Alex Iwobi has spoken of his desire to learn and improve in the right wing-back role after featuring there in a back five for Everton against Scott Parker’s Fulham at the weekend.
The Toffees won 3-2 in a tight game which saw an unorthodox approach from Carlo Ancelotti, who decided a change of shape was necessary to yield the most from his side.
Iwobi put in an impressive display at right-back and shed light as to why that may have been the case in comments given to the official Everton website:
I played right wing-back a couple of times with Arsenal, they wanted me to bomb on and, like I was doing in the first half at Fulham, get crosses in and run down the line with the ball.
It is not something I have done a lot but anywhere I am told to play, I try to do my best. I will take the positives but there are still things I have to learn if I am going to play in this position, especially defensively.
At least, for me, playing right wing-back, the manager has in his mind, I can play anywhere on the left and right and in the middle.
Anywhere he wants me to play, I will be able to do that job. And wherever I am playing I will give 100 per cent for the club.
Iwobi also spoke openly as to how his teammates supported him through the process.
Ben [Godfrey] and James [Rodriguez] and Doucs [Doucoure] were talking to me and made it more comfortable.
Sometimes, with my defensive position, I wouldn’t know where to be but with them helping and talking it was a lot easier.
Iwobi managed to contribute significantly in the Toffees’ victory, supplying five crosses (all of which were accurate) and posting his team’s highest individual pass completion rate at 87.5%.
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A combination of those positive statistics and Iwobi’s clear desire to learn and improve is tremendously reassuring for the Toffees.
After such an excellent performance, it may well be that the right wing-back role is the best position from which to get the most out of Iwobi at Everton. If Ancelotti sticks with his back five setup, expect the Nigerian to be a mainstay in the starting XI.
