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| Yes please! |
I wonder if it’s like this for fans of other clubs. Doesn’t it seem as if players who don’t usually score goals tend to score against Spurs?
I remember thinking that thought for the first time in 2006 when Cluade Makelele put Chelsea one-up with an outstanding volley at White Hart Lane. It was one of only two goals he scored for the club (the other was a rebound from a penalty he took against Charlton).
That day ended happily, but there have been numerable other examples of infrequent scorers scoring against Spurs. Last November, Ben Watson became the first English player to score a goal for Wigan in 2012. It helped to inflict on Andre Villas-Boas’ side back-to-back home league defeats for the first time in over four years.
It all added to the unpredictable landscape of this fixture. Since Wigan Athletic entered the Premier League the sides have played each other 16 times (including one game in the FA Cup) and Spurs have won exactly half of them.
Wigan rolled out the red carpet twice during the 2009-10 Champions League qualifying season -- losing 9-1 at the Lane and 3-0 at home -- before whipping it out from under them the following August. That result was one of three one-nil wins against Spurs since 2009. Buried in there also was a nil-all draw and on each occasion they were comfortable.
There’s a nice symmetry to what the clubs want over the next five games: both would see moving up precisely one place in the league between now and Sunday 19 May as a successful season. Wigan’s challenge is beginning to look a bit more daunting as a couple of sides drag themselves further away from the relegation zone. Their predicted late-season surge has yet to materialise. Indeed, reaching the FA Cup final might be exactly what they didn’t need. If they lose to Manchester City, as seems probable, they have two games in six days in which to preserve their top-flight status. By the time they play Aston Villa -- in what, for now at least, looks like a relegation showdown -- it might be too late.
Last season they went on an unlikely run that saw win their final three games, send Blackburn Rovers down and put the cap on Wolves’ miserable season.
So to the stats. Wigan have conceded more goals at home than any other team in the league; only Manchester United have scored more than Spurs on the road. No team has lost more league games at home than Wigan (eight – shared with Aston Villa); only Manchester United have won more league games away from home than Spurs. There is a compelling case to be made for a win for the Lilywhites... but then it seemed improbable that Wigan would shut out their opponents on those four occasions we’ve mentioned.
First hope: that Tom Huddlestone plays from the start instead of Scottie Parker. The latter is an absolute favourite but he tends to play in front of teams, apart from those times he scurries forward like a mouse heading for the corner of the kitchen floor with no escape route. Huddlestone has the precision to turn Wigan’s wing-backs the wrong way. That pass to Gareth Bale for the third goal last weekend was sumptuously timed and marvellously executed, even if it didn’t get a whole lot of appreciation.
Second hope: no more Emmanuel Adebayor. It’s been said here before that if you’re a former Arsenal player you better exhaust yourself with the effort you give. I’ve no problem with William Gallas; it’s clear he cares, but his pace and positional sense are on the slide and have been for a while. There is no way back for Adebayor at Spurs. He has played well in one game this season – against Everton at home – and that’s been it. Despite the words of encouragement from Villas-Boas, one of Spurs’ biggest challenges over the summer will be how to get rid of him. I’d take him leaving on a free just to have him off the wage bill. And that has nothing to do with his links to Arsenal; it has everything to do with his lack of honesty and effort.
Wigan have won just once at home against Spurs in seven games since 2005. The latter are coming off one of their best results of the season, Wigan one of their worst. Aaron Lennon may also start but, but... let’s just hope there’s not another unlikely home scorer on Saturday.
Very tentative prediction: 1-2
Follow John Kelly on Twitter @JKelly1882
Follow Hot Shot Hotspur on Twitter @hotshothotspur
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