Blackpool boss believes crisis club Wigan Athletic are more dangerous than their league position suggests

Blackpool boss Neil Critchley believes tonight’s opponents Wigan Athletic are more dangerous than their current league position suggests.
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Blackpool boss Neil Critchley believes tonight’s opponents Wigan Athletic are more dangerous than their current league position suggests.

Despite losing just one of their last eight league games, the Latics remain rooted inside League One’s bottom four, albeit only a point off safety.

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Wigan, who remain in administration and are searching for a buyer, played out a goalless draw with Fleetwood Town at the weekend.

“If you looked at the last few results they’ve had, and they’re on a little unbeaten run, it tells you they’re not perhaps where they deserve to be,” Critchley said.

“I think they’re very dangerous opponents. You can easily look at the league and how many wins they’ve had and think the players have been affected by the club’s bad news.

“But when you watch the team play, their players play with no fear and they play as if they’ve got nothing to lose.

Wigan boss Leam RichardsonWigan boss Leam Richardson
Wigan boss Leam Richardson
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“They’ve got a lot of new players who haven’t been at the club previously so they’re not affected by the situation, they just see it as an opportunity to go and play and showcase themselves and that’s what they’re doing.

“They should have beaten Fleetwood on Saturday. They drew that game 0-0 and Fleetwood are a very good team with good players, so that shows you Wigan’s capabilities.”

Blackpool’s squad is currently decimated, with Critchley having to do without as many as nine players through a combination of Covid-19 and injuries.

Despite that, Blackpool’s head coach insists he has full faith in the players that remain available.

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“We stressed from day one that this season is going to be like no other season and we’re going to need every single one of the players to contribute if we’re going to be successful,” he added.

“Prior to Saturday’s game against Brighton when I was speaking to the players and staff, I told them one of the best feelings you can have as a coach is having full trust in the players that take to the pitch.

“You know exactly what you’re going to get from them in terms of their mentality and their character and that was evident in abundance on Saturday during a very difficult cup tie against Premier League opposition.

“It was a fantastic opportunity and experience for some of the younger lads from the academy to come and join the group.

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“One of my disappointments was that I was looking to get one of them on the pitch, but that didn’t quite happen. But I’m sure one or two more will be involved again at Wigan.”

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