Team Overview: Wigan is one of the EPL’s youngsters (only having been around since 1932) and their most recent promotion came in 2005. Though the team has struggled mightily to compete at times, their very successful 2009 season marks the squad’s second best finish in its history. They are certainly rising.
Top Performers: Offense really wasn’t Wigan’s strong point, but Amir Zaki did notch 10 goals and Antonio Valencia had 3 goals and 4 assists. Wigan’s stength was its defense though, especially its goalkeeper, Chris Kirkland, who had a very impressive 1.12 GAA and kept Wigan in many matches they should have lost.
Highest Highs: The winter was good to Wigan, as they won 6 matches from the beginning of November to the end of December (20 points overall). During that stretch, they outscored their opponents 13-6. It was one of the best hot streaks for any team all season. It also included their beat down of Hill City by a large 5-0 margin.
Lowest Lows: The Lactics also had some ugly streaks of losses. In both October and April they couldn’t win a game (7 losses combined). They also only scored 3 goals in the final two months while ceding 20. Thus, their offense finished the season as one of the worst in the league, and many wondered how they avoided relegation.
Future Outlook: Wigan simply needs more offensive to compete in the Prem. 34 goals for a whole season is not enough, and it makes one appreciate how good their D must have been to make them so competitive. They need a dominant striker, and fast. Only two players reached five goals last season, which is just not acceptable.
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