In football, the rivalry is absolutely everything. Fans want to see their team stuff their rivals, and for Crystal Palace fans that means beating Brighton and Hove Albion. Whilst most outside of the rivalry do not understand the dislike and the intensity, this is a proper rivalry. So, when Palace icon Wilf Zaha was recently asked about Brighton and Hove Albion’s end of season chances, he gave a pretty typical response to the person asking the questions.
The winger was asked about the season as a whole, which could still see Palace finish up in the top half of the table. They have accrued 44 points so far and sit just one place behind their rivals. Under Graham Potter, the Seagulls have been a force to be reckoned with. Palace, though, want to finish better and lay down a marker for the seasons to come. For all of the plaudits, Brighton get, Palace wish to be seen as a level above.
Zaha, though, was asked what he thought about the Brighton season as a whole and if he cared where they would finish up at the table. In typical Zaha fashion, he gave a very blunt response.
What did Wilf Zaha say about Brighton?
When asked about the aforementioned finishing places, Zaha was quoted as saying to BBC Radio London: “For me personally, I don’t really care where Brighton finish – that’s not my motivation. My motivation is for the club to go as high as possible. The season isn’t done until the last whistle is blown and there are no more games left. That’s my motivation – to get this team to finish as high as possible.”
As a boy who has made his name at Palace, it is no surprise that Zaha has little to no time for Brighton. The Eagles gave him his launchpad to get to Manchester United and acted as the ideal return point when things did not work out up north.
Zaha was also given the Goal of the Season award at the end of the season award ceremony. The goal which was rated as his best, and the club’s best, was his peach against Norwich City in February. The winger bent a wonderful curling effort into the top corner after some great dribbling and movement. It was one of just thirteen in the Premier League this year, marking his best career tally.
When asked about how he managed to score such a great goal, though, Zaha was his typically modest self. He responded by saying: “It’s easy, to be honest. I just shifted the ball and tried to strike it as hard as I could really. It was a carefully measured shot at the same time so I was happy that it went flying into the top corner.”
Easy? Try and manage that in the park and see how many attempts it takes you!
For a player with the innate quality of Zaha, though, curling the ball in for a GOTY contender is as easy as knocking back an opportunity to praise the old enemy.
Subscribe to see the most useful team news from each league.
Like this? Like us on FACEBOOK and follow us on TWITTER and INSTAGRAM!
Explanation: player statistics (a/b c)
a - games played this season
b - goals scored
c - team position (d - defender, m - midfielder, f - forward, g - goalkeeper).
