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'A GOOD EXERCISE' SAYS MARTINEZ

Posted on: Thu 05 Aug 2010

Roberto says the game was the perfect exercise but there are lessons to be learned

Speaking after the 3-1 defeat to his former club Real Zaragoza, Wigan Athletic manager Roberto Martinez was pleased with the game as a fitness exercise.
"It was a very good exercise," said Martinez.

"Obviously Real Zaragoza are a side that tactically bring you something different, I just felt that we coped with it really, really well. "

Despite the exercise element of the game however the Wigan boss admits that there were areas that could be improved upon, but it was good to see his new faces fitting in.

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"It's been great to see players like Ronnie Stam and Antolin Alcaraz, Maynor Figueroa, players who have been away from the pre-season training camp, and they been able to be on the pitch and I'm really pleased with an individual exercise in terms of fitness.

"In every window we've got to look for a more competitive squad and we've got that.

"You've got the new players coming in and bringing something different so the competition for places is really high, and that's what we need to progress.

"To get better we need that sort of competition as well as the attitude.The characters that we've brought in, they're desperate to play for Wigan Athletic."

"As you've seen we've got good talent there but we need to improve in certain areas and we need to learn our lessons and games like today really help us to progress and to mature."

Zaragoza's third goal was a quality strike, but the manager says it's what you come to expect from such a good side.

"You're playing against a side full of quality and talent, the goals are going to be quality goals.

"But I felt there were a couple of mistakes in the build up and that's something that we need to avoid and we'll avoid that by learning from this experience."

Martinez now turns his attention the final pre-season friendly of pre-season against Dundee United this Sunday and has three days to prepare his side for another different type of test.

"Another important game, I think the way Dundee United play is a completely situation that the one we found tonight and that's exactly what we need, different dimensions, different problems on the pitch and we're really getting close now to being ready for the start of the season."