Wigan can upset Chelsea, says Martínez

Posted Friday, May 07, 2010 by theguardian.com

Wigan can upset Chelsea, says Martínez
Roberto Martínez insists his Wigan team can create 'special memories' against Chelsea on Sunday.

Roberto Martínez has said his Wigan Athletic team are determined to show the world at Stamford Bridge on Sunday that they can defy the odds for a fourth time this season by adding to their victories over Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal.

Sir Alex Ferguson has claimed Manchester United would be "clutching at straws" if they expected Wigan to give them a chance of the title by holding or defeating Chelsea, who will be champions if they win. But Martínez believes his players are capable of another major surprise.

"As a footballer, you play for the memories and the memories come by winning medals," the Wigan manager said. "But for our club to perform well when the whole football world is watching is going to give us special memories. Our season is finished but Sunday is something more special than that. It is about showing what we have learned and how we have defied the odds. Everyone expects Chelsea to turn up and win but it is more than just a game of football for us. Our youngsters could learn more in 90 minutes than they could in two or three years."

Martínez cited the 3-1 defeat of Chelsea at the DW Stadium in September, during which Petr Cech was sent off, as the moment his players started to believe that they could beat anyone. "We had a mental block before that game," he said. "We had played 24 times against a top-four side but had never won. That afternoon we had to realise that, if we were brave enough and good enough on the day, we should be able to beat anyone. What was pleasing was that we stopped them being Chelsea.

"We were the better side. We had a few chances in the first half and scored from a set play and in the second half, when Chelsea equalised, I felt it was a real test of how we would react. To finish the game and win got rid of that mental block that we would never beat a top-four side."

The omens, however, are not good. Wigan have won at Stamford Bridge before, but that was in the FA Cup in 1980 when Chelsea no more expected championships than Wigan dreamed of top-flight football. Martínez has broken Wigan's mental block against the Big Four but it is four years since they last won in London and of the five times the Premier League title has been live on the final afternoon only once, in 1995, has the side who were top going into the final day lost. And even then Blackburn kept first place because Manchester United only drew at West Ham.

"But we have nothing to lose," said Martínez. "We have a very young squad but they are arrogant – in the right manner. On our day we have proved we can beat anyone, although we have also proved we can lose to anyone.

"For me, the worst moment was losing 4-0 at Portsmouth [in October]. It was my lowest point. People ask me about losing 9-1 at Tottenham but we learned a lot that day and were probably able to beat teams like Liverpool and Arsenal after that because of that defeat. My proudest moment was actually beating Liverpool – we took them on face to face and tactically they are very strong."