Shaun Maloney admits Wigan should have beaten Norwich
Posted Sunday, February 19, 2023 by PA
Wigan boss Shaun Maloney felt his side deserved more than their point from a goalless draw against Sky Bet Championship play-off chasers Norwich.
The Latics extended their unbeaten run since Maloney took charge to four matches, although they have dropped back to the foot of the division following wins elsewhere for Huddersfield and Blackpool.
Maloney watched his men absolutely dominate the opening 45 minutes, only for Callum Lang (twice) and Will Keane to be superbly denied by Angus Gunn, with James McClean also firing narrowly off target.
The second half was a much more even affair, although neither side were able to fashion a worthwhile attempt on goal.
When asked whether he thought a draw was a fair result, Maloney replied: “Probably not.
“Although we had to defend more in the second half, we didn’t give up many opportunities.
“In the first half, we were very good and the only disappointing thing was not going in two or three goals up.
“They were great opportunities as well, I really did think we did enough to win that game in the first half.
“We showed another side of ourselves in the second half when we had to defend a bit more.
“So it’s mixed feelings looking back.
“I was really, really pleased with the players, they’ve been excellent since I came in.
“You could see in the last 10 minutes the team was getting very tired, we were dropping deeper and deeper.
“But our goalkeeper didn’t have a lot to do and that’s credit to the defence and the two lads in midfield who worked incredibly hard.
“The only difference between a good performance and a very good performance was in that final third.
“We have to be a bit more clinical with the chances we’re creating.
“Overall it’s been a positive start but that’s all it is and we go again on Monday.”
For Norwich manager David Wagner, it was very much a point gained after a disappointing display.
“Performance wise we were not good,” he acknowledged.
“As far as positives go, we got a clean sheet and how the players fought was positive.
“But in possession we made a lot of mistakes and we needed time to get into our rhythm.
“In the first half we were second best. The second half was better but we didn’t create a single clear-cut chance.
“So at the end of the day it’s a point, which we’ll take, but we know we have to do much better.
“We didn’t make enough right decisions, although the pitch didn’t help us either.
“I was pleased with the way we fought, that they wanted to fight against the problems they had.
“But football-wise we were not able to find the pockets or the space to hurt them but this is how it goes sometimes.
“We will not spend too long thinking about this game because there is always another game just around the corner.
“We have to make sure we perform better than we did and we will have to focus hard to do that.
“We go home with one point, we would have preferred three, but we will be aiming to get three points next.”
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