The league table can tell lies after just five games of the season, although both Wigan Athletic and Barnsley have reason to be concerned.
The sides could hardly have enjoyed better opening days as both deservedly beat teams coming down from the Premier League. The Latics saw off Cardiff City while the Tykes dispatched Fulham, and both looked to be on course to make mockery of pre-season predictions which had them set for a season of struggle.
Fast forward to the end of the month and those odds are looking rather more accurate again. Only a single point has been gained by either side since (Barnsley’s draw with fellow newly-promoted side Charlton Athletic), with the Yorkshire side conceding 10 goals in four games while their red-rose rivals have found the net only once.
They go into the weekend either side of the dotted line, and serious improvement will be needed from both to ensure they’re not grappling for the next eight months to keep out of the drop zone.
Wigan appear to be the greater source of concern, and boss Paul Cook is certainly worried. After last week’s 3-1 loss at QPR – a fifth defeat on the bounce in all competitions – he said he was at his “wits’ end” with his players and suggested he will soon see the sack if things do not improve. He is coming under scrutiny for his defensive tactics, with no sign that the three-man defence and lone striker approach is bringing reward.
Daniel Stendel’s high-energy, ultra-press approach worked deliciously for Barnsley in League One but has been rather easier for teams to swallow this season, culminating in Luton’s blitzing to end their long unbeaten league run at Oakwell last weekend.
There is great virtue in playing a youthful team (the average age of their starting XI has been under 23 years, the lowest in the division) but when things are not going right, they look out of their depth.
August may be just a little too early to talk about relegation ‘six-pointers’, but both managers need three points ahead of the international break.
Team news
Cook is keeping his cards close to his chest in regard to injury news, with the identities of a couple of players causing the Wigan manager concern ahead of the game being kept under wraps.
Kieffer Moore is racing to be fit in time for a reunion with the club he left at the beginning of the month as he recovers from a calf injury.
Moore formed a fearsome strike partnership with Cauley Woodrow for Barnsley last season, but the former Fulham forward is a confirmed absentee.
First-choice goalkeeper Samuel Radlinger has been ruled out with a knee injury until December, paving the way for Brad Collins to make a first league appearance for the club. Bambo Diaby is also out, with Finnish summer acquisition Aapo Halme likely to take his place at centre-back.
What the managers have said
Barnsley first team coach Chris Stern acknowledged the importance for both sides of bringing their poor runs of form to an end.
“They’re similar to us; they didn’t win in their last games,” he said of Wigan. “As well as us, it’s important to end the negative run and start a positive run, and we’ve prepared for them and expect them to be very strong - especially at home.
“They’re very solid at the back, don’t commit too many players forward and are always very secure, which will probably make things more difficult for us. But we mainly want to look at our game and keep the good things from the weekend, play positive and win the game."
After expressing major disappointment in his team after their defeat at QPR, Cook says that his Wigan side still needs time to gel.
“I think people expect magic. Unfortunately we have not got that magic dust,” he told Wigan Today.
“Our squad was put together very late. That is not as a criticism. It’s just how it is, to the point now where lads are still making their debuts and formations are coming up with players playing together for the first time.
“While we want the lads to do well, we must respect that it will take time.”