Is the sun setting on Premier League football in Wigan?

Two exceptional strikes from Swansea’s Gylfi Sigurdsson, each coming either side of half time, were more than enough to see off a lacklustre Latics. Though the Swans had Nathan Dyer sent off after 60 minutes, some resilient defending prevented the hosts from getting any sort of foothold in the game and by the 85th minute, an increasingly frustrated Latics were out of juice.

Swansea took a 1-0 lead into the interval, and it was just about deserved. The teams had exchanged blows for all of 46 and a half minutes before the Icelander’s perfect shot soared past Al Habsi to the obvious delight of the Swansea team, who orchestrated an impromptu 8-man playground pile-on. I’m surprised Sigurdsson actually walked away from the ‘incident’, which looked a bit of a gutbuster that would have probably floored me for a good half an hour. It would have taken three meat pies before I’d have even thought about moving; who knows, I might have even had to take Monday off work.

The goal, which occurred on the very stroke of half time, was a world away from Wigan’s toils, as shots on target were hard to come by for the hosts. They had their spells, and could have seized a 39th minute opportunity through Emmerson Boyce who, not for the first time, came storming towards the back post to meet Figueroa’s cross, but the Barbadian’s attempt was blocked just feet from goal. Di Santo, too, was inches away from heading home a superb Beausejour cross, but that was pretty much all Latics had to show for their first half endeavours.

The visitors had the more clear cut chances, most notably on the three occasions when Al Habsi managed to prevent Nathan Dyer from finding the net. Admittedly, one of them was a simple, low dribbler, but it was a stat indicative of Swansea’s greater competence in the final third – they looked the more likely goalscorers. Wigan will be left ruing their decision to back off and let their opponents play, the primary reason many disheartened fans chose to boo their team from the field. Of course, the goal can’t have helped either.

Read the rest of this entry »

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 »