Roberto Martinez backing Wigan to move away from the bottom of the table

Roberto Martinez: Wigan boss not worrying about position in the Premier League table

Wigan boss Roberto Martinez is not too downcast despite his side slipping back into the Premier League bottom three.

Martinez is dissatisfied with the total of 15 points his side have accrued after 16 games but still takes plenty of positives from their performances and says they take heart from the crowded nature of the lower end of the table.

They take on in-form Norwich on Saturday at Carrow Road and Martinez knows it will be a tough ask to take three points from a team that is unbeaten in nine league games.

"We are not happy with the points tally we have got, but we are not looking at the (positions in the) table because the small margins are showing - we have three teams divided by goal difference," Martinez said.

"In December, your position in the table only gives you an indication. I'm very happy with where we are in terms of the way we are performing and the strong football concepts we have shown.

"It is clear what we have to improve and I don't think we are very far away from turning our good performances into consistent, good scorelines.

"That is where the work is, and that work has to start now and go until the end of the season.

"The attitude of the players and some of the football this season has been consistently of the highest standard.

"But you look at Norwich's last nine league games and they have been competitive in every single one of them.

"They are unbeaten, they are capable of beating top teams at home and they are capable of going away from home and scoring four goals. They are a very difficult team to visit and we need to be well aware.

"You have to be at your best if you want to compete against this Norwich side. It is fair to say that they are in the best moment of their season in terms of confidence and belief, and that is going to be a real test."

Don't miss any live and exclusive football coverage this festive season. Click here to visit Sky Sports' Festive Calendar