Arsenal vs Wigan: Key Battles To Watch In Must Win For Both Teams

FA Cup Champions Wigan Athletic will travel to London on Tuesday to take on Arsenal in a crucial match for two teams needing a win.

Coming off an amazing 1-0 win over Manchester City in the FA Cup final this past weekend, Wigan’s focus now turns to getting out of the relegation zone. Currently sitting in 18^th place with 35 points, Wigan must win their remaining two matches and hope that one of the five teams ahead of them stumble through the finish line. It is still mathematically possible for Wigan to overtake Sunderland, Aston Villa, Fulham, Southampton, or Newcastle if Wigan can win their final two matches and one of the aforementioned teams loses their final match. Wigan will need a second sensational performance in four days against a top team in order to get a result, but heading into the Emirates stadium, it’s not going to be easy.

Arsenal currently sits 5^th in the table with 67 points and two matches remaining. The Gunners are in position for a guaranteed Europa League spot, but control their own destiny for a spot in the Champions League. The Gunners trail Tottenham by just two points and Chelsea by five, so if Arsenal can win its final two matches, they will finish at worst in fourth and at best in third. With home pitch advantage and a superior roster, Arsenal does have the upper hand on paper heading into Tuesday’s match, but as Wigan’s squad showed on Saturday, nothing is impossible.

Let’s take a look at some of the key battles to watch for in Tuesday’s match:

1)   Santi Cazorla vs. Shaun Maloney

After providing the match winning assist in the FA Cup final and showing throughout the match that he can orchestrate with the best of them, Shaun Maloney will be a key player for Wigan as they face a possession based team in Arsenal. Maloney is small, but his technically ability and football instincts are what make Wigan flow. Maloney is also a threat from corner kicks and free kicks and has strong shooting power with both feet, which makes him dangerous all over the pitch. On Tuesday, Maloney will face a very similar player in Santi Cazorla, who offers a similar conducting role to Arsenal.

Santi Cazorla leads the team in games started this season (45) and has 12 goals and 9 assists. He is reliable, composed, and skilled like most aren’t, which makes him the ultimate playmaker on a team full of talent. His ability to read the match and see passes before they happen is uncanny and on Tuesday he will need to play very well in order to keep the ball away from a Wigan team who has shown the ability to counter attack with lethal effect.

2)   Callum McManaman vs. Nacho Monreal

Having started just 16 matches this season for Wigan, Callum McManaman is not usually the first player you think of when you think of Wigan Athletic. However, after tormenting Gael Clichy, a fast player in his own right, with pure pace and skill for 90 minutes in Saturday’s FA Cup final, McManaman could be a key player for Wigan in their race to avoid relegation. At the ripe age of 22, McManaman has 6 goals and 1 assist on the season, but his best attribute is running one-on-one at defenders and getting crosses into the box. With elite pace and skill, he has shown that giving him space can be suicide for a defender, so on Tuesday, it will be interesting to watch the approach of Arsenal’s left fullback, Nacho Monreal.

Since joining the Gunners from Málaga midseason, Monreal has found a comfortable spot at left fullback thanks to a combination of strong play and injuries to Kieran Gibbs. While he isn’t the fastest player in the world, Monreal does have elite gamesmanship that allows him to shut down opposing players, who may have superior ability. He will face a very tough test against McManaman on Tuesday and the battle between the two is certain to be a huge determinant of the outcome of the match and the destiny of each team.

3)   Arouna Koné vs. Laurent Koscielny

Although he didn’t have a stellar performance in the FA Cup final, Arouna Koné is a fantastic player, who can change a match with his superior physicality and speed. Koné has a knack for finding open spaces and making strong runs that put him into good scoring positions and has shown, with 13 goals and 7 assists on the season, the poise and class to finish strongly. On Tuesday, Koné will be up against a very strong and athletic defender in French international Laurent Koscielny and it should be fun to watch.

Koscielny has been solid for Arsenal all season from his spot at center back and while he can sometimes make costly mistakes, his overall effort and subsequent performance has been consistently commendable. On Tuesday, Koscielny will have the height advantage over Arouna Koné, but may be outmatched for speed. The battle between these two fantastic players will surely have an important impact on the final score.