Martínez's job could be under threat
Two weeks ago, the manager under pressure was Gerard Houllier. Following Aston Villa’s one-goal wins over Manchester City and Wigan Athletic, however, focus has pulled onto the Latics’ Spanish boss Roberto Martínez, who has returned just one point from two home games against bottom-half opposition. Like that, football can change, and Wigan, who are 18th despite having played two games more than the side directly above them, are now in deep trouble.
Martínez is a sympathetic character for many reasons. He comes across as magnanimous in defeat, likes his teams to keep the ball on the floor and play attractive football, and he prioritises goalscoring over a mean defence. These qualities make me think it would be a victory of good over footballing evil if Wigan were able to avoid the drop and stabilise properly in the Premier League. If he fails, or looks set to before someone like Sam Allardyce arrives and saves the day, it could be a backwards step for English football.
For the sake of a progressive, technical league, it’s important that the likes of Martínez succeed. If they don’t, they will each go down as a lesson. “We could pass it about like Wigan, but look what happened to them.” Never mind that Ian Holloway is currently enjoying considerable success with a similar ethos, the Pulis/Allardyce approach to Premier League survival is seen as very much the blueprint. Organise the defence and work on set-pieces, that should be enough.
I may be a bit of an idealist, but I think it’d be a great shame to see Martínez fall by the wayside. Young, ambitious and idealistic managers should be encouraged, or Premier League football might never escape the hooves of the agricultural sect.
