Having conceded nine goals in their two encounters with Big 4 opposition so far this season, Wigan could have been forgiven for entering last weekend’s game at the DW Stadium with a certain sense of trepidation.
Chelsea came to town with the Premiership’s only 100% record still intact, and were looking to stretch their advantage at the top of the table. By the time 90 minutes were up, though, it was Carlo Ancelotti’s men who left the pitch with their tails firmly between their legs…
The result was in no way a fluke; Robert Martinez got his tactics and deployment of personnel spot on, and slowly but surely, his team are starting to gel. The club’s run of 34 games without a Big 4 victory was brought finally to an end last Saturday, and the manager thoroughly deserves the praise this victory will bring him.
As the Arsenal result was away, it’s fairer to compare Wigan’s weekend performance to their 0-5 home defeat by Man Utd to illustrate how Martinez has went about improving the side’s perfomance:
Interceptions
“We imposed ourselves on the game from the first minute to the last,” the Wigan boss claimed at the weekend, and that’s pretty much spot-on.
This chalkboard illustrates how Wigan pressed Chelsea high in the middle third all game, with Rodallega’s deployment on the left wing helped out Figueroa down the flank. The solidity of Thomas and Diame in the centre of the park saw them intercept 42 times in total, compared to a mere 15 when Fergie’s lot came to town.
Tackles
This chalkboard shows the number of tackles Wigan had to make in both games; the amount versus United was significantly higher, more so in their own defensive third of the pitch. The Chelsea game was a different matter, however, with virtually all tackles (successful or not) made in the middle third of the field, indicative of the control Wigan had in the game.
Change in Line-Up
Nine of the eleven who played United kept their places, with Koumas and Gomez dropping out, to be replaced by Scotland and Boyce. Jason Scotland’s shift as lone centre forward at the weekend is compared with Hugo Rodallega’s against Man Utd in this chalkboard. Scotland, dropping back, helping out his midfield and linking up play far more efficiently, could well have earned himself more on-field minutes with his weekend performance.
Left Flank Improvement
As this chalkboard shows, Rodellaga’s role as the left of Wigan’s front three brought more solidity to the flank than Jason Koumas did against Man Utd. It was not just his work-rate and willingness to track back and help Figueroa at left back that impressed; his more physical presence and eye for goal saw him venturing into the middle more often, too, popping up alongside Scotland on occasion, and appearing in the penalty area.
Manuel Figueroa was the chief beneficiary in Rodallega’s move to the left front position. As shown by this final chalkboard, Figueroa made only two thirds of the number of passes against Man Utd as he did at the weekend against Chelsea. Much was down to the work-rate of his colleague on the flank ahead of him, as the two combined brilliantly to cause Chelsea problems all day long, culminating in a goal for Rodallega and an assist for Figueroa.
All in all great day for Wigan, and as these successful tactical alterations indicate, another climb up the steep learning curve that is the Premiership for Roberto Martinez.