Martinez tells Benitez relegation scrap is as tough as battle for the top four

08 March 2010 10:22
Roberto Martinez feels there is just as much pressure on him to keep Wigan in the Barclays Premier League this season as there is on Rafa Benitez to guide Liverpool to a top-four finish.   [LNB]The Reds travel to the DW Stadium looking for a victory that will take them back above Tottenham and Manchester City into the much-coveted final Champions League spot.  [LNB]A host of disappointing results has made it a testing campaign for their manager Benitez, who seemed to turn up the heat on himself before Christmas when he gave a guarantee his team would finish in the top four.   [LNB] Final push: Benitez[LNB]Survival fight: Martinez[LNB] Martinez, meanwhile, is having to deal with the stresses of a relegation dogfight at the other end of the table, and the Latics boss can see similarities between his own position and that of his fellow Spaniard.   [LNB]'Every football club has different expectations and, in that respect, you have the same pressure to achieve that aim,' said Martinez, whose team are without a win in seven Barclays Premier League outings and just a point above the drop zone.  [LNB] 'We all know Liverpool is a glamorous football club, it's got a great history and that brings added expectation. In that way, it is always going to be very demanding.   [LNB]'But, in our situation, we have been through a huge transitional period in terms of the way to play and the way to try to win football games.   [LNB]'Wigan are in a position now where we have to be successful in our aim of staying in the Premier League to allow us to go onto another level.   [LNB] Man to stop: Fernando Torres was on target as Liverpool won their last game against Blackburn while Wigan have not enjoyed a victory since January 16[LNB]'I'm sure, at Liverpool, in a way, they are fighting for the same aim - to try to get into that Champions League spot but then making sure that they can progress to a different level next campaign.   [LNB]'It's going to be a game where, for different reasons, the importance of the points is huge. It is vital for both sides that they are on top of their game.'[LNB]With Aston Villa also still very much in the running, the battle for fourth looks set to go right down to the wire, but Martinez feels that, having qualified for the Champions League so many times before, Liverpool's know-how should ultimately give them the edge over their rivals.   [LNB]'They have got great experience in trying to achieve the aim they are looking for and, whoever is going to have that composure and calmness in the next 10 or 11 games, which they have got, it's going to make a big difference,' Martinez said.   [LNB]'Looking at the Liverpool squad and the other squads around them, that position is theirs to lose.'[LNB] Wigan plotting summer move for Egypt full-back Ahmed Al-MuhammadiWhy Premier League bosses are going crazy for the inside-out wingersMido: I turned down £45k a week to prove myself at West HamLiverpool boss Rafa to use Aquilani sparingly during end of season run-inWIGAN ATHLETIC FC

Source: Daily_Mail