Headliner Zaha Review

Back again mid-week with a look at the very enticing 87 Wilfried Zaha Headliner card.  The question with this review is not about value, or quality, but instead about whether I should start or end the review with a joke about Ireland?  Maybe I will just leave that for the comments.  Back on track… when this promo dropped I was immediately drawn towards the idea of a Zaha review, and I really couldn’t tell you why.  Previous Zaha cards have not really piqued my interest and honestly, I have not heard many quality reviews of his previous cards, but I guess I just felt that this upgrade was the one that would take him into the next level of menace.  Simply examining the base statistics suggests a quick and agile speedster, capable of bewitching defenders, while struggling to find the final ball.  In the end, what I experienced was something that was almost the complete opposite throughout the review, which I will try to shine some light on by the end.  The issues started almost immediately with this card as I applied the HUNTER chemistry style and in-game Zaha felt awful… a quick change after 5 matches to an ENGINE brought the Palace man back to life but overall I never really got the best out of him.  Playing as both the ST and RM in the 4-4-2, Zaha was the one to forget all weekend in the following squad: 


Starting Formation:

Overall

Rating: 7.5/10
Pace Rating: 8.5/10
Dribbling Rating: 8.5/10
Shooting Rating: 8/10
Passing Rating: 7.5/10
Physical Rating: 7.5/10
Defending Rating: N/A

As you can see from the ratings, this card has some decent moments but overall I really did not get on with Zaha at all.  The 12 goals and 13 assists in 20 matches, most of which were played at striker, was a disappointing return.  Around match 17 I had to start playing Zaha out on the wing for fear that his lack of productivity was going to cost me Elite… but it was already too late and the damage was done, finishing Gold 1 for only the second time this year.  Obviously, this is far from being Zaha’s fault entirely but it seriously felt like I had a passenger in the starting 11 for a good portion of the weekend.  Again, it started early as Zaha felt clunky and not overly fast despite the HUNTER chemistry style; again, application of the ENGINE style was a huge improvement and freed up a lot of the movement in the card.  Unfortunately, the full scope of Zaha’s 97 ACCELERATION & 99 SPRINT SPEED was never realized throughout the review.  Even the bridge gap wasn’t as effective as Zaha seems held back by something, but I could never pinpoint what.
      

Main Statistic – Dribbling

Dribbling Rating: 8.5/10
Skills: * * * * * 
Traits: Flair

While the dribbling was not as crisp as it could be I still think it stands to be Zaha’s greatest strength.  Ultimately this ties into the rating for the card as a whole when even the highlights are not meeting the level of other quality options.  The video demonstrates some of the movements that Zaha carries out, which almost feel specific to him, but in the end, none of it really stood out as spectacular.  I realize that in the hands of a serious skiller Zaha might be able to dance defenders into their own demise.  But for me he really just felt too upright and stiff while dribbling, unable to shift and swivel the way that other cards with these dribbling statistics can.  
 

Main Attribute - 3 Star Weak Foot

Shooting Rating: 8/10
Weak Foot: * * * 

Obviously, the main attribute, in this case, is a negative one and again contributes to the lower rating overall.  84 FINISHING, 89 SHOT POWER, 77 LONG SHOTS & 70 VOLLEYS is not great for a striker and really showed his weakness throughout the review.  Even after the initial matches with the HUNTER chemistry style, I was already well aware of the shooting deficiencies with this card.  Zaha pulls those far post shots that little bit wider, sending the ball cannoning into the crowd; he over curls finesse shots or does not start them wide enough making it easy on opponents keepers, and of course the 3 STAR WEAK FOOT was likely always going to be a problem.  If you watch the video you will see that there were not a ton of Zaha highlights in front of goal, but one area he was fantastic in was with the chips.  I realize that chipping has become a much more reliable form of finishing this year, but I have ran into a few players who are not as clean with these types of finishes.  Zaha was actually so good in these situations, but there were not enough of them throughout the review to really change my opinion on his finishing overall, it just isn’t great.
 

Value/Coins & Good vs. Bad 

Value/Coins Rating: 3.5/5 
Good vs Bad Rating: 3.5/5

375k after the panic sell-off today and still I think this is on the high side.  Maybe just maybe I am being a bit harsh given the fact that Zaha could squeeze out another inform before the year is up.  However, as it stands I just don’t think this card warrants a price tag this high when you look at the comparables in and around 300k.  I mean.. you can get Messi for 325k… MESSI!  In the end, Zaha just had too many flaws for my liking and even out on the wing, his effect on matches was minimal.

The problem with this section is that nothing Zaha did was overly spectacular and nothing was obviously terrible.  It was a “meh” card and in the end I feel like the review mimics this idea.  Overall the 86 SHORT PASSING was okay and allowed some intricate play in the opposition's half, but was not always sharp enough to break down Drop Back Danny’s 9 men behind the ball in the box.  The 92 CROSSING was actually the highlight and I was surprised at some of the deliveries he pulled off in the short time he spent on the wings. Then you have the Physical statistics with this card... 80 STAMINA is good but not great and for a bigger card, his 82 STRENGTH did not feel solid on the ball at all.  I just can’t stress it enough… the card was simply, okay.

Closing Words

I think I can safely say that I would steer clear of this card.  Perhaps another upgrade would clean up a lot of the issues, but I really doubt it.  Much like there are some cards that just feel way better than they should, Headliner Zaha just doesn’t meet the levels you would expect from a card with similar statistics.  Truthfully, it was a disappointing test run overall as I had high hopes for the Palace man. But, we chalk this review and this Weekend League up as an L.  We learn and move on. Hopefully, Headliner Team 2 delivers a better experience.  Hoping you are safe and well.  Cheers for reading.
 

Game Stats:
 

Game Highlights: