Life at Wigan Athletic is never simple, nor is it quiet or boring or free of talking points and conversations.

There will always be things to chat about, it’s part of why this website has the name it does, and this season has been no different in terms of the industrial-like production of topics that get people talking.

I haven’t been able to produce as much content as I would have liked so far this season due to other journalistic commitments but as the halfway mark in our season approaches it feels like the right time to talk about Latics, the club that never sleeps.

I’ll be discussing and grading the performances of all the players so far, my thoughts on where we stand with them going into the January transfer window and what the squad might be missing.

There will also be some reaction to some of the most notable tactical observations I’ve made this season, what I think has worked and what hasn’t, what we could look to do moving forward and what I’ve made of Shaun Maloney’s (nearly) first year in charge.

It’s been a long time since the last one so we’re going all out here, I hope you enjoy!

Player Review

So far this season we have used 25 players in League One, as well as a few extra youngsters in the cup competitions.

I’ll only be talking about the players with league minutes as it feels slightly unfair to rate a Ben Amos or a James Carragher based on their very limited game time.

Sam Tickle – 9/10

What a player this lad will become, and what a player he is now! The 21-year-old academy graduate has played all 21 league games, kept six clean sheets and made more saves than any other goalkeeper in the division with 74. While that last stat isn’t great for the team at all (more on that later) it shows how superb our young keeper is, and when you add in his borderline mental bravery and quality distribution it’s no wonder he has received two England u21 callups. He’s one of the best in the league for his position and I hope he’s ours for many more years.

Harry McHugh – 5/10

Something of a breakout season for the versatile youngster who made his first league start in December. Difficult to really grade him particularly high or low given the small amount of minutes played but he’s not done much wrong in a Latics shirt so far. His ability to invert as a RB is a big plus and I think he’s done it very well at times considering it’s an incredibly advanced role. Would like to see him loaned out this month for regular games but doubt that’ll happen given our injury record. A promising start to a promising career.

Steven Sessengon – 6.5/10

Steven was a signing that I called for us to make over on Twitter (X), so naturally I was delighted when he came in. His time at the club started slowly as he built up his fitness but we’ve seen some really good performances from the 23-year-old. His versatility is very useful although I much prefer him at RWB than anywhere else, and you have to think the best is still to come from him. If we can keep him fit I have no doubt he’ll be a regular and from there we could see a real breakout star. Solid if unspectacular, but a wonderful signing that will keep getting better.

Sean Clare – 7/10

Another sensible transfer pick (yes I’m banging on about it again) and another who has made a very nice start to his Latics career. His profile is such a rare one which makes him even more valuable; he can play RCB in a three, a RB who inverts or holds his shape, or a RWB in the more traditional sense. My biggest worry is he’s prone to some real off days but more often than not he’s a solid 7/10 which is what you want from one of the most senior players in the team. He’s a member of the leadership team and a key first team player who’s done very well for himself.

Charlie Hughes – 9/10

The best player at the club, in fact he’s probably the best we’ve had since Reece James. At 20-years-old he’s approaching a half century of games for the club, has captained us several times and has received international recognition this season. I could go on forever about how highly I rate him and I have no doubt we’ll sell him straight into the Premier League for a hefty fee, because he’s rapidly approaching that level already. When we want to play ‘the Wigan way’ (again more on that later) he’s key to that, as he is to basically everything we do. Starboy.

Liam Morrison – 7.5/10

Another youngster who has made a name for himself this season, although unfortunately he’s not our player permanently. Our first summer signing, on loan from Bayern Munich, and you can tell he’s had that footballing education when you watch him. He’s very composed on the ball and keeps possession very well, albeit I do think he’s not brave enough with his passes. If he can up his progressive passing numbers it’ll make our build-up much smoother and should make him a key name on the team sheet. Our second best CB in my opinion and he should start when fit.

Omar Rekik – 6/10

The first one that isn’t mainly positive, albeit by no means the biggest disappointment of the season. I did think when we signed him that it was a ridiculous coup for the level given his impressive spell at the club last season, but I haven’t been blown away by any means. He’s still very sound on the ball but often gets caught out physically and seems to have an error in him. His loan expires in January and while I’d obviously be happy to have him back I do think the returns of Jason Kerr and James Carragher mean we aren’t desperate for him to stay.

Kell Watts – 6.5/10

Another returning loanee CB who hasn’t necessarily pulled up any trees on his second spell at the club. That being said I have noticed some improvements in his game, particularly on the ball although he does still look uncomfortable playing out at times. I maintain that he’s a player with the potential to play Championship football, his defensive game is good and his physicality has increased too. I wanted us to sign him in the summer and I still hope it’ll turn permanent next summer. Very much room for improvement still though which I’d say is encouraging.

Tom Pearce – 6.5/10

I don’t think there was a more in-form player than Tom Pearce after four games. He’d fixed up defensively and was lethal going forward, linking up with Charlie Wyke to help kickstart our season. However, his inability to rediscover those performances in most games afterwards means a fairly harsh rating for the 25-year-old. Unfortunately he’s suffered a nasty injury and won’t feature for a few months, a real problem given our complete lack of alternatives at LB. There’s potential there but he’s experienced now and we need to see consistency upon his return.

Jordan Jones – 8/10

What a story this is. For two years Jordan Jones was Wigan Athletic’s forgotten man, so much so that one of this website’s first ever articles was discussing his strange absence. At the beginning of the season it was more of the same, but his introduction as a LWB / LM hybrid in our 343 system has brought the best out of him and he’s one of the first names on the team sheet. He’s had chances on the wing too and definitely offers something there, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a new contract offered to him soon. We might want to offer a smaller wage though!

Matt Smith – 8/10

Oh Matt Smith how I long for your return from injury. One of the best signings we made in the summer, I think long term we’ll look back on it as one of the best of recent years, but we’ve been robbed of seeing the best of him due to a hernia problem and complications following surgery. He’s instrumental to our possession based football, offers unmatched creativity in centre midfield and was actually better defensively than I expected. When he returns we’ll be a much much better side, and believe me I’m counting down the days.

Baba Adeeko – 8/10

Considering this is Baba Adeeko’s first season of senior football it’s only fair to give him such a strong rating. He started the season brilliantly and made himself one of the first names on the team sheet thanks to his tireless running and out-of-possession work. He’s tidy on the ball but has plenty of work to do in terms of his creativity, a side of his game that is incredibly limited. It’s no secret that he looked much better alongside the more creative Matt Smith, and I feel like his recent performances prove he needs a rest. He’s still had a remarkable breakout season though.

Scott Smith – 8/10

In the summer it felt like this season was make or break for Scott Smith’s Latics career. The Wiganner has been around the first team for years without ever breaking through, in my opinion mainly down to his extremely limited technical game. However, he’s clearly put so much work into that aspect of things because he’s so so tidy nowadays, as well as having that gritty aggression that is always great in a CM. I’d like to see him partner Liam Shaw until Matt Smith is back, then we can see what the Smiths can do in our midfield. Well I wonder…

Liam Shaw – 7.5/10

A loanee that I’m extremely hopeful becomes a permanent member of the Latics squad in the summer. He had a slightly slow start to life at the club but in the last month or so has seen plenty more game time and is proving why he came with such high regard. Great size and energy in the midfield, very efficient technically and quite handy in both boxes despite not seeing the best of him in either just yet. I can see him having a very big part to play in 2024. The day he lines up next to Matt Smith will be a great one.

James Balagizi – 4.5/10

I think it’s fair to say this loan move hasn’t worked out for anyone involved. James Balagizi arrived relatively unknown despite seemingly being highly thought of at Liverpool, but he simply hasn’t made an impact at Latics. I’ve always got the impression that he’s trying too hard to make an impact and by doing so is either far too safe with his play, or needlessly forces the impossible. There have been glimpses of quality but he’s way down the pecking order and should probably have his loan ended.

Thelo Aasgaard – 6.5/10

I really thought this would be the year for Thelo to prove himself as the mercurial talent that he can be, and for sure we’ve seen glimpses of it. However, particularly at the start of the season we didn’t see enough of it and therefore his rating will be on the lower side. After his return from injury we’re starting to see him used correctly, in central areas where he can get on the ball more and create havoc. He’s another that will have a big part to play in 2024 and should be looking at double figure goal involvements minimum.

Callum Lang – 5/10

Another player who has underwhelmed given what was expected of him coming into this season. The last time Callum Lang played in League One he was one the division’s top scorers from the wing, a key part of us winning the title and made himself highly sought after. This time around he’s been anonymous more often than not, used completely incorrectly as a number 10 and just hasn’t done enough given his quality. It’s very simple for me. Play him on the right, don’t give him any creative responsibilities and let him score goals. If you’re not going to do that, cash in…

Chris Sze – 6/10

I’ve been a big fan of Chris Sze’s cameos this season and I’m glad he’s getting a decent shot in the first team. He’s wonderful with the ball at his feet, his first thought is always forward and in the number 10 role I think he should only be behind Thelo Aasgaard in the pecking order. His physicality seems to be a question mark for a lot of people but that shouldn’t stop him from getting good game time and making an impact. A loan move into League Two could benefit him but as with Harry McHugh I can’t see us parting with him given our small squad.

Jonny Smith – 5.5/10

The first of my ‘Sensible Transfer’ picks to actually join the club in real life, although it’s fair to say he hasn’t quite hit the heights I would’ve hoped. Struggled with an injury at the start of the season and by the time he returned there were several players ahead of him in the wide areas. In recent weeks we’ve started to see the best of him, none more so than the Barnsley game when he looked electric from the outset and scored an absolute worldie to earn us a point. That left-footed right wing profile is rare so he’s worth keeping around, especially once he hits form.

Callum McManaman – 7.5/10

If I’m honest I was one of the doubters of this move when it happened in the summer. I assumed he’d be a pretty much ‘last resort’ winger for us but as it turns out he’s been one of our best performing wide players and has won us two games on his own off the bench. It’s turned out to be an inspired signing and I’m so glad to see him enjoying and contributing to life at Latics once again. Off the bench he’s absolutely lethal and I think he has a few more match-winning performances left in him yet.

Martial Godo – 9/10

What a signing this has turned out to be. Quick, skilful, creative, hard-working and technically great, Martial Godo has unquestionably got Premier League potential. His attributes are vital in helping us break down low blocks while also allowing us to play on the counter attack. We struggled while he was out injured but he’s back now and I’m hoping we can keep him fit until the end of the season as he’s brilliant. Make the most of him while he’s here because he’s destined for the Championship at the very least next year. Serious player.

Stephen Humphrys – 8.5/10

I’m so so glad that we’ve been able to see the best of Stephen Humphrys because he’s someone I’ve wanted to come good for so long at Latics. To have a player who can play anywhere in the front line, use both feet equally well and is both quick and strong is so rare, especially in League One. He’s scored goals cutting in from both wings, is a threat running in behind and provides us with added threat from set pieces (not penalties though)! I’m desperate for us to sign him up to a new contract as he’s irreplaceable, so keep your fingers crossed for that.

Charlie Wyke – 7/10

Similar to Tom Pearce this rating would’ve been considerably higher earlier on in the season. He set the division on fire in August with six goals but for several reasons he hasn’t been able to rediscover that form since. He can only really play in our 4231 system as he needs service from wide areas and more legs around him, and we’ve only recently returned to playing that. I’m guessing this will be his last season at the club as we can’t afford his wages so let’s hope it ends nicely for him. If anyone deserves that it’s him.

Josh Magennis – 5/10

Latics’ club captain seems to have a really positive impact off the pitch which is just as well given the fact he’s been unable to make much of one on it this season. His profile doesn’t suit how we play and while there have been some solid performances, Carlisle at home mainly, it’s painfully obvious that he’s only at the club because of his off-field work. He’s missed some gilt-edged chances, mainly in the Barnsley away game, and the worrying thing is it’s not really surprising. However, he’s clearly important in the dressing room and we need his experience for sure.

Josh Stones – 6/10

Arguably the most promising ‘unestablished’ youngster at the club right now, albeit having spent a few weeks smashing goals in on loan at Oldham. Unfortunately looks likely to miss most of the season with a foot injury but we’ve seen enough glimpses of him to suggest he’ll be a big player for us next season. He’s got the physicality to lead the line for us, there’s some rough edges to him technically but another year of development will iron those out and we should have an incredible striker on our hands in a few years time.

System Review

I’ve rated the players but as is ever increasingly the case in football, the system they play in is important in allowing them to perform to their best.

We’ve only really used two formations this year but both have had several different intricacies. I’m going to take a look at a few of those now, grading included.

The 4-2-3-1 (Out Of Possession) – 5.5/10

First up is the formation we’ve probably used the most, it’s what we started the season with and it’s what we’ve reverted to in recent games.

But is the 4-2-3-1 really our best formation? Out of possession I’d suggest absolutely not, but naturally given the fact it has more players at the top end of the pitch it allows us to play some more exciting football. That of course comes with limitations but we’ve had some brilliant moments playing this system and it’s what I expect us to play more often than not.

Off the ball it tends to look like this, with the 10 joining the front line of the press to create a sort of 4-2-4 shape. As is the case with every system and every game there are plenty of minor tweaks but it’d take me forever to cover that so this is a slightly simplistic, general analysis.

A theme with all of our OOP play is the gaps between our first line of defence (the attackers) and the rest of the side. When we press it tends to be with our front four, making it very easy to bypass with a longer pass or just decent combination play from our opponents. I understand why we don’t commit all our players forward in a ‘Gegenpressing’ way but our reluctance to leave our low-mid block means a lot of space between our lines.

The narrowness of our defence makes us relatively solid defending the box but does encourage lots of crosses and long shots. We concede lots of xG per game, as well as the most crosses against (22.6) and shots (15.2) per 90. In no way is that good and if it doesn’t improve we’ll tumble down the league. I have absolutely no doubts about that and it’s worrying.

The 4-2-3-1 out of possession needs so much work. Most of the issues would be solved by committing to either an aggressive press that sees our defensive line push up 10 yards higher when we trigger a press, or we commit to a low block and focus on limiting space, shooting opportunities and really dig in. Our players suit the high press more and while it has more margin for error I just don’t think this 50/50 plan does much for us.

4-2-3-1 (2-3-5 in possession) – 7.5/10

This is what we started the season with and there’s no denying it had us playing some lovely football and creating a solid amount of chances every game. We inverted our right back to sit alongside our double pivot, while our LB flew forward to make up part of a front five. It was fluid, aggressive and successful. Out of possession it was a disaster but let’s forget about that for now, I’ve already had my rant above!

This system falls down without Matt Smith, because the lack of a deep-lying midfielder who keeps things ticking along kills all control and if this system needs one thing it’s control. Losing possession with essentially a back two is very problematic so it’s no surprise we dominated the ball when using this.

We used it at Bolton to great effect although there was considerably less inverting from the RB, again as I mentioned there are differences game in game out.

The key to a system is getting your players to do what they’re good at more often than not and I think this system lends itself to that quite nicely. Tom Pearce as that aggressive LB, Sean Clare inverting, Matt Smith as the metronomic playmaker, Thelo Aasgaard as the half-space monster and Charlie Wyke as the focal point goal getter. It works and with a few tweaks could be ace.

4-2-3-1 (3-2-5 in possession) – 8/10

After we started conceding too many chances and goals a change was made. The signing of Omar Rekik and the nightmare on Blackpool beach that Tom Pearce lived through saw us move to a back three on the ball, with our RB continuing to invert and one of our 6s becoming a more aggressive 8/10.

It definitely helped us defend against transitions but this is me discussing it’s work with the ball…

It was good. Deeper build up took the pressure off Matt Smith as we could draw teams out more and leave our midfielders with more space, although it did make the distances between our middle line a bit stretched. The two 8/10s in front offered line breaking running ability and vertical passing options for our ‘sitters’ as part of the above shown box midfield.

It also gave us the ability to play two natural wingers who were tasked with providing width, and it’s what gave us the birth of Martial Godo and Stephen Humphrys as our two key wide men. The Cambridge home game was it’s debut and Humphrys scored a goal cutting in off the right having been found by Charlie Hughes, whose passing lane as a RCB into the RW was opened up by the lack of an extra player in front of him.

It had it’s plus points but we started getting injury problems before we could see it consistently and that’s a real shame. If we are to use the 4-2-3-1 as our main system this should be the in possession variant we use. Just bloody press higher with it!

It was also just used in the Carlisle home game to great effect so watch this space.

Overall 4-2-3-1 Rating – 7/10

The 3-4-3 (Out Of Possession) – 8/10

As you can imagine when we play with an extra defender it makes us considerably more solid off the ball. Four of the seven league clean sheets we’ve kept this season have been with a back 3/5, and even in the games where we didn’t use it all the way through we have been known to change to this system to see games out.

It’s the system that saw us end our torrid run in September and October, winning three games in a row 2-0. It’s the formation I wanted us to play at the start of the season as I think it suits our squad the best, but due to injuries I don’t think we’ve ever been able to use it properly. It also helps out our inexperienced defenders using the ‘strength in numbers’ theory!

As you can see there’s less space in central areas so does make us stronger when defending our box. Again though my main problem with this system is the half and half press / block we always seem to employ with it. The two midfielders essentially form a back seven against the ball, so if our front three are applying pressure up the pitch it’s so so so easy to bypass them.

You’d think that given the security of an extra defender that we might be more aggressive using this system but so far that hasn’t tended to be the case. We have the fewest ‘high turnovers’ in the league with 96, 24 less than the next lowest. We also allow the most passes against per defensive action (PPDA) which again leads to the high number of shots we face.

I definitely feel more secure playing this way though and it’s undoubtedly the best OOP system we have, so much so that we’ve even started to see us play 4-2-3-1 on the ball and 5-2-3 off it. I think that gets the best of both worlds.

3-4-3 (In Possession) – 6.5/10

Similarly to the aforementioned 3-2-5 in possession, our use of the 3-4-3 has come in the middle of our injury crisis and some players haven’t featured in it at all. Matt Smith is the obvious one and he’ll definitely improve our efficiency on the ball when playing this way, while someone like Jason Kerr will definitely work well in it too.

Equally the likes of Martial Godo as that LW, and Thelo Aasgaard as the creative false nine causing havoc for opposition markers. Both of those were key to our run of 2-0 wins but got injured and haven’t really featured together since. When they’re both fully fit and playing in this system with Matt Smith in midfield this system could shine.

It relies on a lot of movement and well drilled patterns of play because there are fewer attacking players on the pitch. The profiles we have at LWB (Jones, Pearce) tend to mean they bomb on and hold their width, but when Steven Sessengon plays there he’ll usually invert and Sean Clare will be the wider wing back. It’s all very fluid and is probably still a while away from full clicking.

But I do like it. I think we will continue to see it used despite the 4-2-3-1 being the favoured system in possession, but for sure this is the way forward from a defensive point of view. We’ve got two solid systems on the go and having a ‘Plan B’ is never a bad thing, albeit I hope our Plan A works all the time!

I seem to be saying it a lot but it’ll only be fairly judgeable when our injured players return. I can’t wait to see the evolution of our tactics under Shaun Maloney, and I hope the next step is becoming a more front footed side off the ball. To me that’s key to us taking the step from your average League One team (which I’m more than happy to be this season) to a side capable of mixing it with the best next season.

Overall 3-4-3 Rating – 7/10

Some January Musings

The fact of the matter is there’s not an awful lot that we can do this month in the transfer window. Our restrictions mean there will be no money spent on transfers, while the fact that we have six loan players means right now it seems unlikely that any more will come in. Our best bet is signing out of favour players who mutually agree to terminate their contracts with their current clubs, but that’s a fairly unlikely prospect.

First things first I’d be ending the loan of James Balagizi as he simply hasn’t done enough to justify keeping him around. We’ve got a decent selection of players with his profile so that’s a no-brainer for me.

That leaves us with five loanees, and considering that’s the limit for a match day squad we may well stop there. Omar Rekik is supposed to be returning to Arsenal which would leave us with four, but that seems to be taking longer than expected to be announced.

Kell Watts is another loanee who could be sent back but I’d like to keep him with view of signing him permanently for nothing in the summer. That way we have our LCB profile sorted out without having to struggle in the market for one.

Liam Shaw is another one that could well be a Latics player for good in the summer so there’s no danger of him seeing his loan cut short, while Liam Morrison and Martial Godo are two of our best players and won’t be going anywhere.

I’ll work on the basis that we’ll lose Balagizi and Rekik, leaving our squad composition looking something like this:

I think it leaves us short of an experienced head either at CB or CM so that’s absolutely where I’d look for in the market.

Martin Kelly is the obvious one and he’s reportedly free to leave West Brom. Other options that I’m fond of at CB include:

Patrick Bauer (Preston), Ciaran Clark (Stoke), Liam Moore (Free Agent) and Scott Dann (Free Agent).

All vastly experienced EFL campaigners who won’t cost much in terms of wages and should be willing to join for game time. No brainers for me.

A midfield general who has been there and done it would be another solution to our inexperience problem. Again a list of options I’ve thought up include:

Jack Price (Free Agent), Luke Freeman (Free Agent), James McCarthy (Celtic), Lee Evans (Ipswich) and Greg Docherty (Hull).

Another group of experienced player, all technically sound who can sit and control games from deep positions. I’d again be happy with any of them.

Other positions would be nice but it depends on our loan situation. Say we sign Scott Dann and Jack Price, both free agents, then perhaps looking for a loan striker with a Josh Stones esque profile would be good.

Michael Mellon at Morecambe is the best bet for that while youngsters like Dane Scarlett or Joe Hugill could be nice temporary options too.

It’ll be an interesting month and I wouldn’t be fooled by the relatively quiet start. I’m fairly confident our squad will look different this time next month.

Final Thoughts

There you have it then, my thoughts on the squad, the systems and the transfer window ahead. I’m thinking of doing a comment piece on the current state of our off-field affairs at the club too so let me know if that would be of interest to you.

All things considered it’s been a good season for us so far. We obviously need to keep pulling away from the relegation zone as quickly as possible but there’s no doubt that League One has 6-8 teams worse than us who are at more risk than ourselves.

What I hope the next few months bring is more good football, more youth involvement and hopefully a few cup runs that can bring more supporters into the ground. That would be nice wouldn’t it, and sounds easy enough…

Therefore it will never happen because this is Wigan and we don’t do things that way.