Nigeria international Alex Iwobi has been highly critiqued since his move to Merseyside. He has faced struggles at Everton this season but manager Ancelotti says that the Super Eagles attacker is not at fault.
The former Arsenal man – Iwobi – has struggled for consistency thus far this season but the story is half true with such a statement as Everton have been inconsistent themselves, reiterated by manager Carlo Ancelotti who is an admirer of his player and has backed him up in times of adversity.
Iwobi has scored just one goal and registered two assists in 28 appearances in the Premier League this season, which, even he knows is way below par.
“I think he had some good performances, and he had some difficult performances,” Ancelotti told Liverpool Echo.
“He is part of the squad and after that, he had some games where he played really well and was really helpful for the team, and in other games.
“I tried to change, a little bit, the strategy… It didn’t work well but not for his fault, [it was] the team’s fault and the team’s mistakes.”
“He is professional, but of course when there is competition sometimes you play and sometimes you are on the bench,” he added.
“He is not a frustrating player because he is really professional, really serious, always ready, not at all is he a frustrating player, because he is a really good professional with a fantastic attitude.”
Iwobi was recalled to the starting line-up as a replacement for James Rodriguez as the Toffees succumbed to a 2-1 Premier League defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday in their bid for Europa League qualification next season.
Things started off brightly for Everton who were in the mix for the top 4 in the first 10-15 games of the season but suffered a major dip soon after and have failed to get back to the form they had at the beginning of the season.
