I just remember this specific goal against Everton and wonder what exactly has happened to stall his development.
Maybe I was wrong in assuming he would be this very direct runner and composed finisher, maybe he’s never really been that guy. But I still can’t help but look at the way he got lost in the shuffle during Arsene’s attempt to patch holes in the team towards the end and the way Emery is asking him to play as what looks like a creative connector between the midfield and the forwards which is all adding up to him turning in some meh performances.
He works very hard, appears to have friends in the squad and I don’t think of him as a guy who hides when the going gets tough, those are all admirable traits but I just think Emery is mismanaging him. Is it because Emery doesn’t have the connector he really wants at the club or because Emery really believes Iwobi is a creative connector (like an American Football quarterback) who can take the ball from midfield in transition and carry it very quickly to the final third.
I’d be kind of bummed if we cut him loose in the summer. I want to see how he integrates in to an Emery team after we actually buy some other players.
It’s funny because for that goal he finishes nicely by putting it through the keepers legs, and now everytime he goes through he seems to shoot straight at the keeper but doesn’t keep it low. It’s like he’s forgotten how to finish.
I honestly think he can be someone who connects because he’s good at carrying the ball, it’s just that his final third decision making is so poor. He seems to never be able to make the correct choice in the final third, whether it’s the shot he takes, the pass he chooses or the cross he tries to put in. It’s almost always wrong and it’s infuriating.
I think they play totally different positions. I think Nelson is nominally a right winger.
I’d like to see Iwobi tried as the tip of a diamond midfield with Torreira (good) at the base. Maybe Nelson would play one of the wide positions in that diamond?
I think it could make use of Iwobi’s smart running and get him more into a flow in the final third. I’m a big believer in the idea of flow state (which I stole from Bobby Warshaw, former USA soccer player) which basically requires you to be so zoned in that you’re not thinking about what you’re doing. I think Iwobi is really thinking about what he’s doing. If we played him as the tip of a diamond when we transition back to front, he’s making smart runs, controlling, one pass – bang, or one shot – bang.
Maybe it’s pure fantasy because as diamond with Torreira (good) at the base might get physically overrun but idk. I don’t think we’d have to choose between Iwobi and Nelson next year.
Agreed. He’s a weird one to analyze. I swear there are times when I think he could the next big thing and others where I don’t even know how he hacked it at PL level.
He’s veen producing more of the good ones thus season which means he’s getting a handle of things.
He’s still young and given our lacking position against the other top sides I think we can do with him.
No reason to invest on two wingers in the summer when we can buy one and hope Iwobi keeps developing.
If we ever go 4-4-2 Diamond both Ozil and Mkhitaryan, who I both expect to be here next season, are way better options than Iwobi.
If Emery is going to keep the usual 3-4-3 in tact, mostly. Iwobi and Nelson are competing for the same spots. I’d rather give Nelson those minutes to develop himself tbh.
Does Reiss Nelson even start nowadays? He had a good start there but things calmed down with him in Germany.
Could do with another loan imo. Maybe extend the current loan deal or move to another Bundesliga side which will give him more minutes.
I think that this formation is just the temporary fix given how shit most of our defense is, much like when Wenger turned to it.
When we hopefully get in the defenders we need and the feces that is Mustafi and others out of our club, we’ll then see a back four again. I pray we do.
Oh man. I think Ozil is a total nonfactor next season. Either he’s been jettisoned or is frozen out entirely.
I hadn’t considered a 3-4-3 Diamond mostly because I think we’re not really going to use 3 CBs next year but if we did I wouldn’t mind seeing Iwobi and Nelson share time in the forward 3 line and maybe have HM play as the tip of the diamond? I think Nelson has cooled off a lot in Germany and probably needs another year.
Then again, I don’t even know what Emery wants out of his team. It’s really hard to see a plan right now because I can’t tell you how he likes to play.
The only scenario where I see possible minutes for Iwobi is if Emery is going to transition back to 4-2-3-1 and he will be the back up number 10. If Emery would play a number 10 anyway and not three centre midfielders. I think we will keep Suarez and he will get a starting role eventually. But I really hope that scenario doesn’t come too fruition. Iwobi in an attacking midfield role is quite depressing.
Is he that depressing as one of the forward 3 in a 4-2-3-1 (which is my least favorite formation by far)?
He can make all the smart runs necessary to push a fullback, he can work well with his fullback on the left (whoever that ends up being). I just think that formation is boring as hell and really hope Emery doesn’t use it.
I blame a lot of the 4-2-3-1 on our really insipid sideways passing games under Arsene. I think that formation encourages the striker to stay too isolated and the two levels of midfield are too static.
I’m sure someone could show me a 4-2-3-1 where the two in midfield and three in midfield can interchange and be more dynamic but I don’t really remember us playing that way.
Neither. IMO, both not good enough to be playing week in and out in the PL. Both lack consistency and end product.
Nelson has a better chance of being a squad player though.
The only winger with a real chance of securing a place in the side is Saka. He has the physique, stamina, pace, scoring ability and is a proper winger.
