2020/21 Alex Iwobi

[BlueToff]

I genuinely am surprised that so many people though he did poorly today. I though if anything his cameo, and let's be honest less than a half hour is that, at #10 was at least encouraging but most don't seem to think so.

The two main criticisms seem to be that we didn't get any goals in that period, which feels harsh, we don't score in every half hour of football we play, and that Burnley were better than us, which I mostly disagree with, 999 out of 1000 times McNeil doesn't score that goal and we're right in it, plus the areas we struggled were, breaking up play, turning the ball over and not defending in our defensive third, all things the shouldn't be the responsibility of the #10.

Then he moves out wide and he stinks at crossing, which while fair is the exact reason why he should have stayed in the middle.

I don't know it feels to me like a bit of a scapegoating. For example I can't really see how people can complain about his quality on the ball and be OK with an Allan, Doucoure and Sigurdsson midfield that has no quality at all. For me we were in it still at 2-0 down because with him in the middle there was an ability to move the ball forward. When he went wide it vanished and when DCL missed it was all the way over because we had no shot of creating the chances to overturn the deficit by then.

I don't think Iwobi is the best player ever, but I do think in terms of coherent midfield play he and James really are the only options we have now. I don't expect you or anyone will read to here and if you do I expect you'll tell me I'm nuts but that's where I am. This team stinks in the middle of the park and just basic competence, which is the minimum we got from Iwobi today for me, is an upgrade. I think we may have forgot what that looks like.

I mean the issue is that Carlo played a crap system to accommodate him at 10 - a system which was absolutely never going to work against Burnley.

Now, I'm with you to an extent in that I don't think he was absolutely abysmal in that 10 spot and even in the first 10 mins he was quite sharp, but, it left us so, so exposed because of the system played to accommodate him. So, in that respect, he really had to be tearing it up going the other way and getting on the ball more to have that trade off.

It's no surprise that we changed it because straight away it was proven it wasn't going to work from a defensive aspect. Now, that's not actually on Iwobi, but it seems that system was played so that he could play central.

End of the day, he just isn't good enough. Like a lot of them, he isn't up to it. He is so, so poor. It's not just his crossing. It's his passing, his running down blind alleys, his decision to hold play up when it needs to be played quickly or he speeds things up when it needs to be slowed down.

He's a player that plays with no idea of concept of what he is going to do next. In a free-flowing attacking team, maybe that can work. in a team with a structure - perhaps it works - and you know that I agree with you that that is on the manager imo. But, ultimately, he just doesn't have it.

he's been an absolutely horrific signing. I wanted him to do well, even last summer, when the links emerged about him possibly being up for sale, I was saying we should see what he can do with better players around him etc, and see what Carlo can get out of him.

But it's evident he's not cut out for it. And we're going to do well to get half of what we paid back.

 

[TheBigIguana]

I mean the issue is that Carlo played a crap system to accommodate him at 10 - a system which was absolutely never going to work against Burnley.

Now, I'm with you to an extent in that I don't think he was absolutely abysmal in that 10 spot and even in the first 10 mins he was quite sharp, but, it left us so, so exposed because of the system played to accommodate him. So, in that respect, he really had to be tearing it up going the other way and getting on the ball more to have that trade off.

It's no surprise that we changed it because straight away it was proven it wasn't going to work from a defensive aspect. Now, that's not actually on Iwobi, but it seems that system was played so that he could play central.

End of the day, he just isn't good enough. Like a lot of them, he isn't up to it. He is so, so poor. It's not just his crossing. It's his passing, his running down blind alleys, his decision to hold play up when it needs to be played quickly or he speeds things up when it needs to be slowed down.

He's a player that plays with no idea of concept of what he is going to do next. In a free-flowing attacking team, maybe that can work. in a team with a structure - perhaps it works - and you know that I agree with you that that is on the manager imo. But, ultimately, he just doesn't have it.

he's been an absolutely horrific signing. I wanted him to do well, even last summer, when the links emerged about him possibly being up for sale, I was saying we should see what he can do with better players around him etc, and see what Carlo can get out of him.

But it's evident he's not cut out for it. And we're going to do well to get half of what we paid back.

I don't agree with any of these criticisms aside from the crossing.

And the system could have worked. It didn't mostly because a midfield 3 wasn't good enough. We're screwed if we can't secure the midfield against Burnley with that system. I don't like doing this but in this scenario Iwobi is the least of our problems. Any selection should be fine when we've got a back four and midfield three as protection and if it isn't the place to look isn't the guys further forward.

As I said earlier a diamond is a workable system so I don't get acting like going to it was some massive sacrifice. The midfield could have functioned but Allan, Gomes and Davies all had poor games.

 

[BlueToff]

I don't agree with any of these criticisms aside from the crossing.

And the system could have worked. It didn't mostly because a midfield 3 wasn't good enough. We're screwed if we can't secure the midfield against Burnley with that system. I don't like doing this but in this scenario Iwobi is the least of our problems. Any selection should be fine when we've got a back four and midfield three as protection and if it isn't the place to look isn't the guys further forward.

As I said earlier a diamond is a workable system so I don't get acting like going to it was some massive sacrifice. The midfield could have functioned but Allan, Gomes and Davies all had poor games.

It wasn't workable as it was getting torn apart. As I said, I don't think that was on Iwobi, but it meant that we couldn't accommodate him central.

When he moved right, I thought he did okay up until half-time. Second half he was poor.

He's not very good.

 

[ToffeeTim]

No good teams even play with an old fashioned number 10. Its an old fashioned position which only works these days if you are exceptional. Even exceptional players like James find it a tough position to be effective and I think hes better wide right.

You need pace and direct running with the ball. You cant transition properly without it. A number 10 can actually get in the way of being effective on the counter attack.

 

[Baileys3]

Needs to be played in his correct position, which is clearly Hull City's bench.

 

[TheBigIguana]

It wasn't workable as it was getting torn apart. As I said, I don't think that was on Iwobi, but it meant that we couldn't accommodate him central.

When he moved right, I thought he did okay up until half-time. Second half he was poor.

He's not very good.

It was workable in that it didn't have to get torn apart if people did their jobs. They didn't do them.

I think we've established that he's poor on the right. Well everyone but Carlo has. That he was OK when allowed central is the whole point.

 

[windymiller]

I see that @TheBigIguana thinks Iwobi was great and that the only reason he didn't do anything of note is because the rest of the midfield isn't good enough, but he is, and that Carlo didn't give him long enough in the no. 10 position even though we were getting a deep ploughing and were 2-0 down with the system that allowed him to occupy that position.

To reiterate, Iwobi at 10, Everton nil Burnley two. Iwobi out wide, Everton one Burnley nil.

Cue Big Ig saying that the result is nothing to do with Iwobi and everything to do with everyone else. I'm going to guess that Gomes is to blame this week.

 

[TheBigIguana]

I see that @TheBigIguana thinks Iwobi was great and that the only reason he didn't do anything of note is because the rest of the midfield isn't good enough, but he is, and that Carlo didn't give him long enough in the no. 10 position even though we were getting a deep ploughing and were 2-0 down with the system that allowed him to occupy that position.

To reiterate, Iwobi at 10, Everton nil Burnley two. Iwobi out wide, Everton one Burnley nil.

Cue Big Ig saying that the result is nothing to do with Iwobi and everything to do with everyone else. I'm going to guess that Gomes is to blame this week.

This of course ignores that the goal that we did scored still involved Iwobi getting the ball into the box, the exact thing I'm advocating for us to make his primary job.

He's not the best player but he does one thing that we have very little ability to do if we let him do it. We don't.

 

[windymiller]

This of course ignores that the goal that we did scored still involved Iwobi getting the ball into the box, the exact thing I'm advocating for us to make his primary job.

He's not the best player but he does one thing that we have very little ability to do if we let him do it. We don't.

Did he do it from the no. 10 position?

P.S. the 3 yard backward pass he played prior to the cross is a pretty loose definition of getting the ball into the box.

 

[TheBigIguana]

Did he do it from the no. 10 position?

No, but he did it by passing the ball and not crossing it. I mean keep him out on the wing if we're going to turn into a passing team, as we are now he needs to be somewhere else.

People need to focus on what he can do. I include Carlo.

 

[windymiller]

No, but he did it by passing the ball and not crossing it. I mean keep him out on the wing if we're going to turn into a passing team, as we are now he needs to be somewhere else.

People need to focus on what he can do. I include Carlo.

He passed it, backwards, three yards. Not into the box. Davies played the ball into DCL. I agree he needs to play somewhere else, I'm thinking a team in London.

 

[Gwladys St. Glory]

 

[TheBigIguana]

He passed it, backwards, three yards. Not into the box. Davies played the ball into DCL. I agree he needs to play somewhere else, I'm thinking a team in London.

The ball wasn't in the box and then when Davies got it the ball was. That's a pass into the box in my book. It's something our midfield doesn't do, James aside.

 

[windymiller]

The ball wasn't in the box and then when Davies got it the ball was. That's a pass into the box in my book. It's something our midfield doesn't do, James aside.

You really will argue black is white. Davies actually picks it up just outside the box then crosses it when he takes it into the box. In all honesty, though, that is immaterial as Iwobi's ball was a ball anyone could have played. There was nothing special about it at all. Davies ball was the one that made the goal. Iwobi made no impact on the game whatsoever. He wasn't the only one, he wasn't especially bad, but the idea he was somehow a standout is a fantasy on your point and is just further evidence of your weird agenda.

 

[TheBigIguana]

You really will argue black is white. Davies actually picks it up just outside the box then crosses it when he takes it into the box. In all honesty, though, that is immaterial as Iwobi's ball was a ball anyone could have played. There was nothing special about it at all. Davies ball was the one that made the goal. Iwobi made no impact on the game whatsoever. He wasn't the only one, he wasn't especially bad, but the idea he was somehow a standout is a fantasy on your point and is just further evidence of your weird agenda.

Sure mate, I'm the one twisting things.

I'm not suggesting it is special I'm suggesting that no one else in our team does it consistently. Stats back that up, but they're fake and don't matter right?