Wigan winger James McClean has insisted that Wigan can bounce back and tame free- scoring Watford when the two sides meet at Vicarage Road tomorrow.
The Latics are playing their fourth game in nine days and face a Watford side that have scored 19 goals so far this season.
Despite the 5-0 thrashing by Manchester City in midweek the 24-year-old is confident that the players are ready for every game their busy schedule can throw at them.
“We’ve had a lot of games coming thick and fast and I think that’s the benefit of having a big squad with lots of quality in it,” he told the club website.
“It was a good result in the Europa League because we didn’t concede, but I think we should have won the game and maybe taken it to our opponents a bit more.
“The League Cup was disappointing”, added McClean.
Despite the cup disappointment McClean was well aware that the Latics were beaten by a world class team.
“Manchester City are a great side with some of the best players in the world,” He said.
“The games only continue to come at us now, but we want that because it will help us to get into the groove a bit more.
“Whoever is called upon whether it be in the league, the cup or the Europa League you can be sure we’ll be ready.”
The Republic of Ireland international is also confident that Wigan can match Watford’s attacking prowess.
“I saw a lot of Watford last season and of course they’re doing very well again this season.
“They move the ball well, they play nice football and they’re a good attacking side, but the quality we have in our squad should give us the belief to do the same thing.
“We want to win every game we go into, that should always be the aim no matter who we’re playing against.”
McClean added that defending as a team will be needed, but that Latics will also look to play their own game, saying:
“Watford score a lot of goals so we’ll need to be good defensively, but we got a clean sheet in Belgium and against Ipswich so we’re only looking to build on that and make sure we do the same things in the right way.
“We’ve always got pace and power in the team and trickery too and that’s always good to have no matter who you’re playing, it allows us to play the way we want to.”
Latics’ boss Owen Coyle will once again be without Shaun Maloney.
The 30-year-old Scottish midfielder has seen a specialist about the back injury he picked up playing for his country and is not expected back in the near future.
Marc-Antoine Fortune is available and, with the continued absence of Grant Holt, is Coyle’s only recognised striking option.
Image courtesy of extratime.ie ,with thanks
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