Wilfreid Zaha - A Senior England Call Up
As you all know by now Wilfreid Zaha has been called up to the senior England squad against Sweden on Wednesday. I have some conflicting views on the whole Affair. I want to start by saying that I'm very proud of Wilf and it is something he deserves. From a young age he has been given a great deal of playing time in the Palace squad and the experience has helped him grow into a mature player and also a player who is quite different from most players we see in the Championship. To see a Crystal Palace called up to the England squad is quite special I am sure the last England call up we had was Andy Johnson and that was a great moment for us Palace fans. The fact that Wilf has been called up whilst he is still in the Championship shows his potential and I'm glad other managers see his potential and raw skill. Dougie Freedman saw a spark in him from an early age and he told Paul Hart to give him a run out in the squad and since then his match time grew and it has brought him to where he is now. I liked the way Dougie Freedman managed him and you could really tell Wilf looked up to Dougie and they had a decent friendship. Dougie Freedman really got the best out of Wilf and he helped mature him into the player he is today. We all know Ian Holloway rates him highly also and I hope they strike up a decent relationship and I know Holloway will be able to bring out even more in Wilf.
Now Zaha's skill lays in a few areas. Firstly his blistering pace is key to his game as he can turn defense into attack in a matter of seconds and this allows any team he is in to break away and become very dangerous on the counter attack. His other main skill is his talent at dribbling with the ball. He is fearless and he wants to take on 2 or 3 players at once and most of the time you'll see him wriggle between them and set himself up for a shot on goal or a simple pass. My main concern with Wilf can be his decision making as he tries to do too many players at times when he needs to lay the ball off. The other aspect of his game is the ball in the final third. This is a problem for many a winger who are similar to Wilfreid Zaha may it be Oxlade - Chamberlain or Aaron Lennon. This part of a players game will eventually come with time Wilf will know when to play that final ball and hopefully it will lead to even more assists. Zaha has only just turned 20 this weekend and he has along way to go before his game can get close to perfect but he is definitely on his way. Playing for England may help Wilf and it may even make him more hungry to succeed now the media spotlight is fulling on him. As a Palace fan we get to see him play week in and week out and we all know how good he really is, but now I have plastic fans asking me about Zaha and is he actually that good? I explain that he is the real deal and I am hoping he gets some decent playing time to show everyone how good he actually is. His ability to take on a player and beat him 9 times out of 10 is something special to watch, the way he moves on the ball is mesmerizing and he is just so quick with his skills and step overs.
Now Zaha was born in the Ivory Coast and he lived there until he was 3 years old and he then moved to the UK. Now Zaha has the opportunity to play for the Ivory Coast or England. It has been documented that Didier Drogba has called Zaha and he said he can play for the Ivory Coast in the up and coming African cup of nations. This will be tempting for Zaha as will be able to represent the country of his birth but the prospect of playing for England will be very tempting also. Wilf has lived in the UK most of his life and I have heard some rumors that Roy Hodgson has persuaded Zaha to continue with his England career and he will pick him for the 2014 World Cup. I would prefer Zaha to play for England as I am also an Englishmen and to me it seems the better prospect but I am a bit biased. As the game tomorrow against Sweden is only a friendly Wilf will be able to play for the Ivory Coast if he does indeed change his mind but tomorrow will be a special occasion for him. Other players have commented on how good he is, such as Daniel Strurridge and Sturridge knows what it is like to enter the England senior team from a young age. Do not miss the game tomorrow other wise you will regret it. It will be the perfect opportunity to see Wilf take on some of the worlds best players and not only that he will glide past them with ease.
With this massive media attention it puts some pressure on the Crystal Palace board. We all know that Wilf was creating quite a buzz and various clubs such as Arsenal, Man City and Liverpool have been looking at him but the recent England call up has turned the whole thing into a media frenzy. CPFC 2010 have said they will not sell Wilf for anything less then £20M and I think that is a fair estimate. This gives the board the chance to hopefully hang onto him until the end of the season and if we do not get promoted it is time to let him go. Wilf has expressed his desire to play in the Premiership and who would blame him. On that note he has also said he would be happy to do it with Palace but that tells me if we do not make it to the Premiership his time in a Palace shirt is well and truly up. If we do fail to achieve promotion we will have to let Wilf go but on the plus side it will be for a pretty penny.
All I can say now is good luck Wilf, show them what you are made of and do us Palace fans proud.
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