Arsenal: Alex Iwobi is better than many realise

Alex Iwobi is a contentious figure among the Arsenal fan base. The 22-year-old winger is far better and far more productive than many give him credit for.

I often thought that it was Arsene Wenger that made the social media-crazed Arsenal fan base so divided. Since Wenger’s resignation, however, I have since realised that it is simply the defining characteristic no matter the topic of discussion.

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And this season, the individual to bear the brunt of this often vociferous and offensive debate has been Alex Iwobi; as a talented but perhaps unfruitful player, he perfectly settles in that grey-ish, ambiguous area of being a capable player who doesn’t perfect consistently produce as often as he should.

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After a disappointing showing in Sunday’s 3-1 loss to Manchester City, Iwobi has harshly criticised by swathes of Arsenal fans, especially on social media. It has generated a debate all week surrounding his value to the team, the improvements that he has made, and what his future in north London looks like. For what it is worth, Iwobi feels as though he is getting better:

"“This season I feel much better and I feel like I’m in control, especially going forward in an attacking sense. I have an analyst now who is always trying to help me, which I didn’t have in seasons before, so he’s sending me clips and saying what I can do better. That’s helped me and I’d like to say I’ve been involved in a few goals this season, even it’s not the assist or the goal, I’ve been getting a few pre-assists which go unnoticed. But at the end of the day as long as the team does well, that’s my main concern.”"

I would agree with Iwobi’s sentiment. And the stats support it. Iwobi is fourth in the Premier League in combined progressive passes and runs per 90 minutes of players that have played at least 1200 minutes. Before I explain that statistic, to show the kind of company he is keeping there, David Silva, Eden Hazard, and Paul Pogba are one, two and three.

A progressive pass or run is defined as an action that is deemed to significantly further, or progress, an attacking move. It could be a pass that navigates defenders or a dribble that brings the play up the pitch. And this is the type of statistic that midfielders and wingers should rank high on: it is their job to provide an outlet for their team and ‘get them up the pitch’. This stat is measuring their ability to do so.

Iwobi also has just under 0.5 goals and assists per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season. It is not a sensational rate by any means. Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick are both just under one goal and assist per 90 minutes. But it is still an improvement on his past production and is a sign that he is growing in confidence in the final third and in front of goal. He is never going to be a clinical finisher and creator, but he is getting better.

Is Iwobi a world-class attacking player who should be starting every single week? No. He isn’t. But a quick search on Twitter is all you need to see thousands of fans slating his performances. And that isn’t fair. He is better than they realise and he is helpful to Arsenal football club.