Arsenal: Alex Iwobi has hardest part out of the way

Arsenal youngster Alex Iwobi was ticketed for greatness before this past season, but that was the hardest part and, thankfully, it’s all behind him now.

At the end of the 2015/16 season, Arsenal proudly boasted Alex Iwobi as one of the next big things. He was the answer to Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford. In just 632 minutes with the first team, he had contributed two goals and two assists, showing himself to be strong, both physically and mentally.

That came to a screeching halt this year. After getting off to a good start and climbing the assist charts with three early ones, Iwobi went missing. And not like Mesut Ozil‘s “be back in a couple weeks” missing. Like, full on, no one knows what has happened to him, missing.

It was so bad that he got dropped to the U23s. Three assists in his first four games turned into four goals and two assists for the rest of his 34 matches.

It was disheartening, to see the 21 year old fall so flat. And it was even more disheartening given how long it took Arsene Wenger to finally bench him. He played just 68 minutes in the final two months of the season. The final two months where, just a year earlier, he had been the talk of the town.

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That’s the bad news. Conveniently, all the bad news is in the past. Because the good news is that the hardest part is behind him. The infamous “sophomore slump” is feared throughout sports, as athletes traditionally fail in their second year after a fantastic inaugural showing.

Failing that first time is the worst, but it is also crucial for development. It is only going to get better for Iwobi. He has all the talent in the world and now that he has seen what it is like to literally beat his head against a brick wall for minutes upon minutes and come up empty handed, with the wall still in tact, he will be keen not to do it again.

2017/18 will be a resurgent year for Iwobi. The 3-4-2-1 formation might not have room for him as is, but the two attacking midfield roles will be perfect for him as he seeks to regain his footing. While he isn’t a traditional winger, the No. 10 carries too much pressure and as such, sliding into this new role provides the perfect balance.

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With the Europa League on the table, as well as the usual side competitions, Iwobi will be able to fit into that role and regain his position as one of the most promising up-and-comers in the whole of England.

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