Not for the first time in his Everton career, Alex Iwobi has spent much of this week splitting opinions. In the Toffees’ last home game, he was the hero who scored the crucial 99th-minute winner against Newcastle United with the team down to ten men.
However, he turned into the 'villain' on Sunday when he failed to control a pass from Michael Keane, leading to a costly turnover in the build-up to West Ham United’s decisive winning goal.
For some Everton fans, the mistake optimised Iwboi’s weaknesses. He can be perceived as a player who is careless in possession, which is a problem enhanced when he plays in more central areas of the pitch where turnovers can prove dear, as it did at the weekend.
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However, those who rate the Nigerian international more highly see these turnovers as a consequence of his attempts to be more direct and progressive in possession. And in any event, there’s a case to be made that there are worse culprits for losing control of the ball on a regular basis at Everton.
Iwobi has so far averaged 1.75 miscontrols per 90 this season. Of the Blues players who have played 500+ league minutes, there are actually seven who have higher averages in this area (Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison, Salomon Rondon, Anthony Gordon, Demarai Gray, Andros Townsend and Andre Gomes).
This means although he can be careless, he's perhaps not as wasteful as some consider him to be. On the flip side, his favour to be more penetrative can be hugely beneficial to Everton from an attacking point of view.
This season, he ranks second behind only Townsend in terms of successful passes made into the penalty area (1.35 per 90), second for the highest number of key passes (1.85 per 90) and second for progressive carries (33.6 per 90), too.
Even in Sunday’s defeat, aside from the mistake, there’s a reasonable case to be made that he was one of Everton's better performers. He finished the game having made more touches and successful passes than any other Blues player. He also registered four shot-creating actions - no Everton player managed more.
This goes some way to shedding light on why boss Frank Lampard praised Iwobi after the game and despite his mistake. “Alex played really well and I hope people don't focus too much on the negative and the mistake because if you focus on that you have to remind yourself that he scored us the winning goal against Newcastle in our last game," said the Blues boss.
“He’s got attributes to be able to play in different positions. I thought his work rate was brilliant, his play against a very strong West Ham midfield, he gave us a lot by coming into midfield and I thought he did well.”
There’s a large portion of Everton fans who remain unconvinced by Iwobi, and his issues in terms of consistency are a big factor behind this. Yet the evidence is growing that he is becoming a key player in Lampard’s squad. The good work he does might drift under the radar, but don't be shocked to still see him play a decisive role for the team between now and the end of the season.
