Arsenal: Alex Iwobi needs to be allowed to fail in order to succeed

Arsenal had/have a lot invested in young Alex Iwobi, but maybe the biggest problem in his development is that he isn’t being allowed to fail.

Arsenal handed Alex Iwobi so much when he first arrived on the scene in 2016. He was given the keys to his own destiny, no strings attached. While he flew with it at first, it has to be said that in situations like that, a player is always likely to hiccup, or fall off the path from time to time.

It’s in the handling of that hiccup that makes the difference. Arsene Wenger is usually really good about tempering expectations with young players and monitoring there exposure early on. But for whatever reason, Iwobi has withstood every single test – whether by skill or by Wenger’s will – and remains right where he is, without progressing.

I’ve said it before, but I will say it again, you can’t just keep allowing him into the starting XI in the hopes that he will overcome his own issues. Every player adapts differently, but we’ve had two years now of sub-par Iwobi and nothing has changed.

It’s time to let him fail. You hear it all the time – failure is the key to success. Nobody gets to success without failing first. It’s impossible. It’s part of the learning process and it’s being denied Iwobi because everything he is doing is being met with a shrug and complimentary inaction.

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I don’t know what the best next step for Iwobi is. But that next step can’t be continued minutes in the Premier League just because we don’t have anyone else.

Thankfully, it looks as though Wenger has backed off on his insistence to guarantee Iwobi playing time in every single game. The arrival of Henrikh Mkhitaryan solidified that and I’d be surprised if the new, ambitious Arsenal didn’t push for more, similar talent just so that there are options to choose from that don’t involve having no other choice.

A position change isn’t off the spectrum either. We here at Pain in the Arsenal have discussed at length the potential of pushing him farther back in the formation to prevent the panicking that bursts out of him when he nears the goal.

Whatever the case, it can’t be more of the same. More of the same is preventing him from feeling the disappointment of failure. It feels like we’re inching towards doing something about in the meantime, the slow progression is mimicked in Iwobi’s lack of development.

Next: 3 Reasons To Revise Your Opinion Of Granit Xhaka

There is a masterful player in this young lad, and conflict and competition may be the best way to bring this out of him.

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