Arsenal vs Brentford: 5 key players to watch for

1. Alex Iwobi

The return of Alex Iwobi is here and it is now. After nearly two full years of being frustrated with his lack of development and his paltry confidence, it’s now clear that he is finding his confidence in this new era of Unai Emery, and he knows how to wield it to benefit the club.

Against Vorskla, he was fearless, driving into the teeth of the defense and doing so effectively. He was composed, but not reckless. He did lose the ball a bit for his efforts, but I think that can be forgiven for the positives that he put forth.

There is a reason why he stole a couple Premier League starts as well, and I still think it has somehting to do with Emery’s plan to bolster the young Nigerian’s confidence. Whatever the motive, it’s working to accomplish just that, and the ongoing quest to maximize Iwobi continues against Brentford, in a match that should see him as a central attacking threat yet again.

I’m 100% confident that Iwobi can put in another fantastic shift, and that is why he is taking No. 1 on this list. Most of the guys on this list are in the “let’s see what happens” category, but Iwobi is in the “just enjoy the show” category.

And I hope he proves me right with that.