Wigan only survived by the skin of their teeth last season much in part to the goals of Charles N’Zogbia who left for Aston Villa this summer. Roberto Martinez will have to work miracles at the DW Stadium this season with David Jones the only new face. The loss of N’Zogbia is a hammer blow with all the pace, creativity and goals coming from the Frenchman last season. Hugo Rodallega is their only real attacking threat but the rest of the team is sadly lacking in Premier League quality. James McCarthy doesn’t fall into that bracket but he is only one player and the emphasis will be on him to perform more consistently next season. The lack of signings will come back to haunt Martinez who is facing up to a difficult season at the DW.
Norwich on the other hand have been buying players left, right and centre after their promotion back to the Premier League. Manager Paul Lambert has taken his side from League One to the top flight in only two years at the helm. He’s boosted his squad’s chances of surviving with some decent signings. Steve Morison, James Vaughan, Kyle Naughton and Bradley Johnson are just some of the more notable players brought in to aid the survival push. Captain Grant Holt will be the key man though if they are to stay up. He is the heartbeat of the Canaries and their main goal scoring threat over the last few seasons. Win, lose or draw the Canaries will be chirping at every game and enjoying the ride they never thought they’d see again.
I can’t see Wigan getting anything from this and Norwich will be riding the crest of a wave that has been going since Lambert reinvigorated the club. I can see a repeat of last season’s opening game when Blackpool came, saw and conquered.
Verdict: 1-3
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You see all this frtom the last 5 mins on MOTD? You probably didnt see Wigan play in pre season or the second 3rd of the season last year? Second only to City in the form guide in the whole league with the team what is “sadly lacking in premiership quality” why do you so called expert write such drivel every year only to be proved wrong? I will be there laughing again next May like we always do! Little Wigan upsetting every one and loving it!
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every year since we’ve been promoted were put down to be relegated, journalists have been proved wrong for 7years and still write a load of s**t up the latics <3
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“the team is sadly lacking in Premier League quality”. Quite a bold statement about a club of players that managed to show the quality you speak of to keep the team up last season. Granted N’Zogbia was key to staying up last season but no mention of Moses stepping up to take the plate after a tremendous busy pre-season?
Quite contradicting how the noted Norwich players are by no means premier league quality.
Al Habsi biggest signing for Wigan over the summer and a proven shot-stopper. This clearly is a biased report favouring, dare I say it, the underdog.
The buzz about the DW at the moment is as good as when the latics first saw premiership football due to a loyal manager with the belief of his team and fans, yet no mention of this?
You may only see doom and gloom in the mud huts but let me tell you, you are very wrong.
Prediction 2-0 Wigan
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