In Alan Pardew’s prematch news conference, the Crystal Palace manager discussed the importance of Connor Wickham and Emmanuel Adebayor for the weekend’s match against Arsenal.
With Dwight Gayle out again this weekend with injury, Pardew is prepared to start both Adebayor and Wickham up front. The Eagles’ manager is hoping that the two big men can demonstrate the same tenacity and form that West Ham’s Andy Carroll showed last weekend against the Gunners.
Carroll was able to net himself a hat-trick against the North London side in a 3-3 draw last Saturday, and Alan Pardew is hoping Wickham and Adebayor can have the same effect on Sunday.
Pardew commented on the effectiveness of the two Crystal Palace strikers’ size. He said:
Players of that size, power and pace can terrorise defences. That’s what we want Connor and Ade to do.
In addition, the Crystal Palace manager discussed Connor Wickham’s importance to the team. He added:
Connor’s had some terrific games for us — just not enough of them. We’ve really missed his presence at times, and we took Adebayor in the last window because we were struggling to get Connor on the pitch. It’s been stop-start with injuries for him, and he hasn’t had a run at it. “But we’ve been pleased with his progress, and next year if we can stop this run of injuries he gets we can have a good player on our hands.
Wickham has been plagued with injuries for most of the season. However, by playing consistent minutes in the past couple of weeks, Wickham’s form has been improving massively. The 191cm tall 23-year-old is an important piece to Crystal Palace team, and Pardew hopes his form can continue.
Wickham has appeared in 17 league matches this season for Crystal Palace, accumulating a total of five goals and assisting another three.
Crystal Palace has a chance to move up the table if they are able to grab a win this weekend. Alan Pardew is going to need huge performances from his big men up front if they want to permanently dismiss the idea of relegation.
