The After Thoughts: Wigan 0-2 Chelsea

Something I want to start to do this season, is have a follow up article on each game the lads play. Of course it won't always work out, and I am likely to forget about doing such posts. Yet the idea is to look more at the tactical aspects of the match, and see how the team shaped up and what we can do to improve ahead of the next game.

So with that in mind, I start by talking about an opening day defeat to Chelsea. Which as something to expect was pretty obvious. Wigan have only won one opening day match since joining the Premier League, and that game in Martinez's first game as Wigan manager (a 2-0 win against Aston Villa). So to a victory would have been premature.

We are a team that doesn't start seasons well, or that is we haven't since Martinez has taken over. So Sunday was more about the performance and starting to gel in the new players.

The gelling in of the new players for me didn't go very well, in terms of the big signing we have made in Ivan Ramis. For me is he could have been on the bench, then he should have been. Putting him in at the deep end against a Chelsea side that was keen to impress was like sending him to the slaughter. That proved to be the case, as he was at fault for both goal.

First the Spaniard went too tight to Eden Hazard and allowed Ivanovic to get into all the space that he left behind him on the left hand side. While for the second goal Hazard was too quick for Ramis who divided in too early to concede the penalty. The damage was done inside ten minutes but it was enough.

So why did he play? Well apparently Jean Beausejour is out injured currently, having picked up a knock during a training session. Hopefully it will be nothing serious, and the winger can return to the team sooner rather than later, as Wigan seem to lose something when the Chilean isn't steam rolling up and down that left side. Not that Maynor Figueroa didn't have a good game, just Beausejour can pick a cross so accurately that our attackers don't need to move.

For me that was one of the few things that saw Wigans downfall. The other major piece that Wigan missed in the game, was that attacking intent we have seen previously. Sure once we went 2-0 down we looked to get forward and to try and score. Yet at no point did it feel like we were on the cusp of scoring.

Could I even say we were a little flat? Or would that be a bit unfair.

The hope now of course is that either Mauro Boselli, Arouna Kone or Franco Di Santo can start to get the goals that we have bee with out for the past two seasons. One of the above mentioned players must score at least ten goals this season, with the other two getting close to that mark, we would hope.

Franco has to better his effort from last season, so I would hope he could get the ten goals. Yet Kone for me could prove to be a very useful outlet up front when he is ready to play in the Premier League. The striker can play as that alone striker to hold the ball up and get defender turning. Which at times Di Santo is to naive to do. The other striker I mentioned Boselli will for the most part be the man coming of the bench, that is if Moses doesn't leave.

Yet the three of them have enough talent an ability to go out and score the goals that we need. Both Franco and Arouna showed that they have the ability to get into the places to score against Chelsea. Hopefully next time the ball will go into the back of the net.