please log in to view this image please log in to view this image Arsenal travel to the DW Stadium this Saturday to take on Wigan Athletic in premier league. The Gunners go into this game having claimed a vital league victory over Reading at the Madejski Stadium. The Arsenal were in complete control for most of the game and took the lead through Lukas Podolski after he got on the end of a Kieran Gibbs cross. After that, it was the Santi Cazorla show, as the Spaniard tore Reading to pieces with his brilliance. He created one and scored three, to claim his first hat-trick for his new club. Arsenal did concede two goals, but that was only a small blemish on a very good night for Arsenal. Wigan lost against Norwich City at Carrow Road in their previous league game and they currently find themselves in the bottom three. Wigan are now notorious for being awful in the first half of a season, so it’s no surprise that they are currently in the bottom three. In their last six league games, they have managed to only win four points out of a possible eighteen. But that will not concern them too much, because they have become past masters at getting out of trouble in the final parts of the season. The last time these two teams met, Wigan shocked everyone by defeating and outplaying Arsenal at the Emirates, but that was a Wigan team in red hot form. Since then, they have also lost Victor Moses to Chelsea, a player who was instrumental in Wigan’s late revival last season. With their win over Reading, Arsenal claimed their back to back wins in the league since September and it saw them climb from eight to fifth place in the league table. With the competition for those champions league places being so tight and fierce, it’s vital that Arsenal can now go on and build a winning run for the first time this season. Wigan have lost more games at home, then they have won so the DW Stadium has hardly been a fortress for them this season, and Arsenal will have the chance to take advantage of a Wigan team in poor form. But as they showed towards the end of last season, Wigan do have players with quality and on their day, then can be a match for anyone in the league. Wigan with the resources available to them, can’t afford to spend heavily in the transfer window, so have to invest wisely and look out for those bargains. They have done that season after season, and that has seen them survive in a league where teams around them spend a lot more heavily. The likes of Antonio Valencia, Victor Moses, and Wilson Palacios were all brought on the cheap, and after impressing for Wigan, they were all sold for massive profits. Deals like those help Wigan stay in the top flight and this season, they brought in Arouna Koné. And so far, the forward looks like being yet another bargain for Wigan. He has been Wigan’s most dangerous player this season, with four goals and four assists to his name in the league, he has been their most productive player. Franco Di Santo has normally been the man that has played alongside Kone in Wigan’s attack and he has three goals to his name in the league. In midfield, the likes of James McCarthy and Jordi Gómez keep them ticking. With Moses leaving in the summer, Wigan have not had that same threat and pace from the wide areas and that has hindered them badly this season. Shaun Maloney has been one of their very few threats from the wings and he is a busy little player who could potentially cause Arsenal plenty of problems. Wigan have already beaten a team from North London this season after their win against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. It was their best performance of the season and they showed what they can do with that performance and win over Tottenham. So, despite their wretched form, Arsenal should not expect an easy game against Wigan. Last season, they cruised to a 4-0 win over the Lactics at the DW Stadium and Arsenal will be hoping for more of the same. But Wigan are so unpredictable and it will not shock anyone if they claim another victory against the Gunners this Saturday. Wigan have conceded seventeen goals at home and only Reading have let in more goals at home. Theo Walcott was back in the Arsenal starting line-up against Reading after recovering from an injury and the Englishmen finally got his chance to play through the middle. His pace kept the Reading defence on their toes and Walcott was always a threat with his ability to get in behind the Reading defence with that pace. He scored one goal and had the chances to get more, but Walcott gave Arsenal something different in that forward role. Arsenal’s front three of Lukas Podolski, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade Chamberlain was a new one and there was certainly more a lot more movement. It gave the likes of Santi Cazorla and Jack Wilshere more players to pick out and Cazorla certainly enjoyed his night playing behind that new front three. Arsenal are currently only two points off the Champions league places despite making their worst start to a season under the management of Arsene Wenger. For the first time this season, they can claim three wins in a row in the league if they beat Wigan and it will help lift the doom and gloom surrounding the club. With two back to back home games coming after the Wigan game, Arsenal can put themselves in a very good position if they can beat Wigan at the DW Stadium. Wigan are one of the most unpredictable teams in the league so it’s never easy to predict what will happen against them, but Arsenal have the chance to build a winning run, and let’s hope the players take that chance. Team News: Form Guide: please log in to view this image Three Key Match-ups: Arouna Koné please log in to view this image James McCarthy please log in to view this image Emmerson Boyce please log in to view this image Overall Record vs Wigan Athletic: Played: 18 Wins: 13 Draws: 2 Losses: 3 For: 40 Against: 15 GD: 25 Last 6 Meetings: Arsenal 1 - 2 Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic 0 - 4 Arsenal Arsenal 3 - 0 Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic 2 - 2 Arsenal Arsenal 2 - 0 Wigan Athletic (League Cup) Wigan Athletic 3 - 2 Arsenal please log in to view this image Manager's Views: Arsene Wenger: My Team: please log in to view this image Final Score: please log in to view this image
Come on Arsenal, we want another big win.... but I cant help but have it in the back of my mind that Wigan are not Rock Bottom Reading.
Would have liked a Sunday evening KO to give us a bit more time to recover and prepare, but I suppose at least we've not got a CL game midweek. I hope we take the same approach and tactics into this game as we did on Monday night. I thought the whole team looked a lot more focused and committed. I like the way we pressed and put the oppo under pressure when they had the ball. Overall I thought we were much more direct and we got our reward. I'd start with the same line up again on Saturday
The runs from midfield made a HUGE difference against Reading. Things have been too static of late. The teams needs some directness, and to close Wigan down - don't give them time on the ball. If they close down as a team, win the ball and launch quick counterattacks they can definitely get at Wigan here.
Very good point. Before our game against Reading, Gary Neville did an excellent analysis on this. Our midfield players have simply not been making those late runs into the box that the likes of Fabregas,Vieria,Pires and Ljungberg used to do. Santi is not sort of player and he is always looking for the ball to his feet and that his natural game. I think Wilshere can make those late runs into the box more, because that's what he did in his youth days. Scored plenty of goals at that level.
I've stopped going to away games because the standing is too much for me.Wigan must be the only ground that has a nightclub in the away end My next game is Newcastle on December 29th
We played them last year in the corresponding fixture and battered them. Usually these games are quite close though. Wigan seemed to employ a tactic called "rush defence" the last time we played them at the Emirates which was highly successful. We will need to counter it somehow though.
I said a few weeks ago we'd lose this game, not so sure now with the way Wigan have been playing. If they're fired up again like the game last season i still think we'll struggle
It's because of fans like you that Arsenal are in such a mess.Your blind faith to Wenger to ****ing embarrasing
Gary Neville is developing into a brilliant analyst and has a lot of very sensible things to say -I never thought I would write that sentance!!
Yes, the next step in the analysis though is trying to figure out how to put that right. My view is that the front 3 of Podolski, Walcott, Giroud is too goal minded. You really have 3 strikers that have no interest in doing any midfield work or defensive work. Podolski was arguably responsible for both goals against Reading, by playing people onside. What this means is, with the full backs pushing up as well, Cazorla and Wilshere are reluctant to get very far forward. Balance is everything. Neville is right, but the answer may not be just telling Cazorla and Wilshere to run into the box, we need to make sure we don't get counter-attacked as well.
SJW10, since the West Ham game was delayed, does it mean that our Christmas "league position" predictions will count after that game or when? I think I've got a shot with my prediction for 3rd...
