Martinez puts Pep into step of Latics

If Pep Guardiola believed it was so hard presiding over the fates of Lionel Messi and company at the Nou Camp in recent weeks, he should have tried exchanging places with fellow Barcelona fan Roberto Martinez.

Martinez and his relegation-threatened Wigan side faced a seven-match sequence, featuring games against Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Newcastle, that had all but the most ardent Latics supporters expecting a similar fate to that suffered by Wolves — relegation long before season’s end.

Instead, an incredible run of 15 points from those available 21 climaxed in an amazing 4-0 humiliation of Newcastle at the DW Stadium on Saturday, thus ending a six-game winning run and placing a major dent in the Geordies’ Champions League dream.