26 Sept: Wigan Athletic 3-1 Chelsea

Highlights, Interviews and Analysis!




Wigan Shock Sorry Chelsea

After 5-0 and 4-0 losses to Manchester United and Arsenal, Wigan entertained a Chelsea squad on the back of six successive wins with everyone expecting the home side to suffer a hiding once again.  But dear me no!  Wigan Athletic gave the performance of their lives and pummelled an unusually poor Chelsea outfit looking like they had just woken up from their cash-filled beds.  Chelsea were slow to respond to anything and everything Wigan threw at them and probably should have lost by a bigger margin if not for Petr Cech.  Ancelotti must be grumbling Italian in his sleep after this dreadful display.  Complacency setting in, signore?

Wigan Goal Analysis/Chelsea Incompetence

#Goal 1:  Firstly, Chelsea were not prepared when Wigan took a quick corner.  Secondly, Chelsea responded to it with two players SLOWLY jogging towards N'Zogbia to try and close him down.  Thirdly, TWO Wigan players were left totally unmarked with one being former-buffoon Titus Bramble who headed home.  Where was the urgency?  Chelsea are reknowned for closing down opponents and pressurizing them into mistakes but these attributes were completely missing in this game.

#Goal 2:  Nobody followed Hugo Rodallega as he breezed past a static Chelsea defence to latch onto N'zogbia's perfectly executed through ball.  Horrendous marking.  Cech, fearful for his head, came out legs-first and scythed the Colombian down.  A rare error by Cech, but ultimately a costly one bearing in mind that a rampant Liverpool visit Stamford Bridge next week.  Henrique Hilarious looks a pudgy and incapable joke of a keeper.  Continue reading to find out why.

#Goal 3:  Chelsea seemed to have given up defending by this point.  Maynor Figueroa was allowed to skip through two Chelsea defenders but scuffed his cross.  Hilario-us fell flat on his bottom as if hit in the gut by a cannonball when in reality he could've reached the ball had he stayed on his feet.  Paul Scharner could not conceal his delight as he slid into the empty net with the ball.

Wigan Athletic Verdict:  Full marks to Roberto Martinez for sticking with his attacking policies and stretching Chelsea by focussing on the wings.  Credit to him for fostering such a strong spirit and sharpness in his team.  Wigan thoroughly deserved this win as they were miles better than Chelsea in every department.  A proud day for the club and their fans, and if they repeat this display week in week out, Wigan will finish in the top half of the table for sure.  Great performance by the Latics.

Chelsea Verdict:  An off day at the office is the most plausible excuse; critics will call it complacency at its finest.  Worst possible time for this result, with Liverpool looming on the horizon.  If Hugo Rodellega and Charles N'zogbia can cause so much trouble to the Chelsea backline, can you imagine what Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard will do next week?  The backline was creaking throughout the game, and one wonders if the Blues can cope through the transfer embargo with an aging defence.  Petr Cech is a vital organ in the Chelsea body and Chelsea won't function as well without his assuring presence between the sticks.  Rafael Benitez will be rubbing his hands in glee at the prospect of a plump Hilario-us in goal and with Torres in top form, it's easy to see why.  It'll be interesting to see how Carlo Ancelotti responds to his first setback of the season.

Matt


Oh Bramble Oh Bramble! Who would have expected Bramble to score against Chelsea? The most unlikely person to score powered a header from N'Zogbia's cross into the bottom corner of the net. What a game for Wigan! Coming off a 4-0 defeat by Arsenal last week, they had to play league leaders (before the game) Chelsea. But Roberto Martinez never changed his tactics, even though it has failed twice before. He stuck to his principles and this time, Wigan reaped the rewards. The sending off of Petr Cech and injury to Ashley Cole left Chelsea with 9 men on the field. That definitely helped Wigan but they had performed well through the whole game and deserved the win. On the other hand, Chelsea were very poor defensively. If Chelsea want to fight for the championship, they cannot defend like they did against Wigan. Poor marking and slow to react. Ancelotti will be looking to work on Chelsea's defence before they face a goal-happy Liverpool next week.

Fabian Capello