English Premier League: Part 1 Losers of the first weekend
Where there were some winners, there were also some losers. Some teams and individuals might be in trouble for the rest of the season if the evidence that was obtained from the first weekend of the season is analysed closely.
An eight nil defeat in the last match of the previous season for Wigan at Chelsea’s hands and now a four nil defeat for them in their first match of the season against Premier League’s new comers, Blackpool. Therefore, if the last two matches are taken as one and their scores are considered as collective totals, then last two premier league matches have ended in a collective score line of ten goals to nil. Something that is definitely not good for the club itself and its despairing fans as well.
Last season, Wigan were part of a rabid dog fight which included other clubs like West Ham and Portsmouth. At the end of the season after desperately fighting to maintain their status as a top division club, Wigan succeeded in staying in the English Premier League. However, things have not gone according to plan since then. Their star midfielder, Charles N’Zogbia didn’t play in the season’s opening match for Wigan because apparently he was not feeling well, quite an ambiguous reason for a footballer’s absence. In the close season, it was widely speculated that Charles was looking for a move away from the DW Stadium due to the descending fortunes of the Lancashire football club.
The writing is on the cards already for Wigan, the 2010-2011 seasons are going to be a difficult one for the Latics. So far, in the transfer window has not brought any good news for Wigan, as they have already parted ways with their central defender Titus Bramble. They have yet to improve their squad with some prominent new signings but a club which prides itself on being financially stable will not take any ambitious risks in the transfer market it seems.
One would think that Wigan would learn their lessons from previous seasons and get some players on loan perhaps from Manchester United or Arsenal’s youth team. They also have an option to scout the lower leagues for any talented individuals but the wage structure at the club makes it difficult for the manager Roberto Martinez to bring in new players even if their initial fees are lower than usual. So far, after their first defeat of the season to minnows Blackpool, Wigan’s future in the Premier League looks quite bleak. It looks as if Martinez will have to pull off a “Harry the Houdini” to earn Wigan’s top flight spot for the 2011-2012 season.
Robert Green is a player who has had a torrid summer so far. Green went to the 2010 FIFA World Cup with the English national team under Fabio Capello. In the first game of the tournament, he made an absolute fool of himself after spilling Clint Dempsey’s shot into his own net. For the rest of the tournament, Capello then trusted the more experienced but equally error prone David James. Now fast forward to the opening day of the English Premier League season. Green’s new club manager, Avram Grant started him in between the posts for West Ham’s match against Aston Villa. The English international flapped at a cross in the penalty area and as a result of this mistake Downing succeeded in opening the score for Aston Villa.
Green’s international future looks all but over, as it seems that Capello won’t be giving him another chance to prove himself all over again as a talented shot stopper. Robert should hope that this is the last time he comes to the match with buttered fingers because if such mistakes turn into habits, then West Ham will be looking in another direction as far as goal keeping responsibilities go.
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