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Watford progressed to the FA Cup semi-finals last weekend at the expense of Crystal Palace, who left Vicarage Road with their wings clipped. The Eagles were far from poor and did their best without the crucial Wilfried Zaha, although individuals error once again cost them, as they did against Brighton a week earlier.
Most of Roy Hodgson’s men could return to South London feeling that they’d done their part, but Cheikhou Kouyate’s numbers make truly horrific reading.
On the chalkboard
Having signed from West Ham for just £9.6m in the summer – the only addition made by the Eagles that came at a cost – the big number 8 was seen as quite the bargain buy but, like the free additions who came through the door with him, he has struggled for game-time at Selhurst Park.
The clash with the Hornets presented the midfielder with a chance to prove that he should start more games, with Zaha and Patrick van Aanholt’s absences forcing Hodgson into some big changes, but he wasted it.
Cheikh this out
The 55-cap international, playing alongside Luka Milivojevic at the base of midfield, was surely expected to bring some added steel in the middle of the park and prevent the driving runs of Abdoulaye Doucoure, although he completed 0 tackles and 0 interceptions in 90 minutes – poor.
If he cannot aid his team in defence for one game, you’d at least expect that maybe he was a little more attack-focused against Watford, although 0 shots and 0 key passes prove otherwise. It would seem that his only contributions, aside from some solid, all-round passing, were the 2 fouls.
Is the FA Cup distracting Crystal Palace fans from their EPL issues? Pla>yamker FC’s Sam thinks so in the video below…
Palace will need the powerful 29-year-old to be at his best when they host Huddersfield at the end of the month – if he even starts, that is – as the Terriers will surely look to stop the Eagles playing their football and instead turn the tie into a war of attrition.
