Day 11 of the Crystal Palace Christmas Calendar sees us take a look at Wilfried Zaha.
Without doubt the crown jewel of Roy Hodgson’s outfit.
Judging by the statistics, Palace simply don’t win without him. That burden seems to be weighing on the Ivorian.
He started like a steam train with three goals in four games and justified his huge wages that came his way upon signing his new contract.
Christian Benteke picking up an injury was bad news for Zaha.
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Thrusted in a more advanced role, he found himself playing the focal point, the target man, the escape route, and the spark from midfield. A job too big for even the sublime Zaha.
With Palace seemingly unable to pick up any points, even when they’re playing well according to Roy Hodgson, you feel Zaha is getting more and more frustrated.
Visits to Chelsea and Brighton stand-out where he came in for some expected hostile treatment. Opposition fans chants of, "he's going to cry in a minute," were justified. He cut the figure of a man who knew he and only he would get the Eagles anything from the game. That’s too much responsibility for the 26-year-old.
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He’s not scored since the middle of September, a frightening statistic considering he’s playing as a striker alongside Andros Townsend.
Palace’s form can’t be down to Zaha alone. It’s obvious to see he loves the club, and gives his all for them, but sometimes you get the feeling he’s fighting a losing battle at the club.
I’ve taught myself to always get up and go again no matter how hard the situation may seem! Your dream dies when you let it 💭 pic.twitter.com/lBRWJq0iy5
— Wilfried Zaha (@wilfriedzaha) December 6, 2018
The sooner Benteke or Connor Wickham return to action the better in regards to Zaha.
For as good as he is, he needs some help fighting this relegation battle.
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