrival. However, he does not possess the attacking flair of Boyce.

Callum McManaman missed the midweek game through injury, but should be fit for tomorrow.  James McClean was the Man of the Match against Barnsley, his inch-perfect cross setting up a goal for Martyn Waghorn. The Irishman’s final pass has so often let the side down this season, but he is starting to show signs that he can lift his head and find teammates in the opposition penalty box.  When he can do that consistently he will be a terrific asset for the team.

Will Rosler play the two wide men in the same lineup? His tendency has been to only play one, but both are approaching their best form and their pace could be dangerous on the counter attack. The German can choose between Nicky Maynard and Marc Antoine Fortune at centre forward, although it is probably Waghorn’s best position too.  Little mention has been made of Nick Powell recently, but could he make a surprise appearance tomorrow?

The Brighton match will certainly be a test of character for Rosler’s men. Neither team will want to lose and the winner could be the one who grinds out the result, rather than the one who has played the better football.

A fascinating contest awaits us.

Like us on Facebook, or follow us on twitter here.

Barnsley Preview – The Pressure is on

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


Fresh from their hard-earned FA Cup victory at Cardiff, Wigan Athletic are due to entertain Barnsley tomorrow in their 43rd game of the season. What’s more is that three difficult away games follow for Rosler’s men who seek promotion to the Premier League and further progress in the Cup.

At first glance Barnsley at home does not appear to be the most difficult task ahead. Owen Coyle enjoyed his most successful result at Wigan after giving the Tykes a 4-0 hammering on the first day of the season. Barnsley remain anchored in the bottom three with only one away win all season.  A win for Latics would appear a formality.

However, Uwe Rosler’s side have not performed well against teams closer to the lower end of table. The elation of away wins at promotion-chasing Derby and Reading has been tempered by defeats at Doncaster and Huddersfield.  Moreover it will be Wigan’s fifth match in eighteen days in the month of February. The victory at Cardiff means that the difficult home match against league leaders Leicester City will have to be rearranged, creating even more fixture congestion.

But thanks to some astute dealings in the loan and transfer market Rosler has a strong and well balanced squad at his disposal. The German has already shown that he can successfully operate a rotation policy, achieving results. The quality in depth within the squad is such that Rosler could choose an entirely different starting eleven tomorrow and still have a good chance of beating Barnsley.

Rosler wisely rested the dependable Leon Barnett on Saturday. The ex-Norwich man has played 40 matches so far this season, much more than any other player. However, the lack of cover for the central defensive positions has now been alleviated by the signing of Markus Holgerrson and the return from injury of Ivan Ramis and Thomas Rogne. Given that strength in numbers Rosler might be tempted to play a backline of three, especially against teams whose main mode of play is putting high balls into the box. Moreover it would free up Emmerson Boyce and Jean Beausejour to play in their best positions as wing backs.

Following a successful return at Cardiff, Ramis will be rested tomorrow. Rosler has already said that the Spaniard is not yet up to playing more than one game a week. Barnett will almost certainly return, but Boyce is likely to be rested, meaning a possible debut for Holgerrson, although Rogne is also a possibility. Rosler has also talked about giving Lee Nicholls a chance and this might be the one for the young goalkeeper.

Ben Watson went off injured at Cardiff, but James McArthur will be ready to return. Josh McEachran will be pushing for a start in midfield, as will Roger Espinoza.

Both Martyn Waghorn and Nicky Maynard are due to return after being cup-tied and fans will be hoping that Nick Powell is fit after missing the last five matches. Although still only 19 years old, Powell has started in 25 matches this season and come off the bench in five, scoring 10 goals. Rosler is aware of the physical demands on the young man and will try to get the best use out of the highly talented player, without overstretching him.

With tricky away matches at Brighton and Nottingham Forest looming, Latics will be keen to claim the three points available from the Barnsley game. Rosler is looking at an average of two points per game until the end of the regular season to get in to a playoff berth. Failure to beat Barnsley would make that difficult over the three league games which precede the FA Cup 6th round match at Manchester City.

The pressure is on and the coming weeks will be a test of resolve for Rosler, but he has the squad to cope with what is coming up, providing injuries keep to a minimum. Beating Barnsley tomorrow will be a step in the right direction.

Like us on Facebook, or follow us on twitter here.

Cardiff Preview – can they do it again?

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

Martinez

Can they do it again? Win the FA Cup?

Little has been mentioned about it in the media but Wigan Athletic are in the last 16. It is only the third time in their history that they have done that.

This time last year Latics went to Huddersfield and beat them 4-1. With his team struggling Roberto Martinez had made seven changes to his starting lineup, indicating that a Cup run was secondary to Premier League survival. At that time he could not have guessed that Latics would win the FA Cup and shake the foundations of the football establishment.

In Saturday’s match Ole Gunnar Solskjaer faces a similar choice to that previously faced by Martinez. Cardiff City currently lie in 19th place, but just two points behind safety and 17th place.

For their fourth round match at Bolton Solskjaer made five changes from the team that started the previous league game. That included key players Steven Caulker, Fraiser Campbell and Gary Medel. Cardiff were to win at Bolton through a Campbell goal after home keeper Andy Lonerghan had spilled the ball. However, it should be noted that in the third round they had an excellent 2-1 win at Newcastle.

Wigan Athletic’s lineup in the third round home tie against MK Dons included five players who had played in that famous FA Cup Final. Latics’ goals in the 3-3 draw came from three of those heroes – Roger Espinoza, Jordi Gomez and Callum McManaman. Of those players only Roger Espinoza and James McArthur have played in the three FA Cup ties Latics have played so far. However, there is no doubting that all the players who played in last year’s cup run would love to make Saturday’s lineup.

Uwe Rosler has made it clear that he rates the FA Cup as an important competition, despite the pressures he faces in getting Latics into the Championship playoffs this season. Rosler deems squad rotation as a natural occurrence, a view foreign to those who criticize him for not having a settled lineup. He cites the example of Alex Ferguson of never having the same lineup in successive games.

The German is much harder to read in his team selections than his predecessors. However, he has given both Callum McManaman and Roger Espinoza a break in the last two matches, so they are likely to make the starting lineup at Swansea. Both will have a lot to prove.

Espinoza scored one of the goals of the season in the home game with MK Dons and will be keen to show what he can do to get a regular place in the starting lineup. He has now been with the club for 13 months, but has not been able to claim a regular first team place. He is a fan favourite for his commitment and he shows no mean level of skill, but he has yet to convince Rosler that he should be high in his priorities.

McManaman is the most talented player remaining at the club. If it had not been for an injury in the Arsenal match just three days after the FA Cup Final he probably would not be at Wigan now. Being ‘’Man of the Match” in an FA Cup Final is something he will savour for the rest of his life. Life at Wigan has been a rollercoaster ride for him as I outlined in in my article of September.

Cardiff are a Premier League side and they will be facing Championship opponents. The bookmakers make them favourites. However, as Cup-holders Latics will give it all they have got. Moreover Wigan have a core of players, who have not only Premier League experience, but have helped the club win the FA Cup.

Those who remain from the Cup winning team will be keen to show that they can still do it. Moreover they will be backed up by players brought in by Owen Coyle who have ample Premier League experience.

In terms of the lineup on Saturday it might well be that Wigan have more players with Premier League experience than Cardiff.  But then again we will have to see the lineups the managers put out.

The bad news for Latics is that Rosler’s new strike force – Nicky Maynard and Martyn Waghorn – are cup-tied and unable to play. Moreover central defenders Markus Holgersson, Ivan Ramis and Thomas Rogne are not yet fully fit, although they played in an under 21 game in midweek. In their absence Emmerson Boyce and Leon Barnett will once again play in the middle. Jean Beausejour has started in two consecutive matches within the space of three days, so will most likely be rested, with Stephen Crainey brought in.

Rosler may need to rest either or both of Ben Watson and James McArthur who have played a lot of football recently. Cup winners Roger Espinoza and Jordi Gomez will be keen to step in. The front three will most likely be Callum McManaman, Marc-Antoine Fortune and Nick Powell, assuming the latter is now fit.

One thing is for sure – Latics will not relinquish their hold on the cup without a fight. Getting into the last eight is certainly a possibility.

Who knows – maybe they can do it again?

Like us on Facebook, or follow us on twitter here.