Zaha’s evolution into a winner comes down to mental growth

Should Crystal Palace secure Premier League survival this weekend against Leicester City, Roy Hodgson can reflect on a job well done after taking over a club reeling from the brief but fairly destructive reign of Frank de Boer.

But while Hodgson has helped steady the ship, few would argue that Wilfried Zaha wasn’t ultimately the key man in Palace’s turnaround.

This has been the season that established Zaha as a top-tier talent. His critics linger, focused on a failed move to Manchester United as a teenager and with little patience for the fancy footwork that marks Zaha out from his peers, but those in the game appreciate that he is one of the best dribblers in European football and a gamebreaking talent.

Palace’s record without Zaha is bleak. His importance in dragging the team out of their own half and into dangerous positions is one thing but his ability to take numerous defenders out of the game in an instant with one flick of an ankle is just as crucial.

“He’s got such invention and is so unorthodox to play against,” says John Salako, a Crystal Palace hero who was, until recently, a firstteam coach at Selhurst Park and returns next month for a Play With A Legend event - where fans have the opportunity to play alongside him and former heroes.

“Defenders struggle to play against him,” Salako adds, drawing back into question the topic of the day when it comes to Zaha – accusations of diving. Few have doubted the 25-yearold’s dribbling skills, the knock on him has always been his end product and a feeling that he went down too easily. He answered the criticisms of his end product emphatically last year and this, while Salako explains that Zaha’s twinkle toes are sometimes a curse as well as a blessing.

“I think he is really harshly treated by referees. The problem is mainly his style of play because he’s so off the cuff. It’s unfortunate that referees haven’t been able to get to grips with that and protect him so Wilf doesn’t’ have to react to that.”

Salako, himself a nippy Palace winger back in the day, spent plenty of time with Zaha during his spell on Alan Pardew’s coaching staff and saw at close quarters a period of major growth for the homegrown star after returning from Manchester United on a permanent deal.

And much of his improvement comes down to maturity and a greater understanding of football, or more specifically a greater understanding of what it takes to be top-level professional footballer.

With Zaha in particular, too much too soon can be a chastening experience.

“When he went to Man United he was ready football-wise but mentally –from a tactical point of view and everything needed to maximise your talent – you have to have an education. When you have the ball you have to have an end product. “Look at the problems Ronaldo had when he first arrived. The things said about him. He had to develop his game and work on that but because of the time he arrived, with Sir Alex [Ferguson] having just left and a new manager, Wilf wasn’t given the time or patience to work on his game in the first team.”

And the analysis of his former coach chimes with a recent interview Zaha gave to Sky Sports where he discussed why and how his Old Trafford move didn’t work out.

“Me going to a big club when I was like 19 or 20, I didn’t know what to expect, how to behave, whatever,” he said.

“I was just a youngster who wanted to do tricks, I didn’t even care about end product really.

“Now I take things a lot more seriously - the gym aspect, recovery after games, my decision-making. I’ve learnt a lot in terms of my all-round game.

And Salako remembers the turning point well. From mornings of frustration with a player who didn’t have his head in the right place to a mature father playing the best football of his career.

“Sometimes I’d ask Wilf if he watched the game last night and he’d say ‘what game?’

“I’d say ‘England at Wembley?’ and he’d not have a clue. I was disappointed by that.

“They need to watch these games and learn from better players than them. Watch what other wingers do in certain situations. How they find space or beat a man. Watch full-backs and how they counteract certain players.

“But in the last 12 months the penny has dropped with Wilf and he’s finding himself in better positions to be more involved for longer periods which is crucial when you’re such an influential player. He pops up in the hole, inside and in the box whereas previously he was isolated on the outside. His crossing and finishing is better. His whole game has come on.

“I know he has a baby and he’s matured, settled down now and he’s been absolutely sensational this season for Palace.” THE INDEPENDENT