Hodgson explains why Crystal Palace rely on Zaha, Townsend partnership ahead of Ayew

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson says he has decided to pick wingers Wilfred Zaha and Andros Townsend to lead his attack because they pose more threat to opponents' defence than Jordan Ayew and Alexander Sorloth.

Ayew, 27, is yet to find the back of the net after nine apperances following a loan move from Swansea City in August. He was an unused substitute when Palace ended their seven-game winless streak in the Premier League with a 2-0 home win over Burnley on Saturday.

“Initially it was forced upon us, with injuries, and we didn’t really have anyone to put in there. There was an injury to Benteke. Wickham wasn’t ready. By that time I hadn’t signed Sorloth or Ayew, so they had to play up front, those two. That’s what we had," Hodgson said, as quoted by Londonnewsonline.

“Since that moment in time he [Townsend] has shown what a good centre-forward partnership he can have with Wilf. Even though I’ve got Sorloth and Jordan Ayew now, I can decide to play those two as forwards because they create other problems for the defence of opponents.

“It was all [but a goal for Zaha]. It was an excellent performance. I think Wilf is a striker. Wingers, if they have got the technical ability, strength and pace of people like Wilf Zaha can quite easily play central. There have been so many examples of that down the years," he said.

“It is wrong to just brand people. Sometimes you can lose a lot of qualities that Wilf has and can cause defences by pigeon-holing him on to one wing or another where he’s a bit more reliant on people to get the ball to him.

“He’s always been a striker but the ability to use him centrally, like Andros, gives them a slightly better opportunity to score goals and take advantage of shooting opportunities,” he added.

Palace have moved five places to 14th on the log with 12 points.