Two days after staging the holy grail of European club football, London’s Wembley Stadium will host the substantially more lucrative English Championship playoff final between Watford and Crystal Palace, with the winner earning more than an elaborate trophy raise — a sum in the region of £120 million awaits the victors.
The new Premier League TV deal has increased by £2 billion and will see clubs receive a minimum of £55 million next season. To put that into perspective, champions Manchester United earned a record amount of £60.8 million this season. Even relegation provides four years of parachute payments worth a staggering £60 million.
Crystal Palace were relegated from the Premiership back in 2005, while Watford have been on the outside looking in since dropping out two six years ago after a brief cameo. Many managers around the Football League have spoken out against Watford’s Italian owner Giampaolo Pozzo’s use of the loan system this season — filtering players from his two other outfits Udinese and Granada — calling it an unfair advantage. Pozzo’s progressive experiment is far different from what football has grown accustomed to in the last decade, and could handsomely be rewarded on Monday.
More third-placed teams have earned promotion in the playoff final than another seed, which is good news for Watford. However, Crystal Palace have been promoted to the top-flight the most out of any club (three times out of four). Here is how the two clubs stack up against each other.
European Football Weekly: Sportsnet 590 The FAN’s Dan Riccio, Derrick Brandao and Gord Brunt take an in-depth look at the beautiful game on the European Football Weekly podcast. For more details and to listen to past shows, CLICK HERE
Goalkeeper
Manuel Almunia was unfairly targeted with much criticism during his time at Arsenal. Some goalkeepers are ill-equipped to deal with the pressures of a big club. Confidence was a major issue, but the Spaniard was able to re-invent himself at Vicarage Road, amassing 10 clean sheets and over 200 saves in 43 appearances. Watford took a chance by handing him a one-year contract, and Almunia is 90 minutes away from rewarding the club’s faith with Preiership promotion. We witnessed his heroics in the semifinal second-leg against Leicester City, making an incredible double-save on Anthony Knockaert’s spot-kick and ensuing rebound in the dying moments, propelling Watford to victory. There is still a big-game player inside Almunia — he just needed a change of scenery to restore some confidence.
Advantage: Watford
Defence
Neither side can be touted for their defensive strength, both being attack-minded. However, if there is an edge to be found, it goes to Watford for having conceded the least amount of goals this season compared to their opponents (58 to 62). Should you be expecting a defensive stalemate, let me put your mind at ease — this match will be driven on goals and plenty of offence. Watford scored the most goals in the Championship (85), and a total of nine-goals have been scored in both fixtures between the two this season, with Watford winning 3-2 on opening day at Selhurst Park, before playing out a 2-2 draw more recently. Defensively both are sub-par at best.
Advantage: Even
The Soccer Show with Nigel Reed: Tune in to Sportsnet 590 The FAN’s every Thursday at 8pm ET to listen to The Soccer Show, Canada’s foremost soccer weekly co-hosted by Nigel Reed and ex-NASL champion Bob Iarusci. For more details and to listen to past shows, CLICK HERE
Midfield
All the focus will be squarely on Wilfried Zaha, as he gears up to play his final game for Palace, having been sold to Manchester United in January. It’s building up to be a storybook ending, with Eagles supporters hopeful of a reunion next season in the top-flight. Zaha has made over 140 appearances in his short career, scoring 18 goals and chipping in with 20 assists. But it was a master class performance against United in a 2-1 League Cup upset victory at Old Trafford over 18 months ago that catapulted him into the spotlight. Just over a year later, Alex Ferguson shelled out £15 million for the midfielder.
Zaha without a doubt will be the best player on the pitch, but he is well-supported by a strong collective. The quartet of Yannick Bolasie, Kagisho Dikgacoi, Owen Garvan and Mile Jedniak gives Palace a solid foundation down the middle, combining to score 14 goals and 19 assists this season. Life without Zaha will be tough, but the Eagles should be pleased with the emergence and progress of Bolasie. The French-born Congolese international has risen through the lower-leagues to be become an integral part of the Palace set-up.
Keep an eye out for Watford’s Almen Abdi, one of the clubs many loanees from Udinese. The Swiss midfielder finished the season on Hertfordshire with 12 goals and eight assists.
Advantage: Crystal Palace
Forward
Forget defending — Watford’s success has hinged on an all-out attack mindset. It is by far their greatest strength. Troy Deeney and Matej Vydra (on loan from Udinese) have wreaked havoc on Championship defenders, scoring a combined 42 goals, falling just shy of half the team’s total offensive output in the league this season. Another player who’s equally as dangerous is Fernando Forestieri (eight goals, nine assists). The Argentine has come into his own at Watford, having previously spent time in Italy and Spain, and has transitioned to English football relatively quickly. A permanent five-year deal was his reward in January. The trio’s influence up front is unmatched by their opponents.
The Eagles somehow found a way to defy the odds and win at Brighton without the services of 30 goal-scorer Glenn Murray – -having torn knee ligaments in the first leg – thus securing their place at Wembley. Had it not been for Zaha’s brilliance, scoring both goals in the 2-0 victory, Aaron Wilbraham created very little up front and looked overwhelmed and unable to fill the immense void left by Murray, despite receiving a vote of confidence by his manager. It’s a massive problem area heading into a one-off match that’s projected to be goal-driven. Palace’s only trump card is veteran super-sub and former Watford player Kevin Phillips. The 39 year-old still has what it takes to make a difference in limited minutes, and even scored the late 2-2 equalizer for the Eagles at his old stomping ground Vicarage Road.
Advantage: Watford
Manager
If only both managers could win promotion into the Premier League this season, as they’ve been equally impressive and entertaining with the minimal resources at their disposal. Sadly, there’s only room for one.
Ian Holloway has experienced the joy of success and the agony of failure at Wembley, this being his third Championship playoff final in four seasons. He overachieved with Blackpool in 2010, inevitably getting relegated in the club’s first top-flight campaign. Although reckless in his approach, Holloway had the Tangerines playing an attack-oriented brand of football and showed no fear. Let’s not forget Holloway’s always amusing pre- and post-match comments, which brought a refreshing change to the usual mundane normality of the media mix zone. Last year ended in heartache for the former Blackpool manager, losing out on promotion to West Ham.
Despite lacking the managerial experience of his counterpart, Gianfranco Zola knows firsthand what it takes to be successful under the pressures of a cup final. The legendary Italian forward has amassed plenty of winner’s medals and individual accolades in a playing career that spanned over 20 years. More often than not, superstar footballers do not typically translate into the best managers, but that’s not the case here. It’s no coincidence that Watford finished only two points off automatic promotion, with 13 more points and nine spots higher in Zola’s first season than the previous year — including 29 more goals scored. The Italian leads by example; a master motivator, his teams play with flair and passion.
Advantage: Watford
Sportsnet World Online: Now you can watch all the best international soccer from wherever you are live on your computer. Sportsnet World Online is a new online only service that you can subscribe to, and there are many different subscription options. For more details and to subscribe, CLICK HERE