Martinez

Wigan boss Roberto Martinez has urged his players to forget about their 5-0 defeat to Manchester United as they travel to Blackpool in the Carling Cup.

The Latics face Ian Holloway’s side at Bloomfield Road on Wednesday night on the back of a drubbing at home to the defending Premier League champions on Saturday.

Wigan held off United for 56 minutes before a Wayne Rooney header sparked a five-goal rout in the second half as Martinez’s side let their concentration slip.

The former Swansea boss, however, insists that the result was not a fair reflection on the game and has backed his men to come back stronger after learning a ruthless lesson from Sir Alex Ferguson’s men.

Martinez said: “They are very mature and I think they are well aware it was not a 5-0.

“The distance you think with 5-0 is clear dominance with a team scoring early on and taking it from there, but the players know we were unfortunate not to score.

“We had a few chances and then after that the lesson to learn is that whatever happens on the scoreline it should not affect the way we play, our priorities or our jobs on the pitch.

“For an hour we were as good as Manchester United. Until United’s second goal we matched them very well.

“We weren’t trying to be defensive-minded. Probably after the second goal we just lost that mental strength you need on a football pitch and did not do the things we wanted to do, but overall we had many good things we could take with us.

“I don’t read into the result, I read into the performance and playing the way we did against the champions I am proud of the players.

“We are not in the same league as Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool – we have no right to beat these sides.

“What we want is to slowly, with games against them, get closer to them with the way we want to play.

“When you go face to face with one of the best teams in world football you can see where we need to improve to compete against other sides. I think we can get a lot out of it.”
Threat

Wigan travel to Bloomfield Road with one win from their opening three games in the Premier League while Championship side Blackpool have won two and lost two under new boss Holloway.

While Martinez is wary of the threat Blackpool offer, the Spaniard will nonetheless offer starting places to fringe players who have not yet had the chance to show him what they can do.

“Some of the players who worked hard in pre-season have been disappointed they have not had a chance but this is an opportunity for them to show they can win football games,” added the Latics boss.

“Every game is vital so we go in trying to win it but it always helps you to have all the squad ready.

“It is going to be a big challenge. I know Ian Holloway has changed Blackpool a lot.

“They are playing very different to the way they were playing last season and have been impressive.

“You can see they have been trying different things and have been hard to beat and probably they deserved a few more wins out of the games they have played.”