Post Match Analysis: Ipswich Town (H)

Wigan fell short of a positive result on Monday as they found themselves 2-0 down after Connor Sammon (Of all people) doubled Ipswich's 15 minutes into the second half after  some mediocre by Wigan's back line on which Luke Hyam capitalized firstly to put the visitors in front after escaping the grasp of Rob Kiernan to turn in Tyrone Mings' cross 20 minutes in. Sammon then doubled Ipswich's leads on 60 minutes when some more lack lustre defending and a certain amount of fortune allowed the former Wigan man to latch on to his own rebound to finish into an empty net.

So Wigan now find themselves in a real state. After another defeat this weekend when Eddie Howe's Bournemouth ran away 2-0 winners, what does this mean for Uwe Rosler and Wigan Athletic? Wigan's performance on Monday was no more than average. The Latics rallied after substitute Martyn Waghorn gave the hosts some hope when he turned in James McClean's low drive but Wigan's spirited last 10 was little to late for the hosts to scrape any form of a positive result as the travelling Ipswich faithful were sent home with 3 points.

What has happened at Wigan Athletic? How have Uwe Rosler's side gone from beating Manchester City on their own back yard to being hopelessly beaten by a nothing special Ipswich Town? It's only a question for the man in charge, Uwe Rosler, that is if he in charge for much longer.

There's switch offs at the back, there's no spark in midfield and no cutting edge in front of goal. Perhaps they all link in and if one were to be solved then should all the others finally click into place to get Wigan Athletic back to the team we all know and love? Hopefully so.

Firstly I'd like to start off with a somewhat lingering problem for Wigan, finding the net. Wigan recruited 2 to assist in the goal scoring department this summer and those 2 came in the form of Osasuna's leading goal scorer Oriol Riera and Tours front man Andy Delort. Now whilst the 2 have only had a handful of appearances, they are still yet to show me any bits of quality or composure in front of goal. Riera bagged his first goal in a Wigan shirt with a well placed finish in the 1-0 win over Blackpool whilst Delort is yet to find the net for his new club since crossing the channel on Deadline Day. When we seem to have the ball in the final third it seems there are only 2 players that know what to do with the ball and they Callum McManaman and Shaun Maloney. However, I am not criticising our new strikers for their lack of goals as it has become apparent that our disturbing loss of presence in midfield is becoming more and more worrying with every game.

Often the star in the sky when times are dark at WIgan Athletic, our midfield in past season has been a big part of our ability to win games and dictate play but this season has been a stark contrast to recent years, we haven't got one. Two of our key midfielders made the bold move to the top flight when Jordi Gomez and James McArthur made moves to Sunderland and Crystal Palace respectively. It has become apparent that the heart of our midfield hasn't been suitably replaced. Emyr Huws, Don Cowie and William Kvist have all be brought in by Uwe Rosler and we still lack the creativity of Gomez and the leadership and presence of McArthur. I think everyone is hoping that Chris McCann and Ben Watson hit the ground running with the impressive form the duo were showing before their injuries.

Attack is the best form of defence; so they say anyway however as we can do neither, we are in a bit of a pickle. As individuals, our back line is more than capable of coping in this league, however as a unit they seem to be all over the place. As much as we hate to say it, Emmerson Boyce looks to be having his last season. The former Crystal Palace man at times seems to struggling at times with the pace of the game but at the same time brings a certain amount of leadership, presence and composure to the team that he has always displayed. Rob Kiernan is dominant in the air when coping with long balls and set pieces however the Irishman shows his lack of experience at key times and switches off allowing attackers space to pass and shoot or catch Kiernan on the wrong foot. Ramis is a big dominant centre half but is often caught the wrong side of attackers and often exploited for his lack of pace. Uwe Rosler has experimented this season with 3 Centre Backs and 2 Wings backs in the form of James Perch and Andrew Taylor or a flat back 4 but individual errors cost the side dearly.

Whatever is wrong with the team? 2 wins from 9 is barely enough to keep above the bottom 3 as the gap between ourselves in 18th place and the top 6 is slowing becoming a gaping chasm. Is Uwe Rosler finally running out of time? Some already think is on borrowed time or has he simply not got the squad or the financial backing to replace the final scrapes of our Premier League era that's still exists in the team? Something surely needs to improve. As a fan, my patience is wearing thin.