Wigan Athletic v Swansea City - Match preview, team news, statistics & analysis

     Wigan Athletic  vs Swansea City            Barclays Premier League

    Tuesday 07/05/13

    19:45pm K.O.

    The DW Stadium

      Referee: Kevin Friend

The Match

Wigan are once more involved in what seems to be their perennial end-of-season battle against relegation. Things probably haven't quite worked out as Martinez planned when he left the Swans, but the Spaniard deserves huge credit for repeatedly pulling Wigan clear of the relegation zone, when it would have been all too easy for his side to capitulate. There was a point earlier this season where it seemed their relegation was almost a foregone conclusion, however they've once again rallied and victory over the Swans could see (other results dependent) Martinez's side leaping to 15th in the table, with Sunderland, Newcastle and Norwich all looking nervously over their shoulder.

Swansea seemed to take a step forward against Man City after a series of indifferent performances which has now seen them go seven league games without a win. While City spurned two glorious late chances the Swans also had opportunities to win the game, and will no doubt take confidence from giving such illustrious opponents a run for their money. Three points at the DW should realistically be enough to see the Swans finish in the top half of the table, but Laudrup will have to make do without top scorer Miguel Michu who looks set to miss the rest of the season after appearing to pull his hamstring against Man City.

Last time out

Swansea 2 - 1 Wigan

The Swans came out on top in South Wales thanks, in part, to an offside decision as debatable as Roland Lamah's against West Brom a month or so ago. Remarkably, all three goals came in six second half minutes. The Swans had gone ahead through a neat finish from Pablo and a Michu header from a corner, before Emerson Boyce's clever flicked finish gave Wigan hope. The main talking point for Latic's fans however was Arouna Kone's header, which was incorrectly ruled out for offside when it seemed he'd rescued a draw for his team. What Wigan would do for that point now...

Prior Form (most recent at top)

Premier League                West Brom        2 - 3  Wigan
Premier League                Wigan              2 - 2  Tottenham
Premier League                West Ham         2 - 0  Wigan        

Premier League                Man City           1 - 0  Wigan
FA Cup Semi Final            Millwall              0 - 2  Wigan

Premier League                Swansea       0 - 0   Man City   
Premier League                 Chelsea         2 - 0  Swansea
Premier League                Swansea       0 - 0   Southampton
Premier League                 Norwich         2 - 2  Swansea
Premier League                Swansea       1 - 2  Tottenham

Team News

Wigan will be without Jean Beausejour who's picked up a hamstring injury while Ivan Ramis (ACL injury) continues to miss out. Maynor Figueroa (groin) and Albert Crusat (knee) are both unavailable, but Antonio Alcaraz is approaching full fitness, and along with Gary Caldwell could face a fitness test ahead of the game.

Swansea will have to make do without Michu who injured his hamstring against Man City, while Roland Lamah is unlikely to feature after picking up the same injury in training last week.

Trivia - "Courtesy" of Opta, the BBC and various other sites;

• 69% of Wigan Athletic's matches have seen over 2.5 goals scored in total. 

• Wigan have conceded at least one goal in 94% of their home matches.

• Wigan have conceded an average of two goals per home game this season.

• Wigan No.1 Joel has conceded a goal every 1.29 games on average, a considerably better rate than the Latics' other keeper Ali Al-Habsi, who has let in one every 1.96 games.

• Wigan have conceded the opening goal 23 times in this season's Premier League, the most by any team in the top flight in 2012-13.

• Wigan have only won four games at home this season.

• Arouna Kone is only one goal off equalling the club's record goal haul of 12, set by Henri Camara  in 2005-2006.

• Swansea have failed to score in their last three matches in the Premier League.

• Swansea have conceded at least two goals in their last four away games. 

• Wigan have scored 59% of their goals from open play, but that's dwarfed by Swansea's 83%.

• Swansea average 560 passes a game to Wigan's 506, while the Swans average "passing streak" is 5.4 compared to Wigan's 4.7.

Completely guessed lineups

Straight from the "horse's mouth";

Ashley Williams acknowledged recent results have been slightly sub-par, but thought that the Man City game was a step in the right direction:

"It's not good enough [recent results. If you take away the Arsenal and the Tottenham games, we should have done a lot better in each of the other matches. 

"I think, for whatever reason, we took our eye off the ball. But I also thought against Manchester City we performed well and were back on our game. 

"It's not been enjoyable not winning a game for so many weeks, but a draw against the ex-champions isn't a bad result.

Ben Davies has indicated there is no sentimentality about Tuesday's game, despite Martinez's links with the Swans:

 "Wigan had a great result against West Brom, so they'll be in good spirits facing us. They're fighting for their lives, and we've got to go up there and spoil their party. It's not nice saying it like that, but we need points too because we want to finish as high as possible. 

"Tuesday's game is an opportunity to get three points and to create a little gap between ourselves and the teams below us, so we need three points as much as they do".

Roberto Martinez fittingly marks 150 Premier League games in charge of Wigan against the Swans, but is looking to turn the tables on his former club:

"I never really take much notice of landmarks but 150 games in the Premier League...fills me with immense pride. 

"This football club is an incredible place for me and always will be. I'm proud to reach that landmark but it's important we mark it with a good performance and three points. It's certainly pleasing to see a real continuity in our performances. 

"The last four games have seen displays of the highest order and that's when you need to take three points. We are not viewing Tuesday's game simply as a chance to move out of the bottom three. Each week the table has its twists and turns so for me the only thing to focus on is the opportunity to add more points to our tally." 

Analysis

Wigan are all too easy to write off, and in players like Shaun Maloney and Arouna Kone they have the ability to punish teams as West Brom found out on Saturday. The former has enjoyed a purple patch of late, and he was Wigan's most impressive performer last time out. He gave the Baggies a torrid time, getting two superb assists for Wigan's second and third goals, and the Swans will have to be on guard to make sure he doesn't repeat the trick.

Kone is a handful too. Ash Williams and Chico were at their imperious best on Saturday so hopefully they'll carry that form through until the end of the season, as three points here would be more than welcome for anyone connected with Swansea City. Callum McManaman has scored in Wigan's last two league matches and the defence will need to watch against him too - the Wigan forward line is easily the most capable part of their team for me, and if they could stop conceding ridiculous goals they'd be significantly higher in the table. Then again, it takes one to know one and the same could be said about the Swans - had it not been for defensive failings at set-pieces we could also be significantly better off at this point in the season.

In midfield I expect Ki to return after missing the Man City game. He was excellent against Chelsea (one of few who were) and can have considered himself unlucky to miss out against City as Laudrup brought Dyer in to go with the "three wingers" formation. With De Guzman again not enjoying his best day in a Swans shirt, I'd be very surprised if the Korean wasn't recalled to the starting XI, especially considering his mastery of the possession game - keeping the ball away from Wigan will be crucial and Ki is excellent in this respect. Wigan have numbers in midfield, and in James McArthur, James McCarthy and Ben Watson they have a combative and effective midfield unit, so the Swans will have to rely on skill as opposed to a numerical advantage in the middle if they are to retain possession.

Up front it seems almost certain one of Luke Moore or Itay Shechter will get the nod. The only positive I can draw right now is that it appears Wigan are missing a couple of first choice defenders. Luke Moore has impressed on occasion, but no Swans fan can honestly say that with Michu out of the team the calibre of our attack isn't damaged. While the Spaniard hasn't been on fire of late the knowledge he's capable of pulling a top-drawer finish out of the bag inspires confidence throughout the squad, and in contrast it's debatable whether having a zero-goal loan striker up front provokes any kind of positive reaction from those around him.

I really do feel that whether Maloney gets the better of Rangel or not will decide this game. The Swans right-back will have his hands full - the Scottish forward has two goals in his last three home games for the Latics and is probably enjoying his best run of form since moving south of the border. If Rangel contains him, I can see the Swans winning this comfortably. If Maloney gets his tail up early on, it could be a different story altogether.

Iechyd Da.

Swansea 0 - 0 Man City - Signs of progress...

Originally I didn't think I was going to be able to see this game live, but with a couple of hours left until kickoff I put out an SOS on Twitter which seemed like it would ultimately bear fruit. As it happened, a few minutes later I received a text from a friend about a ticket which had become available, so there I was, off to the game.

The last time we'd played Man City at the Liberty we'd already given a respectable account of ourselves before Luke Moore rose majestically to head home the only goal of the game, but with his name listed among the substitutes he'd have to wait for his chance to make an impact. Laudrup picked the three wingers in front of De Guzman and Britton, with Michu up top, and retained Ben Davies at left back despite the mounting pressure no doubt being applied by the presence of a fully Neil Taylor in the squad. Other than Dyer coming in for Ki it's as you were for the Swans, and I felt it was harsh on the South Korean as he was excellent against Chelsea.

The game started and instantly settled into a very..."continental" pace. As time wore on though, Swansea were definitely in the ascendancy. Pablo looked livelier than he has done for a while, and Dyer looked comfortable combining with Rangel down the right. This ultimately produced the first real chance of the game, with Dyer breaking past Clichy and producing a cutback for Pablo, who scooped his shot over the bar.

Some Swans pressure then saw a succession of corners, one of which was cleared high up in the air in the direction of the East Stand, and had Chico Flores chasing it under pressure from a City defender. What happened next would sum up the hirsute Spaniard's day; he produced an immaculate first touch with the ball dropping from high over his shoulder, and shielded the ball until he could play a simple pass back to a team-mate. Chico was outstanding throughout today (one or two stray passes aside, but let's not talk about them) and along with Ash they bullied Aguero throughout until he was replaced by Tevez late on.

The Swans continued to look the more likely to score and Routledge broke through after a neat interchange of passes but Samir Nasri had tracked back well and made a crucial intervention, before Dyer produced an excellent cross for Michu, whose side-footed volley drifted agonisingly past Joe Hart's right upright. Next came a great chance for Man City - Gareth Barry floated a diagonal ball over Ashley Williams which found Nasri with no-one but Vorm to beat, but thankfully he volleyed weakly straight at the Dutch stopper who held his effort easily.

Leon beats Sergio Aguero to the ball

Then came the biggest talking point. Another few neat passes saw Michu bursting in to the box and taking a quick touch away from Nastasic and onto his favoured left foot, but he was clattered by the Serbian who, from where I was sitting, appeared to kick Michu square in the chops. One for MOTD to sort out I feel, but it looked a clear penalty to me. There was still time for the more illustrious opponents to threaten, and Silva went close with only an awesome tackle by Williams, then a smart save by Vorm keeping the score at 0-0 as the half time whistle blew.

Yaya Toure was replaced by Edin Dzeko at the interval, who looked lively but in truth the first twenty minutes of the second half were very similar to the first twenty minutes of the first half, in that both teams huffed and puffed but neither threatened to do any damage to each other's houses. Another controversial refereeing decision saw Dzeko looking to go past Chico, who stuck out his left leg (imagine him doing his best one-legged lunge and you'll have a pretty good idea of what it looked like) and Dzeko ran straight over it. Mike Jones waved that away too, possibly in an effort to placate home fans who had grown to dislike the match officials as the game wore on.

Next came probably Swansea's best opportunity of the second half. Pablo had found some space on the edge of the area and unleashed a drive across Joe Hart's goal, but sadly it was too high and drifted over the bar. A few minutes later De Guzman had a go from a free-kick about 25 yards from goal after Nathan Dyer was fouled by Vincent Kompany, but it drifted even further over the bar, and to be honest I can't remember any significant chances for the Swans after that. Worryingly, Michu had to leave the field after seemingly tweaking his hamstring, so hopefully that's nothing too serious. Luke Moore came on for Michu, but with time running out it was always going to be a big ask for him to repeat last year's heroics.

Man City then spurned possibly the two best chances of the game. Some good work from Pablo Zabaleta saw him produce a cutback right from the byline, and it deflected off a Swans limb in a way which saw it sit up for Edin Dzeko perfectly, no more than five or six yards from goal and with the Swansea defence flat footed. He somehow contrived to hook a weak effort across goal and away for a goal kick, but the Swansea faithful barely had time to breathe after another City attack saw the ball deflect into the path of David Silva, but his smashed low finish again drifted to Vorm's right and away for another goal kick.

Pablo Hernandez battles with Pablo Zabaleta

That was the last chance of note in a game where, after twenty minutes, I thought it was quite clear Man City must have been told to sit off the Swans and let us have possession, and for a team which cost hundreds of millions of pounds I think that's pretty disgraceful. Man City should be looking to turn over a team like Swansea every week, and negative tactics like those displayed today are probably the reason that Manchester United have romped home this season, with City trailing in their wake. They did seem to pick up the pressing as the game wore on, but that was more the result of having to match the level of intensity displayed by the Swans as they looked for an opening goal.


I thought the Swans played better than they had for a while, and were unlucky not to score in the first half. The final ball seemed to always be slightly behind the man, but that's closer than it has been for a while so we'll take that. A 0-0 draw against last year's champions isn't a result to be sniffed at, and the Swans worked hard for their point. Leon was outstanding today, his performance summed up in the 86th minute when, with City breaking forward, he tore back at full sprint and nicked in to play the ball back to Michel Vorm. I thought the entire Swansea backline deserve mention too. Rangel got forward well and made a number of interceptions, and the more I see of Ben Davies the more I like him; at one point he ran straight into Edin Dzeko and the Bosnian striker, all 6'4" of him, ended up on his backside. Don't mess with Ben.

All in all, it was a solid defensive performance and a decent point. Up next is Wigan away this Tuesday evening, and if we play like we did today I'd say we're a pretty safe bet for at least a point. Massive respect to anybody making that journey...