Exclusive – Martinez calls for leaders

Roberto Martinez is calling for new captain Gary Caldwell to lead from the front as Wigan aim to get their Premier League season up and running.

The Latics are still reeling from their 4-0 opening day hammering at the hands of Blackpool and they face a huge test on Saturday evening when they host champions Chelsea.

And Martinez is hoping his players have learned the lessons from last weekend, and has pinpointed Caldwell as the key to their improvement.

The former Celtic star was named as Wigan's new captain this week and Martinez told the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast: "There are not many leaders left in the game, they are a dying breed, and Gary Caldwell is one of those.

"It’s always good to have a big personality and a leader in the dressing room."

Caldwell faces a real baptism of fire as the on-pitch leader when Chelsea visit the DW Stadium on Saturday, with Martinez insisting his players need to get their act together.

He added: "We all know it’s difficult because we're playing against one of the best teams in Europe. But if we learned any lessons from the Blackpool game it's that it doesn't matter what the opposition do.

"It' what you do that counts, and if you're not good enough you'll get hurt. But if you do the basics right you have a chance to compete against anyone.

"And we will try to do that at the DW Stadium and make the fans proud of the team."

Don't forget, you can listen to live and exclusive match commentary of Wigan v Chelsea on Saturday from 5pm - only on talkSPORT.