Arsenal: Alex Iwobi shows new wrinkle to excite

Alex Iwobi scored his first goal of the season for Arsenal on Sunday with a rifling finish. This new wrinkle, a goalscoring ability, is certainly exciting.

The 2-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion was the latest in a growing line of professional, efficient and effective performances. Arsenal, since the four-goal embarrassment at Anfield to close out August, have won three of their last four Premier League games — the other being an industrious and unlikely draw at Stamford Bridge — and now sit at fifth position in the table, just a point behind Spurs, level on points with Chelsea, and one point above a slumping Liverpool, the very team that, apparently, spiralled the Gunners into crisis.

The win on Sunday was secured when Alex Iwobi rifled home from short range, after Alexis Sanchez fooled everyone with a sumptuous, audacious backheel to lay the opportunity on a plate for the Nigerian.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

And in his post-match press conference, Arsene Wenger has laid down the challenge to Iwobi that he should be producing far more in the final third. Wenger, who has made the same demands of Iwobi in the past, questioning his decision-making, his final ball, and his finishing, stated that he expects a player of Iwobi’s quality to be scoring 10 goals and assisting a further 6 – 10 in a season:

"“A player like him must score 10 goals, and he must as well give between six and 10 assists, and that’s what I want from him. He is the kind of player who has good availability, helps you a lot to get out of pressure and creates spaces. But what you want from him is final balls and goals as well.”"

In finishing the well-worked move on Sunday, that involved an incisive flow of one-touch passes involving Sanchez, Alexandre Lacazette and Aaron Ramsey, Iwobi did show a new wrinkle to his game; there was no doubt, no wavering, no erring in the commitment and the conviction to the finish. He knew exactly what he wanted to do, in this case, lash the ball high and hard.

More than the goal, though, Iwobi showed a greater production in attacking areas throughout the 71 minutes he spent on the pitch. He had three shots, one of which was the goal, and another of which came after a surging, driving run forward, with great pace and power, and created two chances.

Additionally, he also maintained a 90% pass completion rate, which for a forward, is an extremely high rate. In context, Alexis Sanchez and Alexandre Lacazette, the two other players making up the front three, had pass completion rates of just 76% and 79% respectively.

Next: Arsenal Vs Brighton: 5 things we learned

Iwobi showed a new wrinkle to his game on Sunday: the ability to be incisive in his creative play, and the ability to be ruthless and clinical in his finishing. If he can consistently show these traits moving forward, then it will be very exciting to see the role that he plays this season.

Home/Arsenal News