FIVE REASONS WHY WIGAN ATHLETIC WERE RELEGATED

Premier League: A look at the reasons why Wigan Athletic will start next season in the Championship.

Here are a few reasons why it happened - and how it happened.

1. Defence

In terms of defence, Wigan has had an awful season: out of 37 games played so far they have managed only five clean-sheets and have conceded a

massive 71 goals against all the teams, making them sit on top of the pile for most number of goals conceded - and the fewest clean-sheets kept in the 2012/13 Premier League season.

2. Not enough standout performers

Arouna Koné and Shaun Maloney were the only two standout performers for Wigan this season, with Koné popping up with 11 goals and adding five assists to his name, while his team-mate Maloney contributed eight assists and seven goals.

3. Lack of good signings

The Latics lost five players to free transfers at the beginning of the season - among them were important players like Mohammed Diame and

Hugo Rodallega. Meanwhile, selling important players like Victor Moses and Conor Sammon added a dent to the quality of the starting XI.

There were only a few notable signings, including Koné from Levante and Iván Ramis from Mallorca. The incoming players on loan from Manchester United and Arsenal, Angelo Henriquez and Ryo Miyaichi, hardly got any playing time.

4. Inconsistency

After losing some of their top performers in the transfer window, with a weak bench and an injured back-line, this was something that was bound to happen.

Wigan's most consistent performance came from the March to April, with three wins and a draw in the span of five games, earning a total of 10

points.

5. Injuries

Few of the established players at the back of the line were dealt with long-term injuries, which was huge blow to the Latics.

These included:

Ben Watson: injured from November 2012 to April 2013 with a fractured leg.

Paul Scharner: injured from August 2012 to October 2012 with an intraarticular ligament crack.

Antolín Alcaraz: injured from September 2012 to February 2013 with a groin injury.

Iván Ramis: injured from January 2013 to June 2013 with a cruciate ligament rupture.

Adrián López Rodríguez: injured from December 2012 to January 2013 with a hamstring injury.