Arsenal: This is the year Alex Iwobi desperately needed

Arsenal’s young stud Alex Iwobi disappeared this year just as quickly as he appeared last year. But in terms of progress, this is the year he needed.

Arsenal paved a road in gold for Alex Iwobi in 2015/16, shoving aside the likes of Joel Campbell and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to allow the young, talented Nigerian an easily accessible path to the first team. And to his credit, he capitalized, proving himself to be an effective attack at such a young age.

That faded as the year came to a close, but there was still tremendous optimism surrounding the youngster, as he was widely regarded as one of the best young talents in England. He was being called Arsenal’s version of Marcus Rashford.

That wonderful comparison continued into the start of 2016/17. Having to reassert himself into a starting position, Iwobi snagged three assists in his first four matches, seeing his way to the top of the Premier League charts early on. He would then go thirteen matches without a goal contribution.

Thirteen matches still in the starting XI because Arsene Wenger appeared wholly unwilling to sit the kid.

Iwobi would go on to add four more goals and two more assists across all competitions for the rest of the campaign, but he started his last match of the season on 4 March. Since that start he has only nabbed three appearances as a substitute.

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It was a disappointing campaign for sure. But for how much I ranted about the need to sit Iwobi early on, in the end, that goal was accomplished at the end of the season, with the Nigerian going so far as being dropped to the U23s. That had to be a rough awakening.

In the end, this season may well have been a turning point for Iwobi. He was being pampered up until these past couple months. There were no consequences to his poor play and that sort of environment isn’t the most conducive to growth. But when the revolution hit, the 3-4-3 that is, Iwobi was nowhere to be seen.

Perhaps he felt like he wasn’t a part of the changes.

That is the kind of environment that does provide growth. Learning that you aren’t good enough is the best way to get better. If someone goes their entire career thinking that everything they do is just fine, why would they improve? Not everyone is Alexis Sanchez.

Iwobi needed a bit of a rude awakening and I hope that this season provided that. He floundered with a starting role that he hadn’t earned for well over half the season before being dropped. That has to be frustrating and unfulfilling.

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Given the talent levels that this lad has, I am excited to see what he can do in the coming campaign. This attacking midfield duo in the 3-4-3 seems to be a perfect fit for him.

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