Matchday three of the Championship brings us a number of interesting clashes that involve some of the big names. As the league is starting to shape up, it is important for clubs to find positive results and know about their opposition’s tactics at the same time. One of the clubs who are heading for a high finish is Leeds United and they travel to Wigan Athletic’s home ground this weekend.
Wigan got off to a good start as they completed a comeback over Cardiff City. But in their recent two matches, they were dominated and fell short against Preston. They were also on the other side of their tie with Stoke City in the EFL Cup. Although they have had a very exciting transfer window, the team are still finding their rhythm. When they welcome third-placed Leeds, a tough opponent is waiting for Paul Cook’s side.
On the other hand, the Yorkshire-based club Leeds United wanted to advance further than last season. They were close to an automatic promotion spot, but the lack of consistency cost them one of the two highest spots. This season, Marcelo Bielsa has kept the core from three months ago with the return of Jack Harrison and Jack Clarke. With an unbeaten start, they travel to the DW Stadium with high confidence.
This tactical analysis will provide an analysis of the upcoming match between Wigans and Leeds, and the tactics they may implement. Meanwhile, using statistics and their previous two matches, we will predict how Paul Cook and Marcelo Bielsa will line their respective sides up.
Team news and predicted lineups
Cook made ten changes to the side that played against Preston when they travelled to Stoke. That lineup saw the debuts of new signings like Charlie Mulgrew, Dujon Sterling and Bright Enobakhare. But against Leeds, one of the top sides in the Championship, the gaffer is certain to change his squad again.
The return of captain Sam Morsy is a huge boost to the side as the Egyptian midfielder missed Wigan’s first three matches. According to Cook, he has trained with the first-team squad and there is a possibility that he will appear on the bench. Meanwhile, Joe Williams also had a very good game against Stoke, but choosing the new signings for the clash against Leeds might not be the case here.
Still, Jamal Lowe could keep his spot in the lineup as he replaces veteran Anthony Pilkington on the left-hand side. Kieffer Moore is still waiting for his first start for Wigan and he might have an edging advantage over Joe Garner. But I went for Garner since he has the experience that Wigan need against Leeds. Chey Dunkley could also make his return to the side, replacing Danny Fox in the process.
Wigan (4-2-3-1, from left to right): (GK) David Marshall; (DF) Antonee Robinson, Cheyenne Dunkley, Cédric Kipré, Nathan Bryne; (CM) Lewis Macleod, Lee Evans; (AM) Jamal Lowe, Josh Windass, Michael Jacobs; (ST) Joe Garner.
For Bielsa, he tends not to reveal his team before the match to the press. But unfortunately, after denying that he will name the side in the pre-match conference, he just accidentally revealed to the journalists. He quoted: “But between you and me it’s the same team.”
This means he had confirmed Leeds’ starting lineup when they travelled to Wigan and it’s the exact same as their match against Nottingham Forest. Kiko Casilla, of course, remains in goal while Ben White continues his amazing start at Leeds with his fourth consecutive match alongside captain Liam Cooper.
In front of them, Kalvin Phillips plays in the role of a half-back and completes the midfield line that consists of Mateusz Klich and Adam Forshaw. Providing the goals for Leeds will be Patrick Bamford, who missed a few great chances against Forest, and is supported by Jack Harrison and Pablo Hernández. In terms of injuries, he had no fresh names to add to the list although Luke Ayling and Tyler Roberts will miss out on the match.
Leeds (4-1-4-1, from left to right): (GK) Kiko Casilla; (DF) Barry Douglas, Liam Cooper, Ben White, Stuart Dallas; (DM) Kalvin Phillips; (CM) Mateusz Klich, Adam Forshaw; (WF) Jack Harrison, Pablo Hernández; (ST) Patrick Bamford.
Wigans style of play
Wigan under Paul Cook have the tendency of playing high tempo football, especially in their attacks. They are quick on counter-attacks using long balls towards target man Garner. The former Rangers striker also plays a very important role in positional attacks alongside Windass.
Their positioning is crucial as it would drag the opposition’s defender back into their box. It creates spaces for pacey wingers like Lowe or Jacobs to capitalise. But with only four players located inside and near the 16-yard box, Wigan usually get suffocated when they attempt to approach the goal.
It’s also worth noticing that Windass plays in a role that is slightly below Garner, but he is usually the focal point in Wigan’s attack. The shot below shows one of the situations in their game against Cardiff that involved these two. As mentioned, Kipré or Macleod could choose to make long passes inside their half. The destination is usually Garner as they want to make the most out of his physicality.
Garner will drop deep in most situations, dragging along two centre-backs behind his back. Meanwhile, from a deeper starting position, Windass uses his pace to sprint into the spaces behind Cardiff’s defensive line. He picks up the header and approaches Etheridge’s goal in a matter of a second.
