No laughing matter: A defensive disaster for Wigan

Hmm… how to dissect this one? Best to start with good news and build up to the disappointing parts, otherwise one might become too depressed to even hit the ‘read more’ link. Yep, positive points are always a good hook. Happily, the ‘preview‘ I posted two days ago transpired to be a tad erroneous: both Antolin Alcaraz and Hugo Rodallega, who many expected to be sidelined for at least a month, returned to the first team this afternoon. Home fans were cheered by the return of Alcaraz to his familiar position in the centre of defence, while Hugo occupied the bench as the tried-and-tested 4-5-1 was once again how Latics lined up.

In other changes, Steve Gohouri was reinstated to the left hand side of defence in favour of Patrick van Aanholt and Maynor Figueroa. David Jones also made the starting lineup ahead of an injured(?) Ronnie Stam while Mike Pollitt took up the role of sub keeper in the absence of an on-loan Chris Kirkland. I’d rather not speak of his Doncaster début, which saw him concede three goals at home to Leeds, but I guess I already have so we shall switch subjects to today’s game as soon as possible.

Wigan picked up where they left off before the international break and conceded on 4 minutes, Nigel Reo Coker just beating Caldwell to tap the ball past Al Habsi for a relatively soft opener. This characterised the early stages, when Latics could not gain any sort of foothold whatsoever and a nervy backline were forced to pass in and around their own penalty area. Bolton gleefully capitalised upon this defensive lapse and any confidence regained in two weeks’ break was quickly eroded as Wanderers fans simply kicked back, lit up a cigar and ordered the Port. Well, I think that’s what they must drink up Horwich way. For the hosts, it certainly was not the best of starts.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Midas touch: Franco Di Santo

Latics hauled themselves into sixth place, albeit for the time being, with a solid victory over their west London opponents in changeable conditions at the DW Stadium. Franco Di Santo warranted his place in the starting line-up, grabbing a brace to take his tally for the club to three, but it wasn’t quite as comfortable a victory as the scoreline might suggest – far from it, in fact.

Wigan were out of the blocks quickly and the returning Hugo Rodallega won a free kick on the edge of the opposition area within two minutes of the kick-off. Jordi Gomez sent the resulting strike just wide of Paddy Kenny’s left hand post, but the hosts continued to exhibit an attacking intent that sent out a message that they weren’t about to defend for their lives, as seemed to be the case at points last week.

This bolder strategy enjoyed a modicum of success, Victor Moses coming closest in the early stages with a cross/shot flashed across the face of goal. It wasn’t without its flaws, however, and allowed the visitors to play some football in the Latics half. Al Habsi was first forced into a save from John Derry, then saw Taarabt rattle his left hand post as QPR began to assert themselves with some gusto.

The game was now settling down into an even contest as Latics continued to pass well in the opposition half, almost carving out some superb chances for Moses and Di Santo. The latter soon found himself on the scoresheet after being fed wonderfully by Rodallega. The Argentine set himself up for a fantastically placed strike into the top right hand corner of the North Stand goal, leaving Kenny with no chance and doubling his competitive tally for the club.

Wigan looked to slow things down and retain some possession, but the half wasn’t over yet. Adel Taarabt crashed an injury time free kick onto Al Habsi’s left hand post –the very same upright he had hit in the tenth minute– via the Omani’s palm. A well-juiced pitch made for a slippery ball, and Wigan’s No. 1 (well, 26 actually) did well to prevent it from crossing the line. Rangers were mere inches away from going into the break level, and will feel unlucky not to have done so.

Read the rest of this entry »

Victor Moses was on the scoresheet as Latics rounded off a successful pre-season with a 1-0 win over Villarreal. The Nigerian, who’s been tipped by many –including myself– to fill a Charles N’Zogbia-sized hole, was set up wonderfully for an almost unmissable chance by Franco Di Santo seconds prior to the half time whistle.

But the path was not all smooth for Wigan, who had initially struggled to cope with their Champions League opponents. In particular, Nilmar da Silva caused many problems, and on more than one occasion, he worked his way through the home defence to draw a solid save from Ali Al Habsi. The Villarreal forwards hunted down the Latics back line and forced them into a few sloppy passes, most notably from Ben Watson, who was spared too many blushes as Al Habsi palmed away the subsequent strike.

Wigan would recover to carve out some opportunities as the half progressed. Jordi Gomez hit the crossbar from a free-kick just outside the area, and James McCarthy fired just wide from eleven yards out. Di Santo found himself with only the goalie to beat, but could not get enough power into his volley to trouble Cesar Sanchez in the Submariners’ goal.

All the while, however, Villarreal continued to pressure Latics, hitting them on the break to some effect. Nilmar went close once more, and Jordi Pablo sent in a powerful strike which Al Habsi punched over the crossbar. It was a truly open affair right up until the 45-minute mark when Diame and Di Santo teamed up to provide Victor Moses with a glorious opportunity. He didn’t miss, and Wigan went into half time one goal to the good.

Read the rest of this entry »

Take a bow: Al Habsi played his part in a critical win

When we sit and look back upon Latics’ spell in the Premiership, whether it be a period of six years or longer, there will be certain encounters that really stand out. Games you can be proud to say “I was there,” moments that will stay with you forever – Charlie’s winner against Arsenal last year, Hugo’s smash and grab job at Tottenham earlier this season. I’d be willing to place a bet that Sunday’s game will certainly come high on the list, if not for the relative lack of real memorable moments this campaign, then for sheer drama created by the importance of a win in this situation.

In some ways, it was reminiscent of Wigan’s win over Burnley towards the end of last season thanks to Hugo Rodallega’s late, late show in what was, at the time, a rather important clash. As a whole, however, Wigan v West Ham 2010-11 was actually nothing like that game. For one, the quality of football was a bit higher (well, for the most part), and a total of five goals will be more than enough to satisfy a neutral. Add into the equation a (wholly necessary) ‘do or die’ attitude on the part of both teams and you have a fantastic game that will go down in Premier League history as a classic relegation battle.

You wouldn’t have been able to predict at half time, however, the events which would transpire between 5.00 and 6.00pm that afternoon. West Ham led 2-0 thanks to a Demba Ba headed brace, and as it was announced over the tannoy that fellow relegation-battlers Birmingham were 1-0 down against Fulham, everything was going to plan for the Hammers.

Read the rest of this entry »