There are plenty of players who managers and fans love but FPL doesn’t often reward.
The industrious defensive midfielders (N’Golo Kante), the gritty defenders (Jamaal Lascelles), the hard-working forwards (Roberto Firmino). But Wilfried Zaha (£7.3m) always feels like an odd inclusion on that list.
Often plagued with adjectives like ‘mercurial’, ‘frustrating’ or ‘volatile’ rather than ‘reliable’, ‘solid’ or ‘consistent’, Zaha has previously seemed like the archetypal good player who wasn’t a good FPL asset.
Frequently mistrusted due to his apparent temperament issues or apparent lack of end product, after the Fulham fixture Zaha climbed to third in the midfielder rankings – ahead of the likes of James Rodriguez (£8.0m), Jack Grealish (£7.3m), Sadio Mane (£12.0m), Bruno Fernandes (£10.5m), Raheem Sterling (£11.6m) and Marcus Rashford (£9.5m) – and fifth overall, with Son Heung-min (£9.5m) and Mohamed Salah (£12.4m) the only midfielders outscoring him currently.
⚽️🅰️ & 3 points. Have a good weekend everyone!
— Wilfried Zaha (@wilfriedzaha) October 24, 2020
So why do FPL managers avoid him?
The Ivorian is often accused of missing end product. Beating a man once or twice with sumptuous skill, but then picking the wrong option: blazing over with a team-mate better placed, mishitting a cross, or going down a blind alley when an easy pass was on.
During his earlier career this perhaps held more weight. But in recent times, as he’s matured as a person and a player, his decision making, final ball and shooting have improved markedly, as demonstrated by his recent FPL points hauls.
In 2016/17, he scored nine and assisted seven: in 2017/18, he scored 10 and assisted 11; but last campaign his figures fell to just four goals and six assists, fuelling the aforementioned criticisms of a bad attitude, refusing to play as he wanted to leave, or even that he just wasn’t that good.
His blip last season fails to consider he was often the only bright spark in a very blunt Crystal Palace attack, creating numerous chances which were wasted, carrying the ball up the pitch superbly before opportunities fizzled out or referees refusing to award free kicks and penalties which could have led to chances, goals and FPL returns.
Against Manchester United at Selhurst Park, for example, he was taken out in the box without a penalty being awarded, and later set up a Jordan Ayew (£5.7m) goal before it was called back for a marginal offside – potentially giving him two assists and possible bonus points rather than the blank he eventually received.
Three seasons ago, two fantastic mazy dribbles set up late goals for Bakary Sako and James McArthur (£5.4m) in a stoppage-time turnaround as the Eagles beat Watford 2-1. But a rebound and deflection respectively meant he received only one FPL assist and a five-point return, despite, on the face of it, creating both. Good on the pitch, but not in FPL.
His returns last season were definitely disappointing for a player of his clear ability, but this was probably a result of intense transfer speculation and unsettlement rather than ‘refusing to play for the manager’ or ‘not caring’. If anything, his genuine and emotional outbursts on the field show he cares too much about his boyhood club, although only one (harsh) red card across his entire Premier League career officially blots his copybook.
A man transformed – is Zaha finally delivering on his obvious talent?
This season, though, with no bids lodged for him in the summer, he looks hungry, fresh, fit and firing. Roy Hodgson had no qualms giving him the captain’s armband for the first time, and in six games in 2020/21 he’s already scored more (five) than in the whole of last season (four).
He’s also listed as a midfielder despite usually playing up front in a 4-4-2 formation which gives him creative freedom and licence to roam, meaning he gains an extra point for clean sheets – Palace average ten per season in the last three years – and an extra point for goals, which seem to be arriving much more often of late.
He’s Crystal Palace’s talisman, playmaker, and with penalty-taker extraordinaire Luka Milivojevic (£5.7m) now looking like fourth-choice centre midfielder, Zaha takes spot-kicks too, scoring two from two in the Premier League with aplomb. Although Milivojevic did make his first start of the season last weekend.
His ‘Overall ICT Rank’ marks him as ninth out of 590, and four of his next five fixtures are marked two on the FPL Fixture Difficulty Ranking, making him an excellent short-term pick.
A reasonable price point, currently £7.3m, marks him as a good option instead of Aston Villa’s Grealish in midfield, cheaper than the likes of Chelsea’s Kai Havertz (£8.4m) or Christian Pulisic (£8.3m), and delivering returns like a premium midfield option.
Finally, a 24.3% ownership rate at the moment (although it will likely move upwards), reflects Zaha is finally showing his worth in the FPL arena as well as on the pitch.
