Wigan Athletic first entered the top flight in English football for the first time in their history in 2005 (ten years after local millionaire businessman and owner of JJB Sports, Dave Whelan, was ridiculed for declaring his ambitions of competing at the highest tier) and their first ever game in the Premier League was a daunting fixture against newly-crowned champions Chelsea.
The Latics gave the Blues a run for their money, and for 94 minutes there was a high chance of an early season upset, yet Argentine striker Hernan Crespo popped up to break the Greater Manchester supporters hearts and saved Chelsea's blushes by sinking Wigan and securing maximum points.
The message was clear though. Wigan were not a side flustered by the big occasions, and - despite the loss - they had signalled their intent to stay in the league.
Stay they have... and just a matter of a handful of years later - after a rookie campaign that saw them finish tenth in the division and compete in a League Cup final - they now find themselves with an outside chance of finishing in a UEFA Cup spot. To achieve that though, Wigan must end their recent run of poor form, that has seen them pick up just four points out of a possible 15.
Steve Bruce must be commended for picking up where Paul Jewell left off, and the former Birmingham boss has built a formidable outfit on a fiscally prudent budget, plucking talent from the world's most esoteric regions. Some of that good work has come undone in January, with influential - and perhaps one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the country - Wilson Palacios, being sold to Tottenham Hotspur for a tidy £12 million fee.
That is not to say there are key players still at Bruce's disposal, and if they are to re-find their early season success then the prolifacy of Amr Zaki will need to come to the fore. The on-loan Egyptian international has witnessed a lull in form - interestingly coinciding with a cold winter - and he will need to strap up his goalscoring boots and bin his misfiring studs, so he can successfully spearhead the Latic frontline.
Talking Tactics
Chelsea on the other hand are a team that are already turning their form upside down. Under Brazilian boss Luiz Felipe Scolari the team looked predictable, easily beatable, too one-paced in midfield, and shaky at the back. Their rearguard troubles were attributed - by this author - to the departure of one of the few relics of the pre-Abramovich era; Steve Clarke, yet the early signs of a Guus Hiddink regime look promising.
Frank Lampard is forever the key figure for Chelsea, and his ability to thread a pass - like he did so excellently for Premier League top goalscorer Nicolas Anelka at Villa Park last weekend - will continue to be called upon. Bearing that in mind, battling young Englishman Lee Cattermole will be given the task by Bruce to stifle the advances of Lampard.
Width has also been an issue for Chelsea. Prior to the winter window they had no natural wingers, and so relied on their bombarding full backs to overlap and provide crosses, something Jose Bosingwa has been praised for so relentlessly since his arrival from FC Porto last summer.
The Portuguese though is injured, and despite being a centre-half by trade, young burgeoning talent Michael Mancienne may be given a rare Premier League start on the right side of defence, as Bosingwa's fellow national Paulo Ferreira has largely been ineffective when called upon.
Mancienne though will not give Chelsea the impetus going forward that Bosingwa seemed to do with ease, and so Ricardo Quaresma will have to be on top form as he will be the only player - along with Ashley Cole - who will be running the lines, so that left flank will presumably be busy.
It is with some irony therefore that former Blue Mario Melchiot will be given the task of marking Quaresma, while being mindful of the overlap that Cole will no doubt try to revel in.
FORM GUIDE
Last Five Results
Chelsea
Feb 25: Chelsea 1-0 Juventus
Feb 21: Aston Villa 0-1 Chelsea
Feb 14: Watford 1-3 Chelsea
Feb 7: Chelsea 0-0 Hull City
Feb 1: Liverpool 2-0 Chelsea
Wigan Athletic
Feb 21: Middlesbrough 0-0 Wigan Athletic
Feb 7: Wigan Athletic 0-0 Fulham
Jan 31: Aston Villa 0-0 Wigan Athletic
Jan 28: Wigan Athletic 1-1 Liverpool
Jan 17: Manchester City 1-0 Wigan Athletic
TEAM NEWS
Chelsea
Despite returning to light training key battling midfielder Michael Essien will still be out of action for the foreseeable future. Joe Cole is also out with a long-term injury.
Portuguese internatonals Ricardo Carvalho and Deco are both doubtful.
Jose Bosingwa is suspended.
Squad: Cech, Hilario, Ferreira, Ivanovic, Mancienne, Alex, Terry, A Cole, Mikel, Ballack, Lampard, Kalou, Quaresma, Mineiro, Stoch, Belletti, Anelka, Drogba, di Santo.
Possible Starting XI: Cech, Mancienne, Alex, Terry, A Cole, Kalou, Mikel, Lampard, Quaresma, Anelka, Drogba.
Wigan Athletic
Daniel de Ridder and Jason Koumas are both struggling to overcome hamstring injuries. Fundamental winger Antonio Valencia too is sidelined with the same problem.
Mido has a problematic groin and will not feature.
Recent signing Ben Watson is suspended.
Squad: Kirkland, Melchiot, Scharner, Bramble, Figueroa, Cattermole, N'Zogbia, Sibierski, Kapo, Zaki, Kingson, Pollitt, Edman, Brown, Boyce, Rodallega.
Possible Starting XI: Kirkland, Melchiot, Bramble, Boyce, Figueroa, Scharner, Cattermole, Rodallega, N'Zogbia, Kapo, Zaki.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Chelsea – Frank Lampard
The Chelsea no. 8 has fantastic vision, and his recent assist at Villa Park showed the true extend of his overall footballing ability as his quick feet evaded two Aston Villa defenders before he fed a perfect pass into Nicolas Anelka's path who made no mistake in slotting the ball home. With the Englishman the Blues have the most dangerous midfielder in the country, while the Frenchman is leading the Premier League goal-scoring charts this campaign.
Wigan Athletic – Lee Cattermole
In the absence of Wilson Palacios who can break up play before cantering into the opposition half in order to make his own defence-splitting passes, the onus on the defensive duties in midfield will fall on the shoulders of burgeoning young talent Lee Cattermole. It will be interesting to see how he fares when he comes up against Ricardo Quaresma, Frank Lampard, and Nicolas Anelka. He will be unlucky to be provided a sterner test all year if all three are on form.
Prediction: Chelsea 3-0 Wigan Athletic
The Latics gave the Blues a run for their money, and for 94 minutes there was a high chance of an early season upset, yet Argentine striker Hernan Crespo popped up to break the Greater Manchester supporters hearts and saved Chelsea's blushes by sinking Wigan and securing maximum points.
The message was clear though. Wigan were not a side flustered by the big occasions, and - despite the loss - they had signalled their intent to stay in the league.
Stay they have... and just a matter of a handful of years later - after a rookie campaign that saw them finish tenth in the division and compete in a League Cup final - they now find themselves with an outside chance of finishing in a UEFA Cup spot. To achieve that though, Wigan must end their recent run of poor form, that has seen them pick up just four points out of a possible 15.
Steve Bruce must be commended for picking up where Paul Jewell left off, and the former Birmingham boss has built a formidable outfit on a fiscally prudent budget, plucking talent from the world's most esoteric regions. Some of that good work has come undone in January, with influential - and perhaps one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the country - Wilson Palacios, being sold to Tottenham Hotspur for a tidy £12 million fee.
That is not to say there are key players still at Bruce's disposal, and if they are to re-find their early season success then the prolifacy of Amr Zaki will need to come to the fore. The on-loan Egyptian international has witnessed a lull in form - interestingly coinciding with a cold winter - and he will need to strap up his goalscoring boots and bin his misfiring studs, so he can successfully spearhead the Latic frontline.
Talking Tactics
Chelsea on the other hand are a team that are already turning their form upside down. Under Brazilian boss Luiz Felipe Scolari the team looked predictable, easily beatable, too one-paced in midfield, and shaky at the back. Their rearguard troubles were attributed - by this author - to the departure of one of the few relics of the pre-Abramovich era; Steve Clarke, yet the early signs of a Guus Hiddink regime look promising.
Frank Lampard is forever the key figure for Chelsea, and his ability to thread a pass - like he did so excellently for Premier League top goalscorer Nicolas Anelka at Villa Park last weekend - will continue to be called upon. Bearing that in mind, battling young Englishman Lee Cattermole will be given the task by Bruce to stifle the advances of Lampard.
Width has also been an issue for Chelsea. Prior to the winter window they had no natural wingers, and so relied on their bombarding full backs to overlap and provide crosses, something Jose Bosingwa has been praised for so relentlessly since his arrival from FC Porto last summer.
The Portuguese though is injured, and despite being a centre-half by trade, young burgeoning talent Michael Mancienne may be given a rare Premier League start on the right side of defence, as Bosingwa's fellow national Paulo Ferreira has largely been ineffective when called upon.
Mancienne though will not give Chelsea the impetus going forward that Bosingwa seemed to do with ease, and so Ricardo Quaresma will have to be on top form as he will be the only player - along with Ashley Cole - who will be running the lines, so that left flank will presumably be busy.
It is with some irony therefore that former Blue Mario Melchiot will be given the task of marking Quaresma, while being mindful of the overlap that Cole will no doubt try to revel in.
FORM GUIDE
Last Five Results
Chelsea
Feb 25: Chelsea 1-0 Juventus
Feb 21: Aston Villa 0-1 Chelsea
Feb 14: Watford 1-3 Chelsea
Feb 7: Chelsea 0-0 Hull City
Feb 1: Liverpool 2-0 Chelsea
Wigan Athletic
Feb 21: Middlesbrough 0-0 Wigan Athletic
Feb 7: Wigan Athletic 0-0 Fulham
Jan 31: Aston Villa 0-0 Wigan Athletic
Jan 28: Wigan Athletic 1-1 Liverpool
Jan 17: Manchester City 1-0 Wigan Athletic
TEAM NEWS
Chelsea
Despite returning to light training key battling midfielder Michael Essien will still be out of action for the foreseeable future. Joe Cole is also out with a long-term injury.
Portuguese internatonals Ricardo Carvalho and Deco are both doubtful.
Jose Bosingwa is suspended.
Squad: Cech, Hilario, Ferreira, Ivanovic, Mancienne, Alex, Terry, A Cole, Mikel, Ballack, Lampard, Kalou, Quaresma, Mineiro, Stoch, Belletti, Anelka, Drogba, di Santo.
Possible Starting XI: Cech, Mancienne, Alex, Terry, A Cole, Kalou, Mikel, Lampard, Quaresma, Anelka, Drogba.
Wigan Athletic
Daniel de Ridder and Jason Koumas are both struggling to overcome hamstring injuries. Fundamental winger Antonio Valencia too is sidelined with the same problem.
Mido has a problematic groin and will not feature.
Recent signing Ben Watson is suspended.
Squad: Kirkland, Melchiot, Scharner, Bramble, Figueroa, Cattermole, N'Zogbia, Sibierski, Kapo, Zaki, Kingson, Pollitt, Edman, Brown, Boyce, Rodallega.
Possible Starting XI: Kirkland, Melchiot, Bramble, Boyce, Figueroa, Scharner, Cattermole, Rodallega, N'Zogbia, Kapo, Zaki.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Chelsea – Frank Lampard
The Chelsea no. 8 has fantastic vision, and his recent assist at Villa Park showed the true extend of his overall footballing ability as his quick feet evaded two Aston Villa defenders before he fed a perfect pass into Nicolas Anelka's path who made no mistake in slotting the ball home. With the Englishman the Blues have the most dangerous midfielder in the country, while the Frenchman is leading the Premier League goal-scoring charts this campaign.
Wigan Athletic – Lee Cattermole
In the absence of Wilson Palacios who can break up play before cantering into the opposition half in order to make his own defence-splitting passes, the onus on the defensive duties in midfield will fall on the shoulders of burgeoning young talent Lee Cattermole. It will be interesting to see how he fares when he comes up against Ricardo Quaresma, Frank Lampard, and Nicolas Anelka. He will be unlucky to be provided a sterner test all year if all three are on form.
Prediction: Chelsea 3-0 Wigan Athletic
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