Iwobi is a very talented player, uses very good his body, is fast and capable to score goals in front of the goal. Needs only to clean his style during particular circumstances and be more intelligent.
We will talk about Okocha as the uncle of Alex and not Alex as his nephew.
I don’t think he is all that fast or a particularly good dribbler. He is basically the anti-Ox. He doesn’t have ideal physical traits but he has a very good footballing brain and his composure on the ball, especially in the final third, is amazing for a player his age.
If you could attach Iwobi’s head to Ox’s body you’d have one of the best young players in the world.
I think you’re underselling Iwobi a little as an athlete, he has a very similar build to Welbeck who we all know is a beast.
I can’t remember him ever completely skinning a fullback with a dribble on the side of the box or really beating a defender with pace for a ball over the top. My memory could be just faulty though. Or he may have these abilities but has been used tactically in a way that hasn’t allowed them to shine through.
Welbeck definitely has more pace. Iwobi is pretty quick in short bursts, though, like Rosicky. But yeah, taking on defenders 1v1 is definitely not his game.
@Luca_from_Italy no, I like him, I said this yesterday:
That said, I try to stay cautiously optimistic about him. We’ve seen a few young players, Ox among them, start fast, only to see the flaws in their game a bit later. We don’t know what he looks like yet on bad form, or when he stops riding this wave, it stops being a dream come true and it starts becoming more a job. But yeah, I like him, he’s got natural intelligence on the pitch, he very often does the right thing, he’s got end product, and he looks useful on defence and in transitions. That’s a good recipe for a very good modern wide player. I still feel Gnabry is the bigger talent between the two but Iwobi might just turn out to be the better player by virtue of being good but not great at everything and having a very good attitude and working for the team, and perhaps just having a better work ethic/professionalism in general.
You must be watching a different player to me because I see him beat his man all the time, with both intelligence and pace. Just because he doesn’t run around like our English headless chickens doesn’t mean he can’t take a man on.
I rate the ability to drive at a crowded area & to hold onto the ball at same time, higher than the ability to skin a defender in 1v1 situation.
The latter is just a flashy skill which is something effective. The former creates panic & leads to more chances.
Iwobi is going to smash it this season.
He was nothing last season, a kid getting games way beyond his experience.
He was started against Barcelona away and was arguably our best player. Volumes spoken.
I agree completely. I cited him not skinning defenders more to show that he lacks elite athleticism for a winger, not because I see it as a fatal flaw. I still rate Iwobi highly and would like to see him get chances over Ox or Campbell. Pace is not the be all and end all of qualities, even for a winger. At the very least, Iwobi has a football brain that can mesh with the likes of Ozil, Sanchez, and Cazorla.
I’m with you on Gnabry, but you get the feeling Wenger has decided Iwobi is the one with the bigger with the bigger future.
@AbouCuellar, i’m glad you have changed your mind about him, as you were doubtful about him last season. He’s a starter for me as well. He’s direct and has an eye for the goal.
Iwobi out for up to a month with a thigh strain according to Ben Dinnery.
Perhaps our best option for the wing opposite Sanchez right now… back to the knucklehead crew with Theo and Ox… so many players who could have potentially improved our wing over the last few years. Could also see AW slotting Ramsey wide, which is better than him in the middle but is still ridiculous that he is starting for us.
Luckily we’ve got an international break so he’ll miss 2 or 3 games max, probably the same for Ramsey.
Yeah, he will miss the next two games.
Too early to say Phew?
With Wenger’s fascination of playing a playmaker on the RW, he should really start considering Iwobi now he is fit again.
Thought he looked a bit like he was coming back to earth last night, the game looked a bit fast for him (a bit, not way too fast rendering you totally incompetent as with Ox), as you’d expect for a player of his age.
My friend (he’s Nigerian, so not the most objective in this case…) thought he played really well again.
Thoughts?
At least he always tries, unlike Chamberlain.