It has been 18 months since Alex Iwobi made his breakthrough with Arsenal’s first team under Arsene Wenger.
However, the Nigerian international has struggled since to cement his place in the squad. This season is either make or break for Iwobi, and new boss Unai Emery seems to have instilled new confidence in 22-year-old.
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The forward seems to have benefited the most with the arrival of the Spanish boss. Iwobi, who recently signed a five-year contract extension, came off the bench against Watford on Saturday and inspired the Gunners to a 2-0 win, as the London club continued its winning streak in the Premier League since losing their first two league games.
He has now revealed how the new boss has helped in improving his performance for the club, by boosting his confidence, and admitted that he is now more confident than ever at the club.
“I’m more positive and more confident with the ball,” he explained [via Metro].
“The boss has basically told me that if something doesn’t work, just keep going and don’t dwell on it. He’s told me to stop being so critical and to just keep trying no matter what happens, no matter if things don’t go as I want them to.
“That’s given me a lot more confidence to try a few more things, like beat a player, to shoot more. I’m always ready to get on the ball a bit more, so I guess it’s helped in that sense.
“The main thing that the boss stresses with me is to get in the positions to score. I scored against Brentford but I was offside. I had another chance too, and I just need to convert them.
“He’s happy with me getting into those positions and the next step is to convert the chances.”
Emery praised the Nigerian’s impact against Watford in his post-match conference, who came on for Aaron Ramsey in the second half. He also mentioned that the winger needed to finish off his chances in front of the goal.
“He [Iwobi] is working well every day,” the boss said [via Goal].
“I am very happy with him because of his mentality. He can play right or left, maybe he can do more one on one.
“Also, I want him to stay nearer the box to score and find assists for his teammates. This is the way for him.”
Iwobi's Quality Helped Us Beat Watford – Emery – https://t.co/1EfTzM7Zwo pic.twitter.com/Y3U41i6uW3
— FootballLiveNG (@footballliveCH) October 1, 2018
Although Iwobi did score against Chelsea, during the 3-2 defeat in August, he has yet to score a goal since then. Last season he scored just three times for the North Londoners, and he knows he needs to find the net more often if he wants to establish himself at the Emirates under the new regime.
