Tottenham enters their match against Wigan Athletic following two rather poor performances.
Spurs played a scintillating first half against Southampton last week and deservedly went up a two-goal lead. Gareth Bale scored but did not celebrate upon his return to his former club while Clinton Dempsey added a second. In the second half, Southampton made life much more difficult for Andre Villas Boas’ side as Jay Rodriguez scored. Spurs held on to the lead to seal a narrow victory.
That win saw Tottenham go up to fourth. Spurs finished in that position last season but was denied a place in the Champions League due to Bayern’s suicidal performance against Chelsea at the Allianz Arena in May. Spurs definitely has a squad good enough to compete with the ‘big boys’. They are only five points behind Chelsea.
Wigan is struggling and is at the opposite end of the table. They have eight points from nine games and sit in fifteenth. However, Roberto Martinez’s side registered a first Premier League win since August when they beat Sam Allardyce’s West Ham 2-1. The game was intriguing as two contrasting styles were presented to the fans.
Wigan loves to pass the ball around while Allardyce’s side’s only aim is to throw the ball forward for Andy Carroll. Ivan Ramis opened the scoring for Wigan early on. An early second half strike by James McArthur allowed the Wigan players to pass the ball amongst themselves.
West Ham was quite helpless; their first real attempt on target took 90 minutes to come. James Tomkins scored a consolation goal. Martinez has repeatedly been applauded for sticking to his philosophy. Indeed, after the final whistle, Martinez was found smiling broadly. He had this to say:
“Our philosophy and way of playing will never change.”
Spurs on Wednesday went down to Norwich 2-1 in the Capital One Cup. That game was a strange one. A Gareth Bale goal saw Spurs lead until six minutes to the end. Alex Tettey scored after his strike deflected off Jan Vertonghen past Hugo Lloris into goal. A Lloris mistake allowed Simeon Jackson to grab the winner.
More drama ensued in injury time as Spurs was awarded a penalty. However, Mark Bunn ensured his side’s passage to the quarter-finals as he saved Dempsey’s penalty.
The encounter between Wigan and Spurs should prove to be a highly competitive one. Spurs should win but Wigan could spring a surprise.
Prediction: Tottenham 1-1 Wigan
That win saw Tottenham go up to fourth. Spurs finished in that position last season but was denied a place in the Champions League due to Bayern’s suicidal performance against Chelsea at the Allianz Arena in May. Spurs definitely has a squad good enough to compete with the ‘big boys’. They are only five points behind Chelsea.
Wigan is struggling and is at the opposite end of the table. They have eight points from nine games and sit in fifteenth. However, Roberto Martinez’s side registered a first Premier League win since August when they beat Sam Allardyce’s West Ham 2-1. The game was intriguing as two contrasting styles were presented to the fans.
Wigan loves to pass the ball around while Allardyce’s side’s only aim is to throw the ball forward for Andy Carroll. Ivan Ramis opened the scoring for Wigan early on. An early second half strike by James McArthur allowed the Wigan players to pass the ball amongst themselves.
West Ham was quite helpless; their first real attempt on target took 90 minutes to come. James Tomkins scored a consolation goal. Martinez has repeatedly been applauded for sticking to his philosophy. Indeed, after the final whistle, Martinez was found smiling broadly. He had this to say:
“Our philosophy and way of playing will never change.”
Spurs on Wednesday went down to Norwich 2-1 in the Capital One Cup. That game was a strange one. A Gareth Bale goal saw Spurs lead until six minutes to the end. Alex Tettey scored after his strike deflected off Jan Vertonghen past Hugo Lloris into goal. A Lloris mistake allowed Simeon Jackson to grab the winner.
More drama ensued in injury time as Spurs was awarded a penalty. However, Mark Bunn ensured his side’s passage to the quarter-finals as he saved Dempsey’s penalty.
The encounter between Wigan and Spurs should prove to be a highly competitive one. Spurs should win but Wigan could spring a surprise.
Prediction: Tottenham 1-1 Wigan
