Roberto Martinez feels Wigan's position may prove beneficial in the long run because their predicament is all too clear.
A 3-1 defeat by Tottenham on Tuesday left the Latics three points adrift at the bottom of the Barclays Premier League table and five points off safety.
There is no doubt about their target for the last 15 games of the season, and Martinez, who saw his side escape relegation on the final day of the last campaign, believes the single focus will help.
He said: "It's not where we are in the table now, it's where we're going to finish in May and what we do know is what we've been through in the last two seasons is not a position we want to be in.
"We all understand that we want to progress as a football club and get into a position where we can be an established Premier League team, but we're in a situation we have to get out of.
"We've got 15 opportunities to get as many points as we can and there's nothing else we can do. For me it's easier to be in this position rather than in another position in the table where you feel that you've achieved your aim and you haven't. We've got a really strong focus on the next game, for us Everton is a cup final in the middle of the season and we need to make sure we treat it that way."