Alex Iwobi

[Nuggets]

Gem of a ball to Niles. And with his wrong foot.

Luck

[Sims]

had a decent couple of games, consistency is a big issue but has flashes of excellence. one of our better players today

[EliteKiller]

Far better player than most give him credit for ... can't believe that after being by far the best player on the pitch for 45 minutes he's getting slated for a less than stellar second 45 ... very glad he's on a new five year contract

This is well worth a read https://www.football365.com/news/will-arsenal-fans-ever-fully-appreciate-alex-iwobi

[Dejan]

had a decent couple of games, consistency is a big issue but has flashes of excellence. one of our better players today

Folllows up flashes of brilliance by 10 flashes of shit

Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-G920F met Tapatalk

[Rockape]

Far better player than most give him credit for ... can't believe that after being by far the best player on the pitch for 45 minutes he's getting slated for a less than stellar second 45 ... very glad he's on a new five year contract

This is well worth a read https://www.football365.com/news/will-arsenal-fans-ever-fully-appreciate-alex-iwobi

Come back when he’s actually had a decent couple of 90 mins in a row. Picking off the relegation fodder is meaningless. He’s nowhere near the level we need at present.

[Pudpop]

His stats are actually very impressive. In terms of direct chance creation (passes leading to shots) nd the quality of shots that he gets each game (expected goals) he's actually performing at the same level as De Bruyne did last season.

The interpretation of this is that: 1. His finishing is ok but not elite, which is clear to see from watching him, and 2. It's fair to say that, considering how our strikers and players have overperformed xG this season, he has been unlucky not to have more assists.

In terms of build-up play it's also clear that he helps the team create in general (the expected goals each game of shots he is not directly involved in but was part of the buildup is among the highest in the squad, and once again comparable to De Bruyne's performance last season). This is easily seen by how much Kolasinac's play is improved whenever Iwobi (or Ozil, for that matter) is on the pitch.

[theHotHead]

had a decent couple of games, consistency is a big issue but has flashes of excellence. one of our better players today

He was terrible!! What on earth were you watching?

[theHotHead]

Pudpop those stats are an absolute joke. Iwobi has been the worst player on the pitch for 2 of the last 3 games I have seen. When you bring up stats that suggest he is performing on a par with De Bruyne last season it shows that stats can be an absolute joke.

The boy could not make simple passes yesterday, Kola on the overlap for the umpeenth time and Iwobi over hit or under hit the pass so many times. Crosses straight to the opponent, no thought to actually aim for an Arsenal player.

I think he did about 4 good things yesterday, followed by about 20 bad things.

[Zenith]

I think he Iwobi was okay yesterday. He didn't set the world alight and was erratic, but was nowhere near 'terrible'.

That aside, why do people continue to compare the final third output of our WFs, WAMs and AMs to KDB who—during the 2017-18 season—has predominantly played out of position as makeshift CM/DLP?

[Pudpop]

I think he Iwobi was okay yesterday. He didn't set the world alight and was erratic, but was nowhere near 'terrible'.

That aside, why do people continue to compare the final third output of our WFs, WAMs and AMs to KDB who—during the 2017-18 season—has predominantly played out of position as makeshift CM/DLP?

I didn't watch KdB last season, so I don't know where he was playing. However KdB had 16 assists last season and is often used as a beat stick for our midfielders. 'They're nowhere near the level of De Bruyne or others.' so I feel justified in using him as a comparison.

At the end of the day, while he was deployed further down the pitch, in a Pep team that didn't stop him from playing as the main playmaker.

Pudpop those stats are an absolute joke. Iwobi has been the worst player on the pitch for 2 of the last 3 games I have seen. When you bring up stats that suggest he is performing on a par with De Bruyne last season it shows that stats can be an absolute joke.

The boy could not make simple passes yesterday, Kola on the overlap for the umpeenth time and Iwobi over hit or under hit the pass so many times. Crosses straight to the opponent, no thought to actually aim for an Arsenal player.

I think he did about 4 good things yesterday, followed by about 20 bad things.

You're biased. It's simple as that, mate. You're seeing the bad things and using that to confirm your opinion and seeing the good things and brushing it off as exceptions. It's confirmation bias

Iwobi made 3 key passes yesterday, the one to Auba in the 2nd minute, the cross to Auba in the 40th minute (both chances that Auba should have at least hit the target with) and his assist to Xhaka.

His xBuildup was 1.98, meaning that, while he might have messed up some passes, he was indirectly involved in even more good chances. This isn't hard to figure out since he was involved in Auba's shot before Ramsey's goal and Lacazette's goal itself.

At the end of the day while he might have messed up some passes, whenever something good happened in the opposition box, Iwobi was involved. You might say that he should have done even better, but the things he did well were so effective that his creative performance was comparable to some of Ozil's best performances.

Nobody has a perfect game, and it would be unfair to let Iwobi's mistakes (or, rather, imperfections) yesterday cloud over the things he did well.

[EliteKiller]

Irrational dislike for one of our own young players .... it's sometimes hard to understand what people on here expect

[theHotHead]

Pudpop, I was one of the people that praised Iwobi's early season form, I said I was willing to see how far Emery could improve him. I am therefore not biased.

[Rockape]

Irrational dislike for one of our own young players .... it's sometimes hard to understand what people on here expect

He simply does not play at anything lik the level we need, he should be creative and not just once or twice in the past half dozen games!

[Pudpop]

Pudpop, I was one of the people that praised Iwobi's early season form, I said I was willing to see how far Emery could improve him. I am therefore not biased.

Mate, everyone is biased. Humans are not capable of rationally analysing what we experience. The fact that we are not rational actors is one of the founding principles of behavioural studies. This is why one of the most important functions of statistics is removing bias from analysis and it's why I try to make a point of using statistics properly on this site.

At the end of the day, when statistics are used properly they give you objective truths*. The important part isn't trying to be as objective as possible, but being able to find out which objective statistics clearly refute what you are saying. This happened with me earlier when I replied to the statistics saying we are not a strong set piece team. Personally I felt that our set pieces are nothing to worrying about (offensively) but the statistics clearly showed my bias. This has happened to me multiple times while trying to defend Ozil on this board. It should happen to everyone.

Your response to a statistic that refutes what you are saying should never be 'that statistic means nothing'. Statistics always mean something*. When you see a statistic that you disagree with, your first step should be to question it. Always question it. Then question the statement made about the statistic. If you do this you can explain why you think you're right despite the statistic, but you cannot wholly disregard them because you disagree with it.

*I added these 2 stars because those statements might seem controversial to people who are skeptical about stats. The thing is, the statements shouldn't be controversial but they are because of how some people misrepresent stats. You have to remember that outside of academic use of statistics there is often a disconnect between the data and the inference done on the data. In other words, people will gather data and use that data to make a statement (Arsenal is not an elite team, Iwobi is as good as De Bruyne, Ozil is our most important player), but often these statements don't follow from the data. The reason why I say statistics give you objective truths is because they are objectively gathered and created, but the statements we then make afterwards tend to lose that objectivity. I also say that statistics always mean something, but that doesn't mean that the statement someone gives is exactly what that stat means. This is why you'll see me make statements like 'Iwobi's chance creation is comparable to De Bruyne's' instead of saying 'Iwobi is as good as De Bruyne'. When people start trying to make big statements like the ones I listed above, they inevitably contain opinion and therefore bias. When you make smaller statements it is easier to find statistics that comprehensively back it up.

[LegendaryKeown]

Tbf, anyone who says Iwobi is as good as De Bruyne should be banned without even checking any context.

Oh no, I said it xD