Alex Iwobi enjoys new lease of life at Everton under Frank Lampard
Frank Lampard is under tremendous pressure to guide Everton to Premier League safety after taking over from Rafa Benitez.
The home form has been reasonably good but the away record has been horrendous, meaning it could go down to the wire.
Lampard has offered everyone a clean slate to prove a point, and one of the players who has impressed heavily is Alex Iwobi.
Since joining from Arsenal, the 25-year-old has only delivered in patches. We have only seen flashes of brilliance from him.
In most cases, he has been really poor, with the Toffees fans often raising doubts about his quality.
Under Rafa Benitez, his situation didn’t improve either, but he has now started to show his worth under Lampard, although in a different role.
The versatile forward has been used at both right and left-wing where he has hardly made an impact. In the absence of Donny van Beek, he was first used in an advanced central midfield role against West Ham for the first time.
While Iwobi was at fault for West Ham’s equaliser, he was otherwise brilliant throughout the game.
The Liverpool Echo wrote about him (11 April): “Iwobi has found a new lease of life at Everton under Lampard playing in a central role. He’s showing fantastic work rate and stamina – while also showing off the quality on the ball that has impressed Blues supporters in recent matches.”
While he still has got a lot to do, there are positive signs. Against Burnley, he made two tackles and played out one key pass in an overall solid individual performance as the Toffees lost 3-2 [Who Scored].
Against Manchester United, he was equally solid in midfield, making two interceptions, as per Who Scored.
More than anything else, his overall contribution in terms of work rate and qualities off the ball have been brilliant. He seems a player transformed in his new role.
In other Everton news, Simon Jordan has shared a potential catastrophe waiting to happen at Goodison Park this season
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