Jordan Ayew: The resurgence

The Crystal Palace man has been among the goals under Roy Hodgson, but how sustainable is the Ghana international’s streak?

Crystal Palace’s 4-3 success over West Ham United set the tone for a goal-laden weekend in the Premier League, with 36 goals scored on Saturday and Sunday before Leicester City and Everton added an extra four goals in their 2-2 draw.

The success continued the Eagles’ resurgence since Patrick Vieira was replaced by Roy Hodgson at Selhurst Park, claiming four wins in their last six games. 

The Eagles have won three on the trot since the experienced boss’ return to Selhurst Park, and that immediate impact exacerbates the erstwhile head coach’s struggles.

The Eagles were close to danger when Hodgson returned to South London at the end of March but now sit in 11th place, 10 points above the drop with 12 points to play for.

Unsurprisingly, the revival of Palace’s talented pair Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise has dominated headlines since the 76-year-old came back to the club, but Jordan Ayew’s mini rebirth has somewhat flown under the radar.

The Ghana international is often an object of ridicule, praised for his tenacity without possession but without the goalscoring to show for the work rate.

A look back at the Black Star’s previous returns in South London underscores the absence of goals: one in 2018-19 and 2020-21 and three last season, while he had netted just one Premier League goal before Hodgson returned.

In a sense, it is not surprising he has found some form with the interim boss in situ, scoring three times under the Englishman. It was in 2019-20 that Ayew hit a rich vein of form before the lockdown and football’s suspension due to the pandemic, ending that campaign with nine Premier League goals.

While the former Swansea City man is unlikely to match or better that season’s return, we look at the numbers delineating the ongoing resurgence.

Ayew Revived?

• 3 – The number of goals scored by the Ghanaian since Hodgson took charge of his first Palace game in the current spell in April.

• 1.4 – Ayew has accumulated Expected Goals (xG) of 1.4 in the six games following Vieira’s departure.

• 1.4 – Interestingly, the Ghana international’s xG in his preceding 28 appearances was 1.4.

• 13 – The number of shots Ayew has taken in six games under Hodgson. Before the Englishman’s return, the erstwhile Swansea forward shot at goal 14 times.

• 4 – Four of those 13 shots have been on target, accounting for half of the striker’s 10 efforts that have found the back of the net or made the opposition goalkeeper work.

• 18 – The number of games Ayew went without attempting an effort at goal before Hodgson’s return to Selhurst Park.

Burnley coach Vincent Kompany has frowned at Crystal Palace’s decision to sack Patrick Vieira.

• 4 – The number of games in which the Palace forward has had seven touches or more in the opponent’s box under the Englishman. Ayew hit the seven-touch mark only once under Vieira this term, way back in gameweek three in the Eagles’ 3-1 success over Aston Villa.

• 2 – Ayew was involved in two goal-creating actions in last Saturday’s 4-3 victory over West Ham, the only time he has achieved more than one offensive action leading to a goal this season.

• 3- The total number of goal-creating actions since the managerial change in South London, matching his total before Vieira was given the heave-ho at Palace.

• 10 – When Vieira was in charge, the Palace man did not register one shot-creating action in 10 matches. Under Hodgson, the Ghanaian has had a shot-creating action in every game so far.

• 4 – Ayew has been involved in four direct goal contributions since Hodgson took the helm, outdoing the two involvements under Vieira.

• 6 – While not linked to his somewhat more consistent attacking numbers under Hodgson, it is interesting that the forward has not surpassed two tackles plus interceptions in the Englishman’s six games. For context, Ayew had more than two tackles plus interceptions in 13 Premier League games before the Frenchman’s departure.

EuroEagles Review is a weekly series evaluating the performances of Nigerian footballers in Europe.