Premier League preview: Wigan Athletic
Let’s be realistic here from the start, Wigan Athletic are a legitimate contender for relegation this season and it’s going to be another close call for Roberto Martínez’s men.
Martínez needs his team to find some consistency and they will need to find it fast, a slow start could be disastrous and could find themselves in hole. Opening the season with a home game against newly promoted Blackpool should provide the perfect start for Wigan, but there after things do get tough. Their next four games are against Chelsea, Tottenham, Sunderland and Manchester City, a stretch which conceivably could result in 0 points.
If that happens Martínez could find himself under great pressure from both the fans and club and if they suffer a heavy defeat, such as the 9-1 Spurs handed them last year, Martínez might be the first manager to lose his job.
But it’s not all doom and gloom for The Latics. Yes they did concede 79 goals last season and ended up with the worst goal difference in the league but Martínez has made some decent moves during the summer which should make the club better.
Signing Mauro Boselli for £6.5million from Estudiantes could be the signing of the summer. He was prolific for Estudiantes scoring 27 goals in 40 games last season and if he hits it off with Hugo Rodallega, Wigan could be a very dangerous team on the counter-attack. Add youngster Victor Moses into the mix and Wigan should have no problems scoring goals this season.
But scoring goals isn’t the main problem and if they are to stay up and avoid a relegation dog-fight those 79 goals they conceded will have to be cut drastically. To that end, Wigan have gone out and signed Antolin Alcaraz who played for Paraguay at the World Cup. Brining in Alcaraz on free could be another great signing but he will have to adapt to the pace of the Premier League pretty quickly to help plug the leaks at the back.
Martinez also spent over £3million on bringing full-back Ronnie Stam from FC Twente which should help fill the void left by Mario Melchiot, who was released on a free. Although not everyone’s cup of tea, Titus Bramble was sold to Sunderland for £1million, leaving another hole in the defence and Jason Koumas was sent on loan to Cardiff.
And their best player looks set to leave before the transfer window closes. Charles N’Zogbia has claimed if a team bid for his services the club won’t stand in the way.
“When I came here, I was in a period where I wanted to relaunch myself. Today I'm at Wigan but if tomorrow a good club with great aims contacts me, I am open. I have talked about it with my bosses,” N’Zogbia told L’Equipe“They won't put a spoke in the wheel."
Though Wigan have tried to active and sign players who will help the club, on paper it looks like they have let go more than they have brought in, and if their new signings don’t make an immediate impact, another relegation fight is on the cards.
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