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Wigan Athletic have started the season in very similar style to how they performed for most of last campaign, with the Latics' form at the DW Stadium helping them stay clear of the relegation places and their away form holding them back from pushing further up the table.

Paul Cook's side have won three of their opening five games at home, with a 2-0 defeat against Leeds United the only set-back on home soil so far, and Wigan have collected ten of their eleven points at the DW Stadium following two successive home wins against Charlton Athletic and Birmingham City.

However, in a similar fashion to last season Wigan just can not seem to find a formula to replicate their home form away from the DW Stadium, with the Latics suffering defeats at Preston North End, Middlesbrough, Queens Park Rangers and Fulham, picking up just a single point in a draw 2-2 draw at Hull City.

Wigan's poor away form at the start of the season has extended Cook's sides record to just one win in their last 27 away matches in all competitions, and they have avoided defeat in just seven of those games, which includes their only win in that period a 2-1 success at Leeds in April.

That makes for alarming reading and suggests that Cook must find a way of tweaking something to help his side begin to be more reliable on their travels, with the Latics putting in some very inconsistent displays halting their prospects of managing to build up confidence of managing to win games away from home.

Wigan's 2-0 defeat at Fulham in their last match away from home highlighted a major issue for the Latics, with Cook electing to start with a 4-2-3-1 formation with Lee Evans playing off Kieffer Moore and leaving Sam Morsy and Joe Williams to protect the back four, which allowed the hosts to gain control of the midfield and push the Latics back for long periods.

Cook has set his team up in a similar fashion for most of Wigan's games this season, and at home it works effectively with the Latics able to have more of a goal threat when in possession with a midfielder playing more advanced, but away from home when they have less of the ball and need to focus more on containing the opposition they are leaving themselves too open in midfield at times.

Therefore, it could be wise for Cook to consider altering his tactics away from home and lining up with a more defensive minded three man midfield, with Lewis MacLeod more than capable of filling in alongside Williams and Morsy, which would allow a solid base for the likes of Jamal Lowe and Michael Jacobs to look to attack from and supply Moore on the counter.

Whether or not Cook does make a slight tweak to his tactics for Saturday's trip to Sheffield Wednesday it is vital that the Latics manage to pick up a result to help restore their confidence on their travels.