Chelsea’s match with Wigan Athletic on Sunday will be a memorable occasion indeed if the Blues fail to take all three points from the Latics.
Chelsea seek the honors of a domestic double this season. They’re in the pole position for the Premier League championship and they’re scheduled to meet Portsmouth in the FA Cup Final later in the month.
A win on Sunday will fulfill half their objective. The Londoners lead the league by a point over Manchester United going into Sunday’s match; if the Blues beat Wigan the league is theirs regardless of United’s result.
But Wigan manager Roberto Martinez believes his squad have what it takes to spoil Chelsea’s fun this weekend.
In form Chelsea
Chelsea have been on a fine run of form in recent weeks, having won seven out of their last eight matches. They’ve scored 28 goals in those eight, including a pair of seven goal hauls against Aston Villa and Stoke City, and a five goal win over Portsmouth.
And despite injury problems and the occasional suspension that left the Blues weakened at the back, they’ve given up just four goals in that eight game stretch.
Last weekend’s 0-2 victory over Liverpool was particularly meaningful. It was a game that stuck out on the calendar as the potential championship decider.
A draw with the Merseyside men would have opened the door for Manchester United; a loss would have opened the door, asked United in for a cup of tea, and then served it from the league championship trophy.
The victory over Liverpool, however, combined with United’s win over Sunderland last weekend, means that the championship comes down to the last day of the season, and Chelsea now have an opportunity to win it at Stamford Bridge, in front of their home fans.
Lampard’s view
England international midfielder Frank Lampard, speaking after the Liverpool game, put the
upcoming match with Wigan in perspective.
"We've definitely had a couple of moments in the season where we haven't been at our best and we've dropped points, and the momentum went back with Manchester United. But in the last 10 games our performances have been fantastic… We have got a head of steam up. There is still another game to go but we are in a good position."
One of those moments Lampard refers to must be the surprise 3-1 loss away to Wigan back in September.
Wigan has surprised the top teams
The win over Chelsea wasn’t the only shock result Wigan created this season. They also beat Liverpool and Arsenal. But all three wins against the big clubs came at the DW Stadium. This weekend Wigan are on the road, and the only team from the top half of the table that Wigan have beaten on the road is Aston Villa, on the first game of the season.
Wigan are coming off a come-from-behind 2-2 draw with Hull City last weekend, a result that sent the Tigers packing for the League Championship level.
But Chelsea is clearly no Hull, and Wigan manager Roberto Martinez is doing his best to pump belief into his players. “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.''
Wigan will arrive at Stamford Bridge this weekend carrying injuries to Bramble, Kirkland and Moreno. Chelsea will be missing Bosingwa, Essien, Carvalho and Obi Mikel.
Memories
Chelsea are the heavy favorites to win the game and the league on Sunday and they’ll undoubtedly be spurred on by the compelling notion of a championship celebration in front of their home fans.
But Latics boss Roberto Martinez cites a less common motivator for his club this weekend. “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.”
The power of memories notwithstanding, Martinez and his men may wish to throw in a prayer or two for good measure.
