Roberto Martinez claims it will be business as usual for his Wigan team this weekend, with there no plans to keep one eye on results elsewhere.
Latics boss focused on events that he can control
Roberto Martinez claims it will be business as usual for his Wigan team this weekend, with there no plans to keep one eye on results elsewhere.
The Latics will not return to Premier League action until Monday, by which time the majority of their relegation rivals will have taken in another fixture.
Should results go against them, Wigan will make the trip to North West rivals Blackburn looking anxiously over their shoulder.
Martinez insists he will not be looking for any favours from afar, though, with it his intention to keep his focus, and that of those around him, locked on events they can control.
"We're working. We'll train at the same time as the games are going on," he said of his plans.
"From our point of view we know that the next two games are vital for us. We can't look or rely on elsewhere because in football, when you rely on other results, nine out of 10 don't go your way.
"We understand what we have to do. We need to prepare for the game on Monday and make sure we are refreshed and ready for that. It's not a moment to look elsewhere - it's a moment to look into ourselves and get as many points as we can.
"When we finish the season, then we can start assessing how everything went."
Focus
But, despite Martinez's determination not to think about it, there is also a chance that come kick-off on Monday, Wigan could almost be assured of their top flight status.
Martinez insists he is refusing to give that much thought, and says his side have never looked at the league table this season - citing their wins over the likes of high-flying Arsenal, Manchester United and Newcastle as evidence that ignorance is bliss.
He added: "It (other results) still won't guarantee us anything or change anything. Believe me, we know that we need to concentrate on ourselves and forget about the table.
"I know it can sound a bit of a cliché but it is the truth. You can't be bottom of the table and go to places like we did and play in the manner that we did and pay attention to what is going on elsewhere.
"That's the approach we will have in the last two games. Whatever happens elsewhere, we haven't got enough points and that's the truth of it. And, until we get enough, we cannot switch off. That's our focus."
