Alex Iwobi

[UFGN]

I can never warm go this guy. I just want him out of the club.

Soooooo many meh performances

[theHotHead]

You decided to jump in the conversation and as usual and start with the insults. I didn't quote you or even mention Ozil. But something touched a nerve and your emotions always seem to get the better of you.

Don't live up to the stereotype, my man. Stop the loose talk on the net because I don't respect. If I'm chatting shit, mind your business and keep it moving without the meltdowns.

Its called inference, you indirectly were talking about me and Ozil, in every thread thats all you do, follow me around and talk about Ozil. With your puppy dog eyes following me around.

The funny part is man like you are weak so you think this is a meltdown, couldn't be further from the truth, its all fun and games to me.

[jayramfootball]

Iwobi has progressed significantly this year. He's amongst the best in the league in terms of running with the ball and backing defenders up. His problem is he gets a nose bleed when he reaches the final phase of play and often makes the wrong choice or just fails to execute. That is what he needs to focus on. If he gets even half decent at that aspect of the game he will become a top player.

Because he's not a multi million pound signing he is under rated. It's always like that.

[theHotHead]

My problem with Iwobi is my general problem with most of the players, they are nit good enough for Arsenal, first team or squad. Whilst I will support every Arsenal player when they pull on the shirt, it doesn't mean that I think they are good enough.

That's not to say that they cant do better than what they are, they can.

I have never booed an Arsenal player and I have never hoped or wished for an Arsenal player to play poorly. Even when I wanted Wenger Out and was very passionate about that I never wanted the team to lose. But im not going to sit here and say a sub standard player is something that he is not.

When we had the mediocre dross at Highbury after George Graham lost his touch, I still went to games every week and cheered the team, even when we didn't expect to win.

Iwobi has been a first team regular since 2015, he is not a rookie.

[jayramfootball]

My problem with Iwobi is my general problem with most of the players, they are nit good enough for Arsenal, first team or squad. Whilst I will support every Arsenal player when they pull on the shirt, it doesn't mean that I think they are good enough.

That's not to say that they cant do better than what they are, they can.

I have never booed an Arsenal player and I have never hoped or wished for an Arsenal player to play poorly. Even when I wanted Wenger Out and was very passionate about that I never wanted the team to lose. But im not going to sit here and say a sub standard player is something that he is not.

When we had the mediocre dross at Highbury after George Graham lost his touch, I still went to games every week and cheered the team, even when we didn't expect to win.

Iwobi has been a first team regular since 2015, he is not a rookie.

Iwobi is a rookie really. Wenger gave him a game here and a game there. Whilst he played about 60 games in the PL coming into this season, a lot of them were as sub and he's never had a really decent run in the team.
I agree with you he is not good enough for previous generations of the team, but we're not a top 4 side anymore. There are many other players we ned to get rid of before Iwobi.

By the way, after Graham lost his touch, we still had top quality players. they just were not performing.

[Power n Glory]

Nobody is blaming Iwobi, we know he doesn't pick himself. It's not about blame, it's about getting the best player we possibly can. So if that means selling his ass to bring in a player that is better, then by all means please do. So in that sense I don't think some fans saying sell him is a crazy idea (also some of those saying this is a bit knee jerk I'd imagine). Yes we should also give players a chance like we give managers, but there is a difference in that as well. Some managers need time to infuse their style and system, and get the right players, but players are different, and you should be able to see huge potential by 22, if they're going to be a top player. He hasn't shown that yet, he's only shown tiny glimpses of being an ok player. Having said that, yes i realize some players develop later than others, so it's possible he could turn into a world beater, but not very likely or realistic. I don't personally think we should sell him now, but if we had to for some reason in order to get in a better player, then I'd pack his bags for him.

Yes he does work hard and run his little head off each game, and that seems to be what Emery likes more so than raw talent, at least right now anyway.

That's still kind of missing my point. Where do you stand on Emery as manager because ultimately, this is the managers decision? Why is it that Iwobi starts every week over other squad members? Why wasn't this identified as a weak area in the summer? How comes we brought in an unfit player that can't take Iwobi's position during the January window? If you don't see Iwobi's potential, could it be possible that Emery sees something you don't? Or is Emery off his rocker and misjudging his ability and potential?

Over the past few months we could have started Ramsey or Ozil in Iwobi's position. We've had internal options. During the summer, Emery decided to let certain a few players go that could have played that role. We've had options and still have options today.

So surely, if you're annoyed by the team selection, shouldn't you also question Emery's judgement?

I agree that we don't really have any other options for the wing. Ramsey isn't a winger, nor is Ozil, I don't know if playing them in those positions would be better than Iwobi right now or not. I thought we needed a winger over the summer and even in January, but obviously we didn't get one. As far as Emery, I am still behind him and think he still needs more time before we decide if we need another manager or not. I don't agree with everything he's done or with all his selections and formations, but I'm hoping once he gets the players he wants we will see more consistency all around. I for sure could be misjudging Iwobi. As we all could be. I'm not totally convinced the Emery rates him highly, I kind of think that he's just stuck with him and chooses him because with limited options he thinks Iwobi right now is best for that spot. However, I personally think that Emery knows he needs better in that position. Which probably means he doesn't see him as a long term option unless he massively improves. Obviously that is all just speculation.

That's fair enough but it's not really a winger role in the traditional sense. You're not supposed to hug the touch line. The width comes from the wing back so Iwobi gets to tuck in more. We saw how Ozil and Mkhitaryan played it the other night. Ramsey would do a similar job when Wenger played him in a wider position. He'd tuck in slightly.

But anyway, if Iwobi is a short term solution and Emery doesn't rate him well, that also says a heck of a lot about how he feels about the players Iwobi is keeping out of that position.

[TrafalgarLaw]

Improving by the game

[Fran Solo]

Alex Iwobi's movement and link play essential to Arsenal's rebuilding process

Football is very good at comparing young footballers to previous greats -- there's a desperation to look for the next Diego Maradona, the next Thierry Henry, the next Cristiano Ronaldo.

But what happens when a footballer comes along who doesn't quite fit an obvious template? Well, the simple answer is that such players' talents aren't always appreciated.

Step up Alex Iwobi, Arsenal's Nigeria international who isn't really a winger, a central midfielder or a No. 10 and isn't particularly prolific in terms of goals, assists or dribbles, and probably can't be likened to anyone before him. Nevertheless, Iwobi has carved out a useful role for himself at the Emirates, and has been one of the major beneficiaries of Unai Emery's first season in charge.

Arsenal have sometimes lacked an obvious tactical identity this season under Emery, who has regularly chopped and changed in terms of system and personnel, but arguably the crucial feature has been the importance of an overlapping full-back. In the first half of the season this was Hector Bellerin, whose overlapping runs weren't simply an added bonus of Arsenal's attacking play, but often the entire purpose of it. More recently, in Bellerin's absence, the key man has been left-sided Sead Kolasinac. Again, the Bosnian has often been Arsenal's chief creative threat, with well-timed storming runs and balls across the face of goal.

The crucial component in this attacking threat down the left has been Iwobi. On paper, Arsenal have often called upon Iwobi because he's more direct than Arsenal's other attacking options, capable of holding width and dribbling with the ball. His substitute appearance in a nervy 2-0 victory over Watford at the start of the campaign, for example, completely transformed Arsenal's attack.

He's been so important because he combines those occasional contributions with intelligent movement, selfless link play, and -- particularly crucially -- clever body positioning.

That final quality has become particularly revered in recent times. At the recent Opta Pro Conference in London -- a meeting of those working in football analytics from across Europe -- one of the key presentations was given by Carlos Rodriguez, an analyst at Barcelona. He explained how Barcelona are placing increasing emphasis upon using technology to track the body position of players during matches, and measuring this in quantitative terms for the first time.

"Incorporating the orientation of each player during the match would generate multiple benefits to improve current space-time analyses such as space control, pass probability and defensive pressure," Rodriguez explained last year on the "Barca Innovation Hub" website.

"Play the way you're facing" was the old clichéd advice. Really, it's about facing the way you should be playing the ball, and this is where Iwobi excels. He boasts a great ability, whether natural or learned, to receive the ball with his body in the right position to play the next pass, usually to the overlapping Kolasinac or the alternative left-back, Nacho Monreal. Consider, for example, the way he linked with Monreal for Alexandre Lacazette's opener in a 5-1 thrashing of Fulham early in the season. Or the way he slipped in Kolasinac to cross for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's winner at Bournemouth. Or with Monreal again for Henrikh Mkhitaryan's header at Southampton, or with Kolasinac again to win a penalty against Cardiff.

Iwobi hasn't recorded an assist, let alone a goal, for any of these contributions. Some of the passes have been relatively simple. But that's nevertheless what Iwobi excels at: the simple, unfussy stuff, the bringing the best out of others. It's not quite what you expect from a 22-year-old nephew of Jay-Jay Okocha, arguably the most extravagant, pure entertainer the Premier League has seen, but this is Iwobi's role: the full-back enabler.

Players are still largely judged to fit the templates of established systems -- traditionally 4-4-2 in England, although No. 10s who suit a 4-2-3-1 and wide forwards who can play in a 4-3-3 have also become appreciated. But the rise of the 3-4-3 system over the past couple of seasons, popularized by Antonio Conte's Chelsea, means a slightly new role: the position that doesn't have a name, somewhere between forward, winger and No. 10. Inside-forward, if you like.

Eden Hazard remains the master of that position, and his link play with the overlapping Marcos Alonso was particularly useful for Chelsea. But then Hazard excels wherever: out wide, as a No. 10, sometimes up front. He's not necessarily built for the role. Iwobi seems more of a specialist; albeit a specialist for a position that doesn't actually have a name.

It's not like opening up space for a full-back is a new concept, of course. It's a fundamental part of football, and one of the many qualities boasted by someone like David Silva, who spent much of his time at Manchester City drifting inside from a wide starting position. But then Silva offers several other obvious qualities: most obviously his prolific assisting. The fact he combines well with a full-back is something of an afterthought. For Iwobi, it's his main quality. He doesn't offer an incisive final ball regularly, but he's worth using because he maximizes the contribution of the player behind him.

"When I ask Nacho Monreal and Sead Kolasinac who is the player who you feel better on the pitch when he is playing, they say to us: 'Iwobi,'" Emery outlined last month. "It is because Iwobi can open space on the overlap for them. So I think Iwobi is giving a lot for us."

Players often appreciate a different type of player than supporters and pundits. The fact Emery actively asks players on their preferences for playing alongside teammates is intriguing, but the answer provided by Kolasinac and Monreal is unsurprising. Both have thrived when playing behind Iwobi, who still lacks complete acceptance from supporters.

To maintain a regular position in the side, Iwobi probably still needs to contribute more in the final third, as he recalls being told by Thierry Henry a few years ago. "He would always say that a lot of people play well, but if you haven't impacted the game or done something that people recognise, then you really go unnoticed," he told Arsenal's website. "Basically for an attacking player, you have to get that goal or you have to get that assist."

A manager as obsessively analytical as Emery, though, will look past the raw end product, and be looking at stats involving passing combinations, xG chain and -- perhaps even -- body orientation. Modern stats, for a modern type of player. One day, perhaps we'll be on the lookout for the next Alex Iwobi.

http://www.espn.co.uk/football/club/ars ... ng-process

[Losmeister]

how much of a minus is "cant fargin shoot to save his life"?

[Nuggets]

He would fit in well in Tranmere

[gooney]

Not good enough for top team. But has to start every game

[Phil71]

I think I have said, “He’s so shit..” in reference to him during games than I have said about any Arsenal player in my time watching the club. And there has been some pretty stiff competition.

He simply has no end product and is a completely unintelligent footballer. I’m sick to death of him shooting the ball against a defender’s legs, or pea-rolling a shot into the keeper’s gloves.

Utterly frustrating player. Get rid.

[Rockape]

Utterly frustrating player. Get rid

Absolutely!

[looper007]

I can see why he frustrates some Arsenal fans. That chance he had on Sunday is a perfect example, I think he's frightened of what the fan's think if he messes up on the field. I think he's a squad player at best, who might come good later in his career. I don't see Emery selling him, but he definitely shouldn't be seen as much first team football from next season onwards. Good player to have for cup games and the odd PL game. I think he has the talent but he lacks so much confidence.

[Sims]

Needs to develop the end product in the season

It’s gonna be the difference between an average footballer to a really f***ing good one

He has everything you want up to that point in terms of build-up play

Huge season next year