Martinez to stay at Wigan Athletic

Posted on May 30, 2012 by ianhaspinall
Roberto Martinez

The Roberto Martinez era continues

Great news for Latics fans as Roberto Martinez today announced that he has turned down the advances of Liverpool and will be staying at the club.

The on and off saga has now been resolved with Martinez pledging his future to Wigan.

The discussions with Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) were terminated on Tuesday when Martinez decided he did not want work under a tier of three directors to take up the duties performed by former director of football Damien Comolli in a plan to make their operations more effective.

Martinez was not willing to work under three men, plus managing director Ian Ayre, and the Latics boss informed Liverpool owners FSG on Tuesday that he would not join the club.

Martinez’s decision means that Brendan Rodgers will take over at Anfield with the Swansea manager prepared to work within Liverpool’s proposed structure.

Wigan owner Dave Whelan has pledged to give the manager a significant transfer fund to boost the team’s chances for next season.

The decision is a fantastic coup for a little Wigan over the once mighty giants Liverpool. The temptation for Roberto to leave must have been huge given Liverpool’s footballing heritage, but his loyalty to Wigan goes much deeper than many expected.

He has built the club according to his own personal beliefs and in the process transformed the club into a forward thinking and attractive footballing outfit.

Ultimately it was Roberto’s desire to run the club according to his own personal beliefs that was the deciding factor in this momentous decision. Wigan fans will be in celebratory mood tonight as the Martinez era continues.

Posted in Aston Villa, Brendan Rodgers, Liverpool, Roberto Martinez, Swansea City, Wigan Athletic | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Boyce double seals a superb end to the season – Wigan Athletic 3 Wolverhampton Wanderers 2

Posted on May 14, 2012 by ianhaspinall
Emmerson Boyce celebrates

Emmerson Boyce celebrates his double

Wigan Athletic fans were in celebratory mood on Sunday afternoon as their team completed an incredible end to the season. Latics ended the season as the form team in the Premier league with a seventh win in nine games and in the process finished fifteenth in the table.

In bright sunshine at the DW stadium they made a confident start with centre back Gary Caldwell marauding forward and then Jean Beausejour’s cross being scrambled away by Christophe Berra.

The club had arranged for the fans to celebrate an eighth season on the top flight with applause on eight minutes, but just as some people had predicted, the applause backfired on the home team when Wolves winger Matt Jarvis incredibly curled the ball into the top corner of the Wigan net.

But Latics were not going to let Wolves spoil the party and pressed for a quick equaliser and on 13 Minutes Franco Di Santo managed to shoot through Stephen Hunt’s legs from eighteen yards out to restore parity.

A great shot from twenty-five yards by Shaun Maloney was turned around the post by Dorus de Vries and from the resulting corner Emmerson Boyce rose majestically at the back post to head home.

Wigan continued the half as the dominant outfit with Wolves unable to cope with their slick passing and movement. Once again Shaun Maloney was a constant threat and his introduction into the team for the latter part of the season has been the catalyst for the team’s strong revival.

Wolves had an early chance in the second half when Kevin Doyle’s header was well saved by Al-Habsi. But Wigan were soon increasing the pressure with two good attempts of their own with Maloney’s shot saved by substitute keeper Carl Ikeme after a through-ball from substitute Albert Crusat, who also drove a shot into the side-netting having been put through by Di Santo.

Soon afterwards a great diagonal ball by Maynor Figueroa was knocked down by substitute Hugo Rodallega for Emmerson Boyce who triumphantly blasted the ball into the top corner of the Wolves goal.

Boyce is Wigan’s longest-serving player and his two goals were a fitting reward for such an excellent servant. He may even have got a hat trick but typically and unselfishly he crossed for Rodallega but unfortunately the danger was cleared.

Wolves did manage a consolation goal on 86 minutes from substitute Steven Fletcher after sloppy play by Adrian Lopez. But it was not enough for Wolves who now slip into the Championship after a traumatic season.

Wigan march on into an eighth successive season in the top flight, when they were promoted in 2005 few could have dreamed that they would still be in the Premier League in 2012.

Great credit should go to all the Latics managers and players during this period, but particular credit should go to Roberto Martinez who has maintained Wigan’s status while producing some superbly attractive football and magnificent results against the league’s top teams.

Posted in Emmerson Boyce, Franco Di Santo, Matt Jarvis, Steven Fletcher, Wigan Athletic, Wolves | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Latics secure safety as Rovers are relegated in disarray

Posted on May 8, 2012 by ianhaspinall
Antolin Alcaraz celebrates the Wigan winner

Antolin Alcaraz celebrates the Wigan winner

Wigan Athletic secured an eighth season in the Premier League with a deserved victory and in the process relegated crisis club Blackburn Rovers.

When Rovers Indian owners took over in 2010 they did not appreciate that the club could be relegated but the reality of relegation to the Championship must be all too real this morning.

Antolin Alcaraz headed Wigan’s winner from a Jean Beausejour corner in the 87th minute, but it was only what Wigan deserved as they had wasted a succession of chances to finish off their opponents. In the first half Franco Di Santo had twice gone close and Paul Robinson saved well from Moses before he squandered a gift of a back-post header from Di Santo’s superb deep cross.

In the second half Moses once again missed a couple of good opportunities and Shaun Maloney headed over the bar when he rose too early to meet a cross by Moses.

Blackburn had a penalty appeal denied in the second half, when Emmerson Boyce clipped Junior Hoilett’s heel, and they troubled Ali Al-Habsi in the Wigan goal with a series of high balls into the box but the away team were always the more likely to score and in the process relegate Rovers.

In the strange surroundings of a hostile home crowd chanting for the removal of the Indian owners Venkys and manager Steve Kean, Wigan had to maintain their concentration and focus on the crucial task in hand. The prospect of a mass pitch invasion from the protesters was always a possibility and one Rovers fan did get on the pitch and in a rather futile gesture throw his season ticket towards the beleaguered Kean, but the ticket only ended up near Martinez.

Even the bizarre sight of a chicken dressed in Rovers colours entering the pitch in Ali Al Habsi’s goalmouth could not distract them from achieving this historic result. Al Habsi, of course saved the chicken, not much gets past the Wigan keeper!

Wigan completed the season winning six of their last eight matches, beating Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Newcastle in the process. Some of Wigan’s play during this run has been a joy to watch and more in keeping with a top four club than a team fighting against relegation.

Huge credit should go out to Manager Roberto Martinez who has once again preserved their Premier League status while trimming 10% from the wage bill.

Some Wigan fans had been critical of the manager during the early part of the season, but the majority stayed supportive and their faith in him has been vindicated with a historic eighth season in the top flight.

There will be big celebrations at the DW stadium for Wigan’s final game against already relegated Wolves next Sunday. As there should be, as it is a remarkable achievement for a small club with such limited resources to stay at this level for eight seasons.

Posted in Antolin Alcaraz, Blackburn Rovers, Chicken, Roberto Martinez, Steve Kean, Venkys, Wigan Athletic | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Wigan take a massive step towards safety – Wigan Athletic 4 Newcastle United 0

Posted on April 29, 2012 by ianhaspinall
Wigan 4 Newcastle 0

Latics 4 Magpies 0

Both Wigan and Newcastle went into this game in a rich vein of form. The home team had beaten Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal in recent weeks and the Champions League chasing Magpies had won six on the bounce. It was Wigan who started the game in whirlwind fashion and set about devastating their high-flying opponents.

From the kick off Latics took a grip on proceedings dominating possession and denying the opposition any kind of foothold in the game. The two James’, McArthur and McCarthy controlled the centre of midfield and the wing backs Boyce and Beausejour  spent most of their time in the Newcastle half providing some telling crosses and excellent link up play.

Shaun Maloney was pulling the strings and prompting his team mates, with intricate short passes and expansive crossfield balls. His creativity has been a revelation since he broke into the team at Norwich. On 13 minutes it was Maloney who set up the first Wigan goal. He changed the direction of attack when his 30 yard pass found Boyce on the edge of the box, and the wing back crossed for Victor Moses to deftly flick his header past Tim Krul.

On 15 Minutes Wigan went further ahead. Maloney produced a sublime back heel to Moses who then fed Beausejour and when the Chilean’s cross was intercepted by Fabricio Coloccini, the attempted clearance fell to Moses who finished clinically from 8 yards.

It was soon 3-0 to Wigan. After a neat interchange between Beausejour and Di Santo, the Argentinian played in Maloney who took the ball towards goal before expertly finishing from an acute angle.

Newcastle were looking distinctly off colour in their orange kit. But the superlatives were all around for Wigan.

The three Wigan centre backs Alcaraz, Caldwell and Figueroa were outstanding and gave nothing away until Demba Ba had a brief half chance on 44 minutes.

Wigan had completely dominated their opponents and the Latics fans were in dreamland at the end of the first half when Franco Di Santo scored their fourth goal with a superbly flighted chip into the top corner from 25 yards out.

The first half performance must rate as one of the greatest ever by a Wigan Athletic team. Every Wigan player deserving great credit for their commitment and style.

The dominance continued in the early exchanges of the second period. Beausejour exchanged passes with Di Santo before Moses snap shot was well saved by Krul but then mayhem ensued in the Newcastle box as Di Santo scooped a cross towards Boyce and then Moses and McCarthy had shots blocked before the visitors scrambled the ball away.

Newcastle then managed a period of possession and in the process created three good chances for Papiss Cisse. Firstly he should have done better when he drove a shot straight at Al Habsi and then he hit the cross-bar with bending effort before finally hitting the post with a header.

But it was Wigan who finished the stronger and Conor Sammon had a great chance to make it five from a one-on-one with Krul and although the striker beat the keeper, Coloccini cleared the ball off the line.

The game came to a conclusion with Wigan expertly maintaining possession and Newcastle relieved that the score was only 4-0.

To score four goals against a Champions League chasing team and not concede a goal is a tremendous achievement. Wigan’s performance could only be described as awesome and Roberto Martinez and his back room staff should be congratulated on producing such a superb team effort.

With two games to play Wigan are nearly over the finishing line and Premier League survival must now surely be within their reach.

Posted in Franco Di Santo, Newcastle United, Shaun Maloney, Victor Moses, Wigan Athletic | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Late Senderos goal puts the pressure back on Wigan – Fulham 2 Wigan Athletic 1

Posted on April 22, 2012 by ianhaspinall
Craven Cottage

Craven Cottage

A cruel 89th minute winner by Fulham’s giant defender Phillipe Senderos and a win for QPR against Spurs meant that Wigan slipped to fourth from bottom of the league table with three games left to play.

Wigan retained the same line up that had beaten Arsenal at the Emirates with a fit Shaun Maloney only on the bench. The Russian striker Pavel Pogrebnyak returned to the Fulham starting line up after an injury lay off.

In fairness to both teams it was a relatively uneventful first half until Jordi Gomez brought a good save from Mark Schwarzer on the stroke of half time.

On 57 minutes Wigan took the lead from an unlikely source, Emmerson Boyce played a ball to Conor Sammon on the edge of the Fulham box and the ball ricocheted back to him off Senderos and from twenty yards out the Barbadian international hit a screamer past Schwarzer.

But Wigan’s lead only lasted one minute, as the prolific Pogrebnyak equalised when he lashed in a left foot shot from the edge of the box.

The 6ft 3in Russian striker has now scored six goals in only eight Premier League appearances and is becoming a colossus for an in-form Fulham outfit. He was instrumental in turning the game in the Cottagers favour as he posed a constant threat to the Wigan goal.

As the game moved into the final third Fulham pegged Wigan back into defence and created some great opportunities.

John Arne Riise crossed low and Pogrebnyak’s flick was deflected by Al Habsi onto the underside of the cross-bar before coming down on the goal line. The TV replays were inconclusive as to whether the ball had crossed the line, but Pogrebnyak bravely admitted afterwards that the ball had not crossed the line.

The Fulham onslaught was continuing and Pogrebnyak hit the post after Al Habsi had parried a cross shot by Clint Dempsey. A dangerous cross by Damian Duff hit Gary Caldwell and then Phillipe Senderos before finishing in the side netting.

Wigan seemed to have weathered the storm but in the last-minute from a Riisee free kick Senderos managed to get between Wigan’s central defenders to head powerfully past Al Habsi and grab the three points for Fulham.

To concede a goal so late in the game was cruel on Wigan, but it is fair to say that Fulham had been the better team over the 90 minutes.

In the last six games Wigan have produced some of their best ever Premier League performances, so we should not be too critical of this result after a difficult run of fixtures. However, Roberto Martinez now needs to regroup his players and reinstill the belief and confidence for the three massive games against Newcastle, Blackburn and Wolves which will decide Wigan’s destiny.

Posted in Emmerson Boyce, Fulham, Pavel Pogrebnyak, Phillipe Senderos, Wigan Athletic | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Wonderful Wigan stun the Gunners – Arsenal 1 Wigan Athletic 2

Posted on April 17, 2012 by ianhaspinall

Wigan Athletic fans waking up today may feel that they have entered some alternative twilight zone where little teams like Wigan can regularly beat the top Premier League teams. Last night’s superb victory at the Emirates comes on the back of a first ever win against Manchester United and only three weeks since their first ever win at Anfield.

Some may say that the football Gods are shining on Wigan, but this latest win and their recent victories against top opposition have been well-earned and thoroughly deserved.

Last night’s game at the Emirates started in exhilarating fashion with Thomas Vermaelen shooting from distance and Yossi Benayoun having a header tipped over by Ali Al-Habsi before Latics took the lead with a stunning counter attack.

In only the seventh minute James McCarthy won the ball on the edge of his own area and sent Victor Moses into space before Jordi Gomez guided a pass through for Franco Di Santo, who despite the close attention of Wojciech Szczesny managed to loop the ball over the keeper before tapping into the net.

Arsenal were stunned by the incisiveness of the attack, but things were going to get worse for them a minute later when Wigan went 2-0 up. Victor Moses deceived Bacary Sagna and crossed low from the left. James McArthur went for the ball and, when it broke, Gómez beat Szczesny at the second attempt.

You just couldn’t make this up, Wigan 2-0 up at the Emirates after only 8 minutes. Arsenal were rattled but were sure to respond with vigour. Al Habsi had to produce a world-class save to deny Benayoun’s header which was heading for the top corner.

Arsenal did reduce the arrears in the 21st minute when Vermaelen dispatched Tomas Rosicky’s cross. Wigan were expecting an onslaught and retreated deeper into defence. Robin Van Persie had a stinging shot straight at Al Habsi and Johan Djourou volleyed wide when it looked easier to score, but Arsenal always looked vulnerable to the counter attack with Victor Moses a constant threat.

Wigan eked out the minutes to half time defending solidly, but also with a little luck.

Most people expected Arsenal to dominate proceedings in the second half but Wigan continued to defend well and share the possession and in fact it was Wigan who had the clearer chances. Moses beat Sagna to draw a good save out of Szczesny and then on 60 minutes, the Nigerian striker missed a fantastic opportunity to seal the result, Andre Santos and Djourou both failed to deal with the ball on the half way line and Moses found himself one-on-one with Szczesny but his shot was so tame that it was never likely to beat the keeper.

As the minutes ticked away Arsenal looked less and less likely to score and Arsene Wenger raged furiously on the touch-line berating the Wigan players and the referee Andre Marriner for Wigan’s time wasting. But it was no more than most Premier League teams would do in the same situation.

Afterwards the Arsenal manager Wenger was far from magnanimous in his post match comments. He thought the result was harsh on Arsenal and he didn’t give Wigan much credit, unlike Sir Alex Ferguson had done the previous week.

Roberto Martinez’s team have now produced an incredible series of four wins in five games and they have lost only twice in eleven outings. In the process of climbing out of the relegation zone they have recorded historic first ever wins against Manchester United at the DW Stadium and defeated both Arsenal and Liverpool away from home. Wigan’s fans are now in dreamland and long may it continue.

Latics relegation worries may soon be over, as they have leapfrogged Queens Park Rangers and are on 34 points, one point behind Aston Villa. Another win may well be enough to guarantee safety and an eighth season in the Premier League.

Posted in Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, Franco Di Santo, Jordi Gomez, Roberto Martinez, Thomas Vermaelen, Wigan Athletic | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Relegation battle hots up – six teams now involved

Posted on April 16, 2012 by ianhaspinall
Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish

Under pressure Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish

After the weekend games it now looks like there are six teams involved in the Premier League relegation battle.

Many thought that Aston Villa had accumulated enough points not to get dragged into the relegation scrap but after an injury crisis and a long run of poor results Villa are now in the mix. Manager Alex McLeish must be having nightmares, after a poor run of luck with injuries to key players and his captain Stiliyan Petrov facing a fight against Leukemia. He must have a sense of Deja Vu as his memories of last season’s relegation with Birmingham are now becoming all too real with the Villa. It is going to be tight for Villa who have not won since 10th March and still have to face relegation rivals Bolton and former manager Martin O’Neil’s Sunderland before finishing off against West Brom, Spurs and Norwich.

Current League Table

Pos              P  GD  Pts

15 Aston V 33 -13   35
16 QPR       34 -19   31
17 Wigan    33 -26   31
18 Bolton   32 -29   29
19 Bl’burn  34 -28   28
20 Wolves 34 -39   23

Under Threat

Queens Park Rangers have like Wigan struggled for most of the season but following an injection of cash from new owner Tony Fernandes they have spent extensively in the January transfer window and with new manager Mark Hughes at the helm they may now have just enough talent to escape the drop. However, their remaining four fixtures are the most difficult of the threatened clubs, with Spurs, Chelsea, Stoke and Man City still to play, so I think it will be a very close shave for them.

Wigan have had a mixed time of it and have occupied a place in the bottom three for long periods of the season, but the team have recently hit form and are now playing their best football which should be enough to save us. Winning three of the last four games, with historic wins against Liverpool and Manchester United in the process, Roberto Martinez’s team have gelled since the change in formation. The move to three centre backs and two marauding wing backs in Boyce and Beausejour has been critical and the three Scots Maloney, McCarthy and McArthur have been a revelation in midfield with forwards Moses always threatening and Di Santo providing a hardworking foil. If we can continue to play with same confidence and self-belief and get a fair rub of the green from the match officials then I expect we will be playing Premier League football again next season.

Bolton have had a difficult season both on and off the field with debts around £110 million and a lack of funds available to bring in new players. Key defender Gary Cahill was sold to Chelsea and the Bolton defence always looks vulnerable and prone to mistakes. Although the recent trauma of the Fabrice Muamba’s life threatening experience will have strengthened the team’s resolve to stay up, I still think Bolton will struggle to score enough goals and will occupy one of the relegation slots.

Blackburn owners the Venky's

Blackburn owners the Venky's

Blackburn have had a torrid season with most Rovers fans complaining about the Indian owners Venky’s and campaigning to remove their manager Steve Kean. Central defender and captain Chris Samba went on strike during the transfer window and has not played since and his defensive partner Ryan Nelson was strangely released to go to Spurs. Striker Yakubu alone has produced a creditable tally of 17 goals but his colleagues in defence have so far conceded a worrying 73 goals. It is looking terminal for Rovers with Norwich, Spurs, Wigan and Chelsea still to play.

Wolves manager Terry Connor

Wolves manager Terry Connor

Wolves are now nine points adrift at the bottom with four games remaining and it looks as though the sacking of Mick McCarthy and replacement by his assistant Terry Connor was too late to make a difference to their fate. It is not mathematically impossible for Wolves to escape, but even the most optimistic Wolves fan will now have to accept that their team will be relegated come the end of the season.

My Predicted Final Table

15 Wigan Athletic
16 Queens Park Rangers
17 Aston Villa
18 Bolton Wanderers
19 Blackburn Rovers
20 Wolverhampton Wanderers

Remaining Fixtures

Aston Villa

21/4: Sunderland (H)
24/4: Bolton (H)
28/4: West Brom (A)
6/5: Tottenham (H)
13/5: Norwich (A)

Blackburn

21/4: Norwich (H)
29/4: Tottenham (A)
7/5: Wigan (H)
13/5: Chelsea (A)

Bolton

21/4: Swansea (H)                                                                                                                      24/4: Aston Villa (H)
28/4: Sunderland (A)                                                                                                                    2/5: Tottenham (H)                                                                                                                      6/5: West Brom (H)                                                                                                                    13/5: Stoke (A)

QPR

21/4: Spurs (H)
29/4: Chelsea (A)
6/5: Stoke (H)
13/5: Man City (A)

Wolves

22/4: Man City (A)
28/4: Swansea (A)
6/5: Everton (H)
13/5: Wigan (A

Wigan

14/4: Arsenal (A)
21/4: Fulham (A)
28/4: Newcastle (H)
7/5: Blackburn (A
13/5: Wolves (H)

Posted in Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, QPR, Wigan Athletic, Wolves | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

Historic win for Wigan reignites title race – Wigan Athletic 1 Manchester United 0

Posted on April 12, 2012 by ianhaspinall
Shaun Maloney's superb strike sinks United

Shaun Maloney's superb strike sinks United

It was a memorable night at the DW Stadium as Wigan defeated Manchester United for the first time in their history. Prior to the game Wigan had never taken a point from their local neighbours but on this occasion they produced their best ever performance as they outplayed the title chasing league leaders.

Manchester City have now closed the gap on United by beating West Brom 4-0 on the night and the gap between the two sides has now been reduced to five points with five games to play.

Wigan on the other hand have now moved out of the bottom three for the first time since December and have hit a rich vein of good form having won three of their last four games.

Wigan continued were they had left off at Chelsea closing down the opposition dominating possession and creating chances. Latics were dominating possession 60/40 against the champions elect which is no mean feat for a team with such limited resources.

Victor Moses pace and Di Santo’s strength were causing problems for United and James McCarthy soon had a good shot tipped over the bar by David De Gea. Wigan forced a succession of corners and United were surprisingly looking vulnerable.

During a rare United counter attack Ryan Giggs cross shot was deflected around the post by Maynor Figueroa.

In the 29th minute Wigan appeared to have scored but linesman Dave Richardson controversially disallowed the goal for a Gary Caldwell push on De Gea. Once again it appeared Wigan would be undone by a linesman. TV replays showed the goal should have stood as Johnny Evans pushed Caldwell into De Gea and there was limited contact on the keeper.

But Wigan were on top throughout the first half and Alex Ferguson will have given his players a serious ear bashing at half time.

Wigan deservedly took the lead in the 50th minute when Shaun Maloney scored following a short corner by Jean Beausejour. The diminutive Scotsman cut across the 18 yard box before superbly curling the ball into the far corner past De Gea. United had disputed the initial corner but for once some luck had gone in Wigan’s favour.

A disappointing Wayne Rooney was withdrawn in the 65th minute and replaced by Nani as the home team continued to have the upper hand.

Johnny Evans wiped out Maloney on the half way line and should have been dismissed for a second yellow card offence, but it was another typically erratic refereeing performance by Phil Dowd who did nothing.

United had a penalty appeal when Phil Jones’ driven cross hit Maynor Figueroa’s arm.  The ball was hit at such pace that it was impossible for the off-balance Figueroa to get out-of-the-way. It is also fair to say that the linesman Richardson must have given Wigan the benefit of doubt after his faux pas in the first half.

Substitute Conor Sammon had a great opportunity to seal it for Wigan, but instead of shooting he pulled the all back to Mohammed Diame whose shot was blocked by Ferdinand and from the rebound he then fed Moses whose shot was deflected for a Wigan corner.

Despite Wigan having to sit back and defend for the last 15 mins United rarely looked like scoring and Ali Al Habsi only had to make one save to make from Danny Welbeck.

Afterwards Sir Alex Ferguson admitted Wigan were deserved winners and even found time to say they are in a false position and are playing some of the best football in the league.

Wigan ‘s next game is a difficult trip to Arsenal but on this form anything is possible from Roberto Martinez’s resurgent team.

Posted in Alex Ferguson, Manchester United, Phil Dowd, Shaun Maloney, Wigan Athletic | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

‘Disgusting’ decisions rob Wigan – Chelsea 2 Wigan Athletic 1

Posted on April 8, 2012 by ianhaspinall
Roberto Martinez

Roberto Martinez disgusted by the poor officials

Two key decisions by the linesman robbed Wigan Athletic of at least a point at Stamford Bridge which would have taken them out of the relegation zone. It is hard enough for a team like Wigan to go to a Champions League team like Chelsea and get a result but when you have to play the officials as well it makes it near impossible.

Wigan retained the same starting eleven that had outplayed Stoke City while Chelsea’s strength in-depth was for all to see as they made seven changes from their win over Benfica.

Wigan started the game competitively and there was little to separate the two sides in the opening half despite the difference in league positions.

Chelsea did create a great chance on 38 minutes when Juan Mata twisted and turned inside the Wigan area before bringing a good save from Ali Al Habsi. The rebound fell to Didier Drogba who headed towards goal but the danger was well cleared by Maynor Figueroa.

Just before half time Drogba had another opportunity when his header Al Habsi’s legs and the ball went over the cross bar. But Wigan were holding their own, closing down the opposition and playing some neat football.

As the teams went in at half time there was a belief in the Wigan camp that they could go on to achieve at least a point.

The opening stages of the second half did nothing to discourage Wigan’s belief and the home crowd were getting increasingly frustrated by Chelsea’s lack of progress. It was no surprise when Fernando Torres was introduced for the ineffective Florent Malouda on the hour-mark.

In the 62nd minute they took the lead in controversial circumstances. Juan Mata’s initial free kick was cleared, Raul Meireles returned the ball into the box but as the Wigan defence stepped out Branislav Ivanovic was clearly standing in a offside position as he finished. Uncharacteristically the whole Wigan team surrounded the linesman but he insisted the goal should stand and referee Mike Jones agreed.

Almost immediately Wigan had the chance to equalise, Victor Moses broke into the Chelsea box before playing the ball sideways to Franco Di Santo whose shot managed to beat keeper Petr Cech but the ball was cleared off the line by Ivanovic.

On 71 minutes Roberto Martinez introduced Mohammed Diame and Ben Watson for James McArthur and Jean Beausejour as Wigan pushed to get the equaliser.

On 82 minutes they drew level when Diame unleashed an unstoppable left foot drive from the edge of the box past Cech. It was no more than Wigan deserved, but they were to be undone in stoppage time as the linesman once again made a mistake.

Gary Caldwell went forward hoping to grab the winner for Wigan, as he had done at Liverpool, but this time he failed to bring the ball under control from six yards out and the chance was wasted. Chelsea broke towards the Wigan goal and Torres cross shot came off the base of the post and fell to Mata who turned the ball into the net from a offside position.  It was a closer decision than the first goal but it was still clearly offside. Wigan had been undone not by a better team but by a desperately poor linesman.

Wigan manager Roberto Martinez interviewed after the game said the decisions were disgusting. He said of the offside decisions “People keep asking: Is it time to bring in technology? No, it’s time to bring in referees and linesmen who know the laws of the game.”

Both goals were clearly offside and the first goal in particular was so far offside that it is hard to comprehend how the linesman did not flag. Wigan’s sense of injustice is acute.

So far this season Wigan have had to endure some terrible decisions by referees and linesmen. The Blackburn corner that Pedersen played to himself before they scored, the Conor Sammon sending off at Old Trafford that wasn’t and now two offside goals for Chelsea. It is hard not to feel that there is a conspiracy to get Wigan relegated from the Premier League this season, I’m hoping I will be proved wrong.

Posted in Branislav Ivanovic, Chelsea, Juan Mata, Mohammed Diame, Roberto Martinez, Wigan Athletic | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Wigan’s tiki-taka triumphs over Stoke’s long ball tactics – Wigan Athletic 2 Stoke City 0

Posted on April 1, 2012 by ianhaspinall

Antolin Alcaraz scored his first goal of the season

Wigan recorded only their second home win and first back to back wins of the season as they thoroughly outplayed a rather jaded looking Stoke outfit.

Wigan competed for every ball with their traditionally physical opponents but it was their neat tiki-taka play that made the difference between the two sides.

Shaun Maloney, James McCarthy, James McArthur carried on from their fine performances against Liverpool with some neat interplays and determined closing down.

Stoke’s long ball tactics were expertly dealt with by Wigan’s back line, in particular Gary Caldwell and Antolin Alcaraz stood up well to Stoke’s aerial bombardment. Peter Crouch is one of the most difficult characters to nullify in the air but Wigan coped admirably and limited their opponents to only a few half chances.

Wigan on the other hand created chance after chance. In the opening minutes Franco Di Santo had a one on one with Asmir Begovic but the Argentinian striker fired straight at the keeper’s legs and the ball went out for a corner.

Soon afterwards Jean Beausejour had another great opportunity when he found himself unmarked in the six yard box but he miss hit his shot and Robert Huth cleared the danger.

Shaun Maloney had a great volley saved by Begovic and soon after another attempt from outside the box which the keeper spilled for a corner. The Bosnian goalkeeper was looking uncomfortable under pressure and he was by far the busier keeper as Wigan pressed forward.

Beausejour  and Emmerson Boyce were a constant threat and Boyce had a great chance when only a yard from goal, after a superb cross field pass by Maloney, but instead of hitting the ball first time he attempted to bring it under control and the opportunity was wasted.

Throughout the half Wigan had moved the ball from side to side changing the point of attack and creating many problems for the Stoke defenders. Maloney and Moses made inroads into the Stoke penalty area, but despite Wigan’s dominance the teams went in level at the break.

Early in the second half Dean Whitehead clearly handled the ball in the Stoke penalty area but referee Clattenburg waved away Wigan’s appeals for a penalty. However, it was not long before justice was done as Latics scored an exquisite goal. Beausejour put in an inch perfect cross and from ten yards out Antolin Alcaraz headed powerfully into the right hand corner of the Stoke net.

Soon afterwards Beausejour had another amazing opportunity when from Ben Watson’s free kick he was left free in front of goal but he scuffed his shot and the ball went tamely to Begovic.

At one nil Wigan could never be totally confident of the result but Stoke rarely tested Ali Al Habsi despite the introduction of Ricardo Fuller, Wilson Palacios and Cameron Jerome.

In stoppage time Wigan sealed the result after an excellent piece of work by Moses. He snatched the ball off Andy Wilkinson on the half way line and raced towards goal before rounding Begovic and tapping the ball into the Stoke net.

It was a day for football purists, with Wigan’s excellent tiki-taka style of football overcoming the long ball and physical approach adopted by Stoke.

If this style of play and level of performance can be maintained in the remaining seven games Wigan Athletic will be playing Premier League football again next season.

Posted in Antolin Alcaraz, Stoke City, Victor Moses, Wigan Athletic | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment