Should Harry Wilson start against Crystal Palace?

Jon Harland asks the question we’re all thinking – does our Welsh winger deserve a starting spot on Saturday?

And breathe. As the euphoria subsides and the foundations of Craven Cottage eventually stop shaking, I’ve just about made sense of Monday night’s mayhem.

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve replayed Harry Wilson’s 97th-minute winner against the Bees. The Welsh wizard came off the bench with less than 10 minutes to go and managed to penetrate Thomas Frank’s 10-0-0 formation, scoring twice in added time to set off fireworks in SW6 on the eve of bonfire night.

It was desperately frustrating as Brentford defended their one-goal lead. Fulham couldn’t break their resolute structure, pondering outside the Bees’ box and lumping hopeful crosses to no avail.

It was Wilson’s tenacity to get into the box that led to both his goals, and while I’m not sure he meant that first finsih, you make your own luck and the Whites more than earned their fortunes over the course of that game.

But with that being said, does Wilson deserve a start at Selhurst Park on Saturday after his heroics?

Hot and cold

We all know the quality Wilson possesses. His curler against West Ham last season demonstrates his ability to produce moments out of nothing, but inconsistency and a tendency to drift out of games has led to limited game time.

The Welshman was Marco Silva’s first signing ahead of his first season at Craven Cottage, and Wilson showcased his quality in the Championship. He registered 10 goals and 19 assists, inspiring the iconic ‘Harry Wilson, Mitrovic and Neeskens’ chant. 

But he has never truly made that wide-right position his own in the Premier League. He only started 13 league games, while coming off the bench 16 times in the White’s first season back in the top flight, scoring twice and assisting five. Despite doubling his tally last term, scoring four and setting up seven, 19 of the 35 league appearances were as a substitute.

This season, before Monday he featured five times, all off the bench, and didn’t impact any of those games. It’s funny how the landscape can change in football in such a short space of time; Wilson went from being nowhere near contention to a genuine contender to start the next game in the space of five minutes.

Competition for places

In fairness, Harry’s lack of game time hasn’t been entirely down to his form, particularly this season. Adama Traorehas had a promising start so far, and Monday was the first league game Silva has dropped the Spaniard to accommodate a justified start for the electric Reiss Nelson.  

Alex Iwobi’s scintillating form and versatility rightly meant he kept his place in the starting XI, moving over to the right with the aforementioned Arsenal loanee on the left. Despite Wilson’s recent haul, it’s debatable whether Traore, or even Iwobi deserves to be dropped over the 27-year-old in that position.

Through the middle

While barely getting a sniff in Fulham’s first team, it’s been a different story for Harry in Wales shirt so far this season. He’s scored three times in four games for Cymru in the Nations League, proving instrumental while playing as a central attacking midfielder.

The fact Wilson is flourishing in the ‘10’ position in a side built around him makes total sense. His creativity, touch, and ball delivery provide the former Liverpool player with the attributes to thrive just behind a striker to play off.

But record signing Emile Smith Rowe has been the number one pick in this position, even at the expense of Silva’s golden child, Andreas Periera, who’s dropped deeper in midfield to accommodate the Englishman. Iwobi can even put in a shift here, adding further complications to Wilson’s potential Fulham career as a number 10.

Should he start?

I personally wouldn’t start Harry against Palace, instead favouring an unchanged starting XI from Monday, which I foresee Silva opting for too.

However, if Silva’s looking for a spark off the bench this weekend, then Wilson should certainly be one of the first to be considered. It would be a shame to not at least give the player an opportunity to push on and hopefully pick up some form.

Whatever Marco opts for, I’m fully behind our Portuguese genius. He’s consistently proven he can keep every player in the squad motivated and foster healthy competition. Let’s hope Harry’s magic on Monday is not only the catalyst for his Fulham career but for the team to continue climbing the table and keep that European dream alive.