Ryan Lowe assesses where Wigan Athletic are at after 'tough week' with improvement areas highlighted
Ryan Lowe admitted he may have to be tougher on his Wigan Athletic squad after Saturday's defeat to Cardiff City.
The Latics boss described his players as “a little bit too nice at times” and admitted he may need to be a bit harder on them to spark an improvement.
It was another frustrating afternoon for Wigan, who had hoped to bounce back after setbacks in both the league and the Carabao Cup leading up to the game. Cardiff’s early strike and late penalty proved decisive in a game where they dominated possession.
The defeat has left Lowe reflecting on what needs to change as his side looks to rediscover their early-season form, particularly at home. While he praised the attitude of his players, he stressed the importance of being more ruthless and admitted he may need to take a different approach in the dressing room.
“What I will say is that the lads are excellent lads, probably a little bit too nice at times for me,” Lowe said. “Maybe I need to give them a bit of a rocket now, knowing that I need to get into one or two of them to be a bit better.
“It just brings us back down to earth a bit, to where we are. We’re not quite there yet to try and forge our way to get into the play-offs and whatever else. Not many people will like hearing me say that, but it’s the truth.
“When we lose games like we have this past week, it shows there’s still a lot of work to be done. I’m not gullible enough to think we’re the finished article – definitely not.
“There have been some good games against good teams, good performances, and we’ve scored some good goals this season. But at the moment, we’re at the other end of that. It’s been a tough week, like I said.”
Some cause for optimism for Lowe was the returns of skipper Jason Kerr and striker Christian Saydee after an injury and suspension respectively.
“Jason came back today, and Christian, who was flagging a little bit towards the end, which is understandable when you’ve been missing games,” Lowe explained.
“When you’ve been missing games, you need to stay on top of your fitness, and he hasn’t played for a little while. It’s tough, but he gives us everything.
“Skip came back too after a niggling injury, which is a boost.”
While two returned, two of Lowe's squad did take knocks in the shape of Ryan Trevitt and Paul Mullin, forcing an early end to their afternoons.
There is no immediate update on Trevitt, but Mullin told reporters after the game he had rolled his ankle and was hoping to be okay.
The Wigan boss also pointed to a demanding fixture schedule as another factor, with his squad feeling the effects of playing twice a week for an extended period.
“The lads have been going Saturday-Tuesday, Saturday-Tuesday for a while now,” Lowe said.
“Some had a break and didn’t play on Tuesday, but they’re catching up in terms of minutes. Some of the lads need fitness and game time, so there’s a game here on Tuesday for the ones who haven’t played.
“Mulls rolled his ankle, and he said he could’ve carried on, but there was no point. He said it would’ve made it worse if he stayed on, and I don’t want that.
“Look, it is what it is – you get injuries in football. I’m just disappointed we didn’t give a better account of ourselves today against a very good team, because I believe we could have.”