Is ‘committed’ Alex Iwobi a key player under Benitez?

When Rafael Benitez was appointed at Everton in the summer, the fan opprobrium was near excessive. The Spaniard’s history with Liverpool meant there was pushback from supporters, with many of those reactions unsavoury.

Indeed, there was an expectation to see an alteration in the team’s on-pitch approach owing to the ex-Real Madrid manager’s modus operandi. As is often the case whenever there’s a change in the dugout, some players immediately become surplus to requirements while others previously in the fringes turn out to be mainstays.

Nigeria’s Alex Iwobi was initially tipped to be a peripheral quantity under the experienced Spanish tactician and the call to start the attacking midfielder on the bench against Southampton was striking.

However, the ex-Arsenal player was introduced in the second half and his impact was palpable. The Super Eagles star was involved in two goals — aiding the Toffees’ 3-1 success at Goodison Park — and forced him into contention for a start at Leeds United.

Iwobi assisted Abdoulaye Doucoure’s strike and was notably involved in the move leading to Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s effort (assisted by Richarlison) and it was no surprise the West African was brought into the XI for Everton’s Premier League fixture at Leeds last weekend.

While he wasn’t involved in any of the side’s goals at Elland Road, he was somewhat unlucky not to register an assist after halftime when he played in Calvert-Lewin for a one-on-one. That accounted for the only through-ball played by any of the visiting players and the Nigerian’s eventual 0.5 Expected Assists was the highest on the away side.

Thus, it was surprising that ex-Everton defender Michael Ball claimed the Super Eagle is struggling at the club.

“He’s complained in the past that he’s not playing in his favourite position. What position that is, I’m not too sure,” Ball told Football FanCast.

“Desire and effort, he’s got, he shows it, when he’s playing out of position, he does work hard so you can’t fault him on that, but I just think his ability, especially under Rafa and under Carlo, tactical wise, let him down a little bit.”

Admittedly, there’s a bit of credence to the former left-back’s assessment, especially as Iwobi voiced his displeasure last season in an Instagram post that was eventually deleted.

"Always an honour to get a call up for my national team. Hopefully, I get to play in my preferred position,” the 25-year-old wrote in his Instagram Story back in March.

Ancelotti, however, replied to the former Arsenal midfielder to name his preferred position.

“I read the post. I want to speak to him, of course. I want to know his preferred position because usually, I want to put a player on the pitch where they are comfortable to play, not where they are uncomfortable to play,” Ancelotti said.

“If he has an idea of where he prefers to play, I have to know, I want to know. I would be delighted to know his preferred position and I’ll put him in his preferred position for sure, no doubt.”

Owing to how often he was in and out of the side and the inclination to move him around to fulfil different roles and positions, Benitez’s appointment theoretically suits the 25-year-old. The Spaniard is expected to play the former Arsenal man within a designated structure and is less likely to alter his broader approach.

Indeed, it has been noticeable that the Iwobi has started the last two games in all competitions, crucially scoring in Tuesday’s 2-1 victory over Huddersfield Town.

Despite seemingly struggling physically as the game wore on, his manager was quite complimentary of the African’s performance at the John Smith's Stadium.

“He was feeling a little bit tight in his abductor," Benitez said following the Toffees’ success against the Terriers. 

“We have to assess him, but the main thing is, you can see he was limping, but he was still working very hard. 

“I think he did a great job and was showing his commitment.”

While it remains to be seen if Iwobi will feature this weekend against in-form Brighton & Hove Albion, there’s a hope that Benitez is the man to finally get the former prodigy firing consistently on Merseyside.

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Seye Omidiora is a passionate football writer and pundit whose deep appreciation for the beautiful game exceeds the usual. He is currently a columnist for Goal Africa and has previously written for Vital Football UK, IBCity Info and Opera News.

Follow him on Twitter @theReal_SeyE

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