THAT’S WHY MAC’S VITAL FOR ROSLER
WIGAN boss Uwe Rosler believes keeping James McArthur will be key to a potential Premier League return.
A first-half Callum McManaman double sandwiched an Andrew Taylor strike, while Martyn Waghorn’s second-half finish secured back-to-back wins for the Latics.
McArthur’s proposed move to Leicester fell through in midweek but Latics boss Rosler was quick to praise the Scotland international, who received a rousing reception from the Wigan faithful.
“I think everybody saw how essential he is for us,” said Rosler. “How he performed, under the circumstances, there’s not many who can do that.
“We were clinical. In terms of open play I think it was a mirror of the Blackpool game. We controlled the game better over 90 minutes, not just over 60.
“I felt there was collectively a very strong performance from everybody involved.
“I would highlight the substitutions, not because I did them, but because of Shaun Maloney being back – everybody saw a class footballer and we missed him dearly.
“It’s nice to go now in that twoweek break with back-to-back wins, with the fact that everybody gets confidence from our improvement over the last four games. Now, we also know we can score goals.”
Wigan’s early pressure nearly paid dividends when Taylor’s cross was headed on by McManaman to James Perch who rifled a seventh-minute effort wide.
But McManaman made no mistake two minutes later with a jinking run past David Edgar and Jonathan Spector before nutmegging Darren Randolph.
A 35th-minute defensive mix-up between an indecisive Paul Robinson and Randolph nearly let in Oriol Riera, but the goalkeeper eventually cleared up.
Taylor grabbed the Latics’ second with a sublime finish after Spector gifted possession to McArthur, who delivered an incisive 39th-minute pass.
McManaman grabbed his second in first-half injury time with a curling finish after Emyr Huws had found the ex-Everton trainee in the area.
Lee Clark sent the Blues out early for the second half and-David Cotterill’s corner was met by Clayton Donaldson but Scott Carson parried his header wide.
Latics substitute Waghorn worked some space outside the area and curled a 71st-minute effort toward goal but Randolph was equal to it.
Waghorn, though, grabbed Wigan’s fourth with a 78th-minute close-range finish after good work from fellow sub Maloney.
Scotland internationals Maloney and McArthur combined a minute later on the right with the latter firing just wide.
Carson produced a spectacular double save to keep his clean sheet, first from Paul Caddis’ long-distance effort and then from Donaldson who could have grabbed a consolation.
Blues boss Clark vowed to get his players back on the training ground during the international break and said the game was a ‘horrible day’.
“The hard-working, powerful team that everyone’s been talking about – and even Uwe in his pre-match talk was very complimentary – didn’t show any of those attributes,” he said.
“The scoreline does not flatter Wigan at all. That was the difference between the two teams.
“Our decision making was poor, our defending was poor. Our movement and options for the man on the ball were nonexistent.
“We were so dull in possession. We needed five or six touches to decide what we were going to do. You should know where you’re passing the ball before it arrives at you.
“Without a doubt this is the first time that this has happened since pre-season.”