When the pressure is off, Arsenal come good. That’s the line pedalled throughout the media, and understandably so.
The Gunners had a fantastic chance of winning the Premier League title this year, but a recent run of 9 league games in the space of two months saw the club win just twice to fall off the pace. In the three matches since, with their title aspirations all but dead and buried, Arsenal have looked close to their best in attack.
While the biggest story to come from their upturn in efficiency in front of goal is again the fact that it’s come at a time when it no longer really matters, try telling that to Alex Iwobi.
In a season in which both Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott have again failed to progress - arguably each taking backwards steps in terms of earning the trust of their manager - an opportunity presented itself to an academy graduate waiting for his chance to impress, and not for the first time.
The 19-year old had only started domestic cup matches in the past, and while a number of encouraging displays appeased the home support, few would have predicted the setting for his first European appearance in the starting XI. Clearly not only confident in the youngster’s quality but also his ability to cope under pressure, the teenager was handed a shock start at Camp Nou this time last month.
While Arsenal were eventually brushed aside, Iwobi did his reputation no harm with what has proven to be a typically confident and assured performance. With 2 attempts at goal, 2 key passes and a successful dribble, he was as threatening as any of his teammates on the night, with Wenger’s bold decision vindicated, even if the result didn’t go the visitors’ way.
Iwobi has kept his place in the side since, while also making his competitive international debut in the space of a month he will never forget. The fact that said bow at national level came for Nigeria and not England will be a disappointment to the FA, who tried to convince the teen to switch allegiances ahead of the Super Eagles cup of nations qualifier with Egypt.
Iwobi’s England snub may have had something to do with the fact that his uncle - Jay-Jay Okocha - is among Nigeria’s greatest ever talents, with the youngster already a star in the eyes of the national team fans as a result. However, his decision - as unsurprising as it was - while cast somewhat in the shadows of Marcus Rashford’s rise to prominence, was certainly a blow to the Three Lions.
The youngster has coupled the sort of enthusiastic and fearless attitude that players his age often show when breaking onto the scene with a maturity and impressive understanding of his role akin to that of Rashford at United. Capable of playing in any of the three positions behind the striker in Wenger’s system, and indeed of leading the line himself, his positional play has been unquestionable thus far, actually bringing a far greater balance to the side than the likes of Oxlade-Chamberlain, Walcott and even Aaron Ramsey this season.
With the inclusion of two more defensive players at the base of Arsenal’s midfield credited with this apparent improvement in terms of their team dynamic, Iwobi’s role cannot be understated either. Deployed from the left in his three league starts to date, he has drifted infield and even over to the opposite flank, allowing Alexis Sanchez to do the same and opening up space for Mesut Ozil. It’s little coincidence that the pair have both improved with Iwobi in the side, with the teenager teeing up goals for both in the recent 3-3 draw at West Ham.
Iwobi ended the game at the Boleyn Ground as Arsenal’s highest rated player (8.40), completing 4 dribbles to accompany his two assists. It was a performance that followed on from goalscoring displays against both Everton and Watford in his first two league starts for the club, almost notching a second against the latter with a thunderous strike against the bar.
Indeed while Iwobi’s pace and trickery, coupled with an impressive physique given his tender years, have allowed him to showcase his dribbling ability, the area he has proven more effective than the likes of Alex Oxalde-Chamberlain in particular already is his end product. With a direct involvement in four league goals, Iwobi has managed the same tally that the England international has mustered in 51 appearances, compared to the 19-year old’s 8 in total (5 substitute appearances).
It’s interesting to note that the countless injuries that Arsenal are so renowned and indeed ridiculed for have actually proven to be somewhat of a blessing in disguise in terms of unearthing players that just needed an opportunity. Mathieu Debuchy’s absence at the start of last season saw Hector Bellerin given a chance he wouldn’t have received otherwise, with the Spaniard now considered among the league’s most promising, if not best full-backs.
At the end of the year in 2014 Aaron Ramsey then picked up an injury that saw Francis Coquelin recalled from a loan spell at Charlton when his Arsenal career seemed to be over. Like Bellerin, he too has gone onto become a crucial player, and it was another injury to the aforementioned Welshman that saw Iwobi promoted to the starting XI last month.
If he can have the same impact in the coming months that the likes of Bellerin and Coquelin have managed, the fans and indeed his manager will be very pleased indeed. The dilemma now is that where Arsenal may well have been considering making a splash in the transfer market for a new winger prior to Iwobi’s rapid progression, his form will offer the club another excuse to keep wallets in pockets this summer.
Giving a player of Iwobi’s potential the chance to develop in the first team is certainly a stance to be admired but there’s no question Arsenal, and Wenger in particular would be accused of being tight in the transfer market once more. If however, Iwobi can build on his hugely encouraging performances to date, he may well prove to be a real money saver.
One thing for sure is that the youngster will back himself to become a first team regular next season, recently telling the club’s official website that he hopes to become better than Uncle Jay-Jay, who he claims offers him advice ‘almost weekly’. If he can learn from those words and go on to emulate the great entertainer, Arsenal will have a new fan favourite on their hands without paying a penny, which is a thought that will have the board at the Emirates rubbing their hands with glee.
Should Arsenal keep the faith in Iwobi and avoid making a marquee signing on the wing this summer? Let us know in the comments below
