Martinez calls for team ethic

Wigan manager Roberto Martinez believes his players need to start knitting together sooner rather than later if they are to regain a winning mentality.

The Spaniard was alarmed at the way his side tumbled out of the Carling Cup at the second-round stage last night.

Goals from Ishmel Demontagnac, Ben Burgess, Charlie Adam and substitute Gary Taylor-Fletcher gave Coca-Cola Championship side Blackpool a comfortable 4-1 victory at Bloomfield Road.

Martinez made nine changes to the team that lost to Manchester United but the strategy backfired.

It was their third successive defeat after victory on the opening day against Aston Villa. Centre-back Antonio Amaya grabbed a consolation goal in stoppage-time on his debut but the damage had already been done.

Martinez said: “We can learn a lot from this defeat. We tried to show too much individually, we never played as a team and there is no excuse.”