Connor Wickham is the key for Crystal Palace’s Champions League dreams
If Crystal Palace is going to reach the top four, striker Connor Wickham must lead their line
No one expected Crystal Palace to be in sixth place in the Premier League at Christmas yet here they are. Alan Pardew’s men have ridden their strong midfield play right into the thick of the Champions League qualification race. If they want to break into the top four, they’ll need striker Connor Wickham to lead their line like never before.
Palace has many of the necessary ingredients to mount a top four challenge. Their midfield play with Yohan Cabaye and James McArthur has been one of the best defensive pairings in the Premier League. Their trio of attacking midfielders led by Yannick Bolasie, Wilfried Zaha and Jason Puncheon has done just enough to carry their offense. Even their back four has been good enough to compete with most of their opponents.
What the Eagles have lacked is firepower at the number nine position. Connor Wickham has gotten seven starts up top and has provided very inconsistent results. He’s only managed to score one goal and notch two assists on the year which simply isn’t enough production from their centre forward spot.
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With attacking midfield talent like Palace have, their centre forward should have a relatively easy time scoring goals in bunches. The pace of Bolasie and Zaha in particular, provide tons of room for Wickham to operate down the middle of the pitch. Both wide players are also adept at providing a great deal of service in the box, which is theoretically, where Wickham should shine brightest.
Palace is gotten by so far this season without solid play from their strikers. They will find it difficult to sustain that form without finding goals from Wickham. They certainly can’t hope to move up in the table unless he can start to shoulder more of the goal-scoring load.
I, for one, believe in Wickham’s talent. Ever since he played for Sunderland I’ve seen a real talent inside the young man. I think he’s in the ideal spot for that talent to finally break out. Alan Pardew is the right manager to get the best out of him and Palace is the right sort of roster. It’s a make-or-break time for Wickham’s career and possibly for Palace’s top four aspirations.
If Wickham’s form kicks on then the rest of the Premier League should watch out. It would prevent defenses from focusing so much attention on their attacking midfield which could prove quite costly for Palace opponents. Effective striker play from Wickham would make their offense virtually unplayable. It might even be enough to lift Crystal Palace from sixth place into the top four.