The performance of Alex Iwobi proved to be one of the biggest Everton talking points from last weekend’s 3-0 victory over Leeds.
The Nigerian was a surprise inclusion within Frank Lampard’s starting 11, having not started for the Toffees since mid-December.
Lampard revealed the start came as a reward for the great level he’d trained at since the former Chelsea boss had come into the club two weeks ago.
"One of the beauties of coming in two weeks ago is it's a restart, a reboot for everybody.
I'm open-minded to players, all of the squad, and what Alex has done is he's trained at a great level.”
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Iwobi has suffered an inconsistent Everton career since his arrival in 2018, yet at his best, he’s an excellent attacker who can carry and dribble the ball through tight areas inside the opposition’s half.
We saw plenty of this on Saturday as Iwobi’s excellent display was captured by the fact that no Everton player finished the game having made more dribble attempts (five), or more progressive carries (eight) than the 25-year-old.
While this proved hugely beneficial to Everton in possession, it was more so the work that the attacker did off the ball that attracted the majority of the plaudits for his display.
Everton’s approach to the game was clear from the outset, to aggressively press and harry the visitors, giving them no time in which to settle on the ball.
It’s the sort of tactic we can expect to see more of from the Toffees as Lampard establishes his principles at the club.
In the 3-0 win, Everton made more pressure in the attacking third (76) than they’d managed in a single game since December 2018, and Iwobi was a big contributor to that.
The former Arsenal man made a total of 46 pressures, which was more than any other player not only on the pitch, but also in any game across the Premier League that weekend.
Lampard made a point of highlighting his performance in this area when praising Iwobi post-match.
"It was a tough gig playing on the sides against Leeds, you have to do a lot of work off the ball, and he did everything. I'll just keep working on that. We've got players in those positions, other players who were on the bench who can come on.
"So it's important everyone gives their absolute maximum to the limit and Alex did that ."
Although Iwobi has too often found himself on the periphery of the starting 11, last weekend is very much the blueprint for how he can be a success in this new era at the club.
With Everton looking likely to evolve into a more aggressive pressing unit, Iwobi can demonstrate that he’s got the capacity and willingness to be one of the most hardworking players in such a set-up.
Doing so will make him not only a regular under Lampard, but also a favourite among Everton fans too.
