Arsenal Vs Qarabag: Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s absence is Alex Iwobi’s gain

Arsenal travel to Qarabag on Thursday night in the Europa League. Henrikh Mkhitaryan will not travel with the team. His absence could be Alex Iwobi’s gain.

Alex Iwobi might be the best winger that Arsenal currently have. The attacking midfielder is one of the only players with the ability to beat a defender, to dribble his way past wannabe tacklers, and to threaten with his pace and speed on the ball in the wide channels. As such, so far this season, he has almost exclusively featured on the wing.

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And that is absolutely fine. He is a more than good enough player to be able to play that position and play it well. And he has proven himself useful in wide areas thus far. But, like many of his teammates, it is not actually his best-suited position.

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Akin to Mesut Ozil, who has been started on the right wing for most of the season, Iwobi is at his most comfortable when played through the middle, specifically as a central attacking midfielder, in the famed number 10 position. But because of Aaron Ramsey and Ozil and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who played in that position against FC Vorksla and Brentford when Unai Emery chose to rotate through his squad a little, Iwobi has not been afforded the opportunity.

However, when Arsenal travel to Azerbaijan on Thursday night for their second Europa League group match against Qarabag FK, Mkhitaryan will not be with the squad. Mkhitaryan is Armenian. Armenians are currently banned from travelling to Azerbaijan because of tensions between the two countries. There have been exemptions made for professional athletes in the past, but Sky Sports News reports that Mkhitaryan will not be travelling with the team.

It is a shame that Mkhitaryan will not be available for selection, but it does provide a great opportunity for Iwobi to potentially play in his most natural position — it remains to be seen what team Emery will select, but if he chooses to rest Ozil and Ramsey as he has done in previous matches, then Iwobi stands a great shot of playing in the central attacking midfield position.

Iwobi has looked like a completely different player this season. He has already one goal and two assists in 239 minutes of Premier League and Europa League action so far this season, a direct involvement in a goal every 80 minutes. That kind of production is far and away the best of his career.

But it has all come from out wide. I will be fascinated to see how he plays in a central position as the creative hub of the midfield. Iwobi has never really be entrusted with being the primary creator and attacking instigator. He could well be handed such responsibility here. It will be engrossing to see how he handles it.

Iwobi is at the stage of his career in which he needs to establish himself as an ever-present contributor to the first team. This is the perfect opportunity for him to make hay.