As a Manchester City fan, I had been hoping to do a
comfortable, slightly gloating post about yesterday’s events. However, this was
not to be. Congratulations must go to Wigan Athletic, and especially Roberto
Martinez, as I believe that he and his tactics were a key reason for the Latics
claiming their first piece of silverware in their 81 year history. I am also
especially pleased for Wigan chairman Dave Whelan, as his story is particularly
moving. A Blackburn Rovers player in 1960, Whelan went to Wembley to play in a
cup final, only to suffer a horrendous leg fracture in the 43rd
minute. After this, he never got another chance to play at Wembley. An
exemplary chairman of a football club, especially in today’s environment of
hire and fire at will, Whelan has retained faith in Martinez for the last four
years, enabling Wigan to beat the drop repeatedly. I am glad the FA allowed
Whelan to lead his side out yesterday, as it is highly unlikely he will ever
get another chance to do so.
Pre-match,
the team selection from Manchester City prompted much derision from those on
Twitter, with City’s ‘cup goalkeeper’ Costel Pantilimon being dropped in favour
of Joe Hart. After conceding only one goal in the entire cup run to this point,
some believed it to be highly unfair that he would be replaced for the final.
Personally, whilst I would have liked to have seen Pantilimon start, as his
performances this season have deserved it, I can certainly understand the
argument against. Hart is undoubtedly City’s number 1 goalkeeper, and in games
such as these, you would want to play your best side. Equally, the big Romanian
will not have done himself any favours in the past week, as he made it very
clear that he will be leaving City in the summer to pursue regular first team
football. This could quite easily be interpreted as the excuse that Roberto
Mancini required to drop Pantilimon, as an apparent lack of loyalty to the club
can certainly justify replacing the player.
During
the previous week, I had been telling friends ‘if City score early, it could be
3 or 4 nil.’ I also added that ‘if no-one has scored before half time, I
suspect another replay of City vs Stoke final in 2011, with a 1-0 win.’ In the
first half, City started relatively quickly, getting an early free kick and
testing Wigan goalkeeper Joel Robles in the first 4 minutes. The big chance for
City, and for my first prediction, in the first half fell to Carlos Tevez in
the 25th minute. A shot across the goalkeeper after some neat work
in the box drew a fantastic last-ditch save with his legs by Joel. Other than
that, Wigan had the vast majority of the play, with Callum McManaman looking a
constant threat, creating several good chances for his team. Winning every
second ball, and looking generally like the side who wanted the result more,
Wigan defended stoutly and broke quickly, with Roberto Martinez’s tactics set
up perfectly to stifle the usually creative City. By half-time, my
City-supporting mum and I were suitable exasperated by their performance, and I
hoped that Roberto Mancini really got stuck into them in the second half,
prompting a higher tempo.
Unfortunately
for me, the second half remained vastly the same as the first. Whilst City
retained possession slightly better for the first twenty minutes of the second
half, there was little to indicate that they would score. Despite being 9/1
long shots at kick-off, Wigan continued to look dangerous on the break, with
McManaman and James McCarthy driving the Latics forward. By 60 minutes, my
pessimistic side was beginning to see the inevitable defeat that I have become
so accustomed to when watching Manchester City. This was confirmed to me when
Pablo Zabaleta, having already been booked, scythed down McManaman and received
his marching orders in the 81st minute. After this, Ben Watson’s
winner in the first minute of injury time was completely foreseeable and
deserved.
Roberto
Martinez may be moving on at the end of the season, with Everton a supposed
destination, but if that was one of his final games for Wigan, then what a way
to go out. His tactics for this game were unquestionable, and he has done his
career no harm whatsoever with that victory. There are also several Wigan
players that have played themselves into either a much more lucrative contract,
or a move to a more high profile club. McManaman, McCarthy and Joel in
particular stood out, but each and every one of the Wigan players had their
part to play in the most momentous day in their history. I have to say, I would
much prefer to lose to a side like Wigan than one like Chelsea, Arsenal and the
like. This is simply because for the top sides, these finals happen relatively
regularly, and therefore each win is less significant. The pride emblazoned
upon every Wigan face as the final whistle was blown, and the celebrations on
the touchlines and the stands clearly illustrate exactly how massive an
achievement this was for this team, and how important is was to all.
Whilst the defeat felt like a
dagger to my heart, I cannot deny that Wigan were by far the better side on the
day, and encapsulated everything the FA Cup stands for. A true David vs Goliath
encounter, with the underdog triumphing against all odds. A fantastic
advertisement for the modern FA Cup, showing that it hasn’t lost any of its
charm. Wigan were, on the day, thoroughly deserving victors. I now hope that
they carry this momentum forward to avoid relegation. Otherwise, I fear that
they will lose many of their cup-winning stars, and their inaugural season in
European competition will fizzle out quickly next year.
Picture from Google Images
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