Zaha's Evolution

Zaha is still one of our most important and influential players but I believe his game is going to have to evolve as he ages. For the vast majority of his career he has been the lone player we have relied on to provide all our offensive spark. However as his skillset changes so must his game.

Successful Dribbles Per Game:
2015/2016 - 3.7
2016/2017 - 4.1
2017/2018 - 4.1
2018/2019 - 3.4
2019/2020 - 4.3
2020/2021 - 1.8
2021/2022 - 2.3

Unsuccessful Dribbles Per Game:
2015/2016 - 2.5
2016/2017 - 3.7
2017/2018 - 3.8
2018/2019 - 4.2
2019/2020 - 3.9
2020/2021 - 2.6
2021/2022 - 3.6

In other words, he is getting dispossessed as much as he always has but his successful dribbles per game has been cut in half over the last two seasons. For the first time in his career when he tries to dribble he is more likely to lose the ball than beat his man.

Zaha is now surrounded by quality players and he should look to use them far more often than trying to beat his man (or two or three). He still draws so much attention this creates space for the rest of the team. He still has an incredible ability to manipulate the ball and create space for himself and if he starts getting his head up and making the quick pass then he will be a far more effective player for us for a long time to come.