Arsenal: Alex Iwobi successfully defining the word “swashbuckling”

Alex Iwobi set a new precedent for Arsenal against Watford, weighing the risk with the reward for a perfect end product. If only someone could finish.

It’s easy to be hard on Alex Iwobi because he can be so damn frustrating. The commentators in Arsenal‘s win over Watford summarized it perfectly, saying, “he seems to be caught in two minds.” And doesn’t he just? He is perpetually caught in two minds.

Arsenal didn’t have a lot of problem putting together attacking plays against the Hornets, they just had a ton of trouble finishing them off. Which is a bummer for Alex Iwobi, because the man created seven chances on the day from his haven on the left half flank.

I have this standard by which I judge an attacking players day. I honestly don’t care how much someone gives the ball away as long as they answer for it by providing something on the other end. It’s a bit “swashbuckling,” but if you want to give up possession 10 times and create 12 scoring opportunities, then that’s a win. A big win.

It’s when you give up the ball seven times and create nothing that it becomes a problem. Asking someone to infallibly retain possession while also creating gobs of chances isn’t always realistic, because you have to take chances to make chances.

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Iwobi did that against Watford. Sure, he gave the ball away five times, and that’s the kind of number I’d usually be criticizing, but he created seven chances, managed three shots himself. That is the reward that comes with the risks that he took. He was a monster on the attack and don’t downplay how well he did in the attack either.

When you watch Iwobi play, he has that swashbuckling mentality that can breed matches such as this, where the risk and reward go hand in hand. The problem with him is that the risk and downfall has been outweighing the reward  pretty consistently throughout the past couple of years, and these blips of the opposite have been more like teasers of what could be, but isn’t yet.

In order to reverse that trend, he needs to simply deliver on the risks that he takes. We understand he’s going to lose the ball and we understand that he might be wasteful at times, but again, that’s part of the business.

Thankfully, we have a manager that jives with his style, so hopefully that can lead to something special.