Martinez tells Wigan to shine while world watches
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'THIS IS WHAT YOU PLAY FOR'
Martinez tells Wigan to shine while world watches
Roberto Martinez: Sees Wigan's dead rubber more like a cup final
Wigan manager Roberto Martinez has fired up his troops for their potentially title-deciding visit to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea on Sunday by telling them to shine while the "whole football world is watching".
Although the match is effectively a dead-rubber for Wigan, who have secured promotion but are well out of the race for European places, Martinez has labelled the "special" fixture as much more than a token effort at spoiling Chelsea, who must win to guarantee the Premier League title ahead of Manchester United.
Martinez admits the club and its players are unlikely to taste silverware success of their own at this level, meaning Sunday's decider acts as their own match of a lifetime, a chance to write themselves into Premier League folklore.
Martinez said: "For me as a footballer you play for the memories and memories come by winning medals and by achieving things. For our football club to perform well when the whole football world is watching is going to give us special memories and that is what you play football for. Our season is finished but Sunday is something more special than that.
"Everyone expects Chelsea to turn up and win the match. It is more than a football game for us because we know the whole football world is watching and for the youngsters they could learn more in 90 minutes than they could for two or three years. There are no expectations on us. Everyone expects Chelsea to win and so for us we are going to be together, we need to be really close and help each other and perform. We are capable of going to Stamford Bridge and making things difficult.''
Martinez's public message to his players will be music to the ears of Sir Alex Ferguson and his United side, who trail Chelsea by a point as they visit Sunderland for the simultaneous final day fixtures. They'll be pushing for all three points in the hope the unlikely happens at Stamford Bridge, although their faint hopes of stealing the title are boosting by the memory of Wigna's stirring 3-1 upset of Chelsea at the DW Stadium in September.
After that first ever win over a 'big four' side, Wigan has developed the belief to conquer Liverpool and Arsenal this season, although inconsistency has been their Achilles' heel.
Martinez said: "The Chelsea performance was really, really pleasing the way we stopped them from being Chelsea. We were the better side. We had a few chances in the first half and we got a goal from a set play. In the second half when Chelsea scored the equaliser I just felt it was a real test how we would react to that. To finish the game and win we got rid of that mental block that Wigan Athletic would never be able to beat the top four. We are going to approach it on Sunday in the same manner.''
Whether or not Wigan make a real name for themselves by ruining Chelsea's title party, Martinez sees his team's ability to match anyone on their day as positive signs the club is headed for bigger and better things next season.
"We are lacking in experience, we are lacking in know-how and that is why we are a little bit inconsistent from one week to another, depending who we are playing against and the challenge we face on the pitch. What pleases me is with a team like ours with young players and a new group we have been able to perform on the day against Chelsea, Liverpool, Aston Villa away and Arsenal. That is where the dreams of the future should lie.''
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Possible situation I thought when I was day dreaming during lecture just now:
90+2' FT Manchester United 2-0 Stoke
90' Chelsea 2-0 Wigan (Ref signals for 4 minutes of extra time)
92' Chelsea 2-1 Wigan
94' Chelsea 2-2 Wigan
Don't flame me might go the other round, who knows! -
Why is the focus point only on Chelsea? United's game is a 'sure win' is it?
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Originally posted by Paisley:
Why is the focus point only on Chelsea? United's game is a 'sure win' is it?
Because it's Chelsea's tittle to loose.
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This is what I fear as a Chelsea fan:
90min- Chelsea 1-0 Wigan ( 4 min Stoppage time )
90+2 min-Man U 3-0 Stoke
90+3- John terry sabo Chelsea AGAIN by touching the ball with his hand in the penalty area .PENALTY
90+4- V.Moses takes the penalty kick and scores .Full time. Chelsea 1-1 Wigan. Man U wins e the title. John Terry attacks ref with parang and kena sentenced to jail. Ancelotti faints and dies . LOL
I always have an uneasy feeling that John Terry will sabo the team like against Man City recently and the penalty shootout in the 2008 UCL Final.
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I faintly recall in year 2000 where Lazio was 1 point behind 1st placed Inter on the last day of the Serie A season. Lazio won and Inter drew. And Lazio won the Serie A for the first time in their history. And who was the coach of Lazio? Sven Goran Eriksson :) Haha I'm not sure if united can repeat their heroics but it would be really sweet to watch it unfold that way. I don't like it that just because a mediocre club has some financial backing and they suddenly want to rewrite history. Football is not all about money.
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still remember the blackburn 2-1 defeat by liverpool in 95.. and MUFC could only draw which gave the title to blackburn..
see Dalglish bury his head in his hands and then suddenly jump up in joy when he heard the result at MUFC was held 1-1 by the hammers
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yeh i faintly recall those moments too lol. Those were the days of shearer, sherwood, colin hendry. But man u always came back stronger.
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wigan act only. they happy can join chelsea celebration party in London straight after the match.
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Talking about buying titles, didn't united in the 90's was spending millions on players, like cantona? During that time, those money is consider big transfer. Time have changed, but who remembered Man united of buying title back then???
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I belief Wigan will go all out to try but will still lose the match. The very least, they try and give their best unlike some big club...
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Originally posted by the Bear:
still remember the blackburn 2-1 defeat by liverpool in 95.. and MUFC could only draw which gave the title to blackburn..
see Dalglish bury his head in his hands and then suddenly jump up in joy when he heard the result at MUFC was held 1-1 by the hammers
and the cheif in action was non other then the beloved Andy Cole, who happens to be one of the most sought after striker during one of his season with Newcastle, out-scoring Shearer that very season or 2 before moving to ManU..hahahaha, those were the time..