Roberto Martinez will not be concerned with off-the-pitch matters

Tomorrow afternoon, Roberto Martinez will return to the Liberty Stadium for the first time since departing some 28 months ago. He and fellow ex-Swan Jordi Gomez were met with a frosty reception when a good 3,000-strong troupe of Swansea fans travelled to the DW for a Carling Cup Fourth Round tie last October, so I shudder to think how bad it will be for them this weekend. I feel certain, however, that Martinez will keep his composure and exude much the same calm collectedness as he usually does, regardless of the occasion.

As expected, the tabloids carted out the tired old ‘first-day relegation six pointer’ following Latics’ 1-1 draw with Norwich. Variously described as ‘tepid’, ‘grating’ and ‘indicative of where the two teams will be come May 2012′, it’s fair to say the contest did not spark the interest of many mainstream journos. Who gives a monkey’s about them, though? To a man, they unanimously tipped Latics for the drop last season, and look how (in)correct that turned out to be. Forget the fact our fight went down to the very last day and one goal would potentially have doomed us, the fact remains that Wigan finished higher in the table than Wolves, who’ve been largely immune to the oft-demoralising relegation chatter this summer. Well, not entirely, but it seems Latics have once again been instated as favourites for the drop. Not that that means much to anyone with half a brain, mind.

It is true that our first home game of the 2011-12 Premier League campaign wasn’t the prettiest, but you can’t deny it was engaging and even exciting. But for some iffy finishing from Di Santo and Sammon and a referee seemingly oblivious to the existence of the penalty kick (it must be noted that the linesman gave the first, and that the referee flat out refused the second appeal despite being mere yards from the incident), Latics would have had a comfortable opening day win. You can definitely chalk it up as two points lost, but hey, things are still much rosier than this time last year. Heck, even Chelsea and Arsenal have struggled off the mark of late, so I think you can forgive little Wigan the odd slip-up.

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"That time of the year already?"

After such a heart-stopping spring, we’ll all have been grateful of three months’ rest and relaxation. I know I certainly was, but the new season is almost here and it’s time to dig out the old scarf and Thermos for another hard-fought campaign. At the moment, I’m slightly apprehensive, but I’m sure this Sunday’s contest with La Liga’s Villarreal will blow out the cobwebs with the force of an Alex Ferguson hairdryer. It isn’t likely to be easy – the Yellow Submarine (not to be confused with Swindon Supermarine) completed the 2010-11 season in 4th ahead of Athletico Madrid, Espanyol and our conquerors of last pre-season, Zaragoza.

Roberto has once again been working his European contacts to attract a high-profile Spanish side to the DW for Wigan’s final pre-season friendly, but when you delve a bit deeper, the two teams are more closely related than one may initially think. Not in terms of success, mind, for Latics could only dream of a place in the Champions League play-offs, but in terms of size. Villarreal has never been the most fashionable of clubs, at least not with the Spanish national press, and as such has slipped under the radar to a certain extent. What’s more, the 25,000-capacity Estadio El Madrigal, where the Valencian team play their home games, may draw comparison with a certain multi-purpose sports stadium in south Lancashire. And I’m not talking about the Reebok. Or Prenton Park. But you got the idea, and now I’m being picky.

Thus, you could argue it is fitting for the two teams to share a football field, even if only for a friendly. Villarreal will, however, provide a stern test for a still-rusty Latics, whose squad members will be squabbling for a starting berth against Norwich a week on Saturday. Of course, we mustn’t forget the overriding goal here – a win on Sunday would be fantastic, but getting our Premier League season off to a winning start would be even better.

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At 5pm on Sunday we were out of it, or at the very least toeing the very edge of a rather large crevice that leads to the Championship canyon. Thanks to a comeback the likes of which we haven’t seen for months (the last time Wigan came from 2-0 down to win was that game with Arsenal last year), Latics are back in with more than a sniff of survival.

Things could have been so much better had results gone our way on Saturday, which meant from then onwards we truly would be battling for our top-flight lives, but of course we can do nothing about other teams’ performances. Besides, the tide may well turn, with Latics arguably having slightly the easier task in terms of their opposition this coming Sunday. Here’s the skinny.

Premier League table

Bottom 6 as of 18 May 2011

*West Ham already relegated

Source: Premier League

Final day fixtures

(Sunday 22 May 2011, all 4.00pm kickoff)

• Stoke (LDWDWL) v Wigan (LWLDDW) [Live on Sky Sports Red Button]
  
• Man United (WDWLWD) v Blackpool (LLDDDW) [Live on Sky Sports 1]
• Tottenham (DDLDLW) v Birmingham (WLLDLL) [Live on Sky Sports 2]
• Wolves (LDLDWW) v Blackburn (DLLWDD)

Source: Football Association/BBC

I’ve included form guide information, but that doesn’t count for very much in a one-game all or nothing situation.

It’s no surprise that few have outlined all the permutations that surround these oh-so-critical fixtures. Whilst we aren’t going to attempt to explain everything that might happen, we shall focus on Latics and their potential for survival, at least where mathematics are concerned. We shall save pure footballing matters for another post, for this article shall serve to outline the (potentially gut-wrenching) technicalities of this final round of games.

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Carlo Ancelotti: not exactly quaking in his boots

Take one team that’s struggling to find their feet after a demoralising defeat at the hands of a newly-promoted side (who many are tipping to finish rock bottom of the league, no less) and pit them against the champions on the crest of a wave following a six-goal tonking of West Brom.

You would think that’s a recipe for disaster, especially considering the supposed backroom problems simmering at the DW Stadium, and sure enough, everyone’s predicting an absolute hammering for poor old Roberto.

I would say, however, that it’s a bit too dangerous to make such predictions at this stage, no matter how nailed-on they may seem. Don’t get me wrong, I’m fully expecting an absolutely rotten afternoon, one of those one-sided encounters that sickens you to the pit of your stomach. But while there’s life, there’s always hope, and by golly that really does seem to be all we have to cling to at the moment.

It may seem the side we are set to field this evening is far worse than the guys that managed to pull one out of the bag in the corresponding fixture last season, and that’s most likely a justified assumption. We can, however, console ourselves in the fact that, after last week, it can only get better… can’t it?

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