Compare Iwobi with Fabregas at the same age or even Wilshere at the same age. This is how I know he won't be good enough for this club. He's another denilson level, at MOST Ramsey level player. If we want to challenge for titles I think we need to start aiming higher.
For a forward, 4 goals and 4 assists in 27 prem games is appalling and its not like he's 18. He's 22 in may for goodness sake. Dybala had 13 in 34 for palermo at that age, and being bought by Juventus. Rooney was in his second season at United scoring 16 in 36. Lukaku got 15 in 31 at Everton. Torres had 16 in 38. Benzema had 20 in 36. Kane was scoring 21 in 34 I'm his breakthrough year. Even heskey had 7 in 23 for leicester. Those players didn't need mollycoddling while being told they were top drawer and just out of form. They just started performing. Granted, they actually had a football manager in charge of them, but christ, I've seen nothing of Iwobi that suggests he'll ever be anything better than Walcott or Baptista. Just because he's English and young when he first came through, somehow he has a reputation as being classy and in a rough patch. Persistence with playing and overpaying such mediocre players who are Burnley standard is exactly why our club is in such a cesspit with our best players wanting to leave and us being miles off challenging for any serious trophy. Let's give him time though. Just like Denilson, Merida, Walcott, Baptista, Oxlade... By the time he reaches the age of 30 he'll be world class. Just wait ONE MORE YEAR, HE CAN DO IT!!!
I see your point, but I blame that on the culture of the club post the invincibles. Players not played in their right positions. Whatever is happening on the training ground is obviously not working. We pass and pass without real purpose. We don't have direct attacking plays where ST can thrive. We don't shoot enough. No set piece specials. Just pretty passing. Even that ain't so pretty any more. For me it is a coaching issue.
The Gods of footy will have you out of the League Cup tomorrow because it will be funny, you're ****ed.
You rescued yourself there. Our passing is not pretty. It's dour and without end product most of the time. It's also pretty shoddy from quite a few of our players. Xhaka for example is very poor passer which makes it even more embarrassing given that it's the only thing he is supposed to be good at.
As blukyt mentioned, putting players out of position or in a style of play that doesn't suit them. Wenger has at times tried to bludgeon players into positions or style of play they simply aren't comfortable with. Xhaka is playing in a system that he isn't comfortable in or sometimes knows what he's doing. Not his fault, he's just another player that was a wrong fit. His entire midfield doesn't work and hasn't worked since Fabregas left. The closest he got to it working was Fabregas, Flamini and Rosicky. So it's no surprise when Cazorla went off injured we looked average. Ramsey, Xhaka, Coqs and Ozil do not work together but he's so stubborn that he will persevere. He should have got a Cazorla replacement but instead went with the current lot.
The midfield of Ramsey, Cazorla, Coquelin actually worked really well. We so badly miss out little maestro in the middle. He is such a mobile player and keeps the ball moving forward. Our current crop just slow the play down, pass sideways and allow the oppo to regroup and get behind the ball.
I agree and that's what i mentioned. But why didn't anyone identify this crucial weakness going into the season? All this waffle about Cazorla coming back was never going to happen. Every Wenger team relies heavily on short incisive passing, and it's something players like Cazorla, Rosicky, Hleb and Fabregas were so good at. Xhaka and Ramsey aren't those players so why didn't Wenger or the management try and get a Cazorla type? Yes Caz would be a hard replacement, but someone similar would have been better than the current lot we have.
Or someone similar. I want the new guy who is responsible for transfers to take a lead on squad weaknesses. The problem we have now is no one is willing to challenge Wenger, thankfully that should now change. If we're missing a player or someone is not working out, then do something about it. Not drag things on unnecessarily! I think the current management has failed to appropriately support Wenger. Support shouldn't be everyone collectively saying yes to Wenger, but actively challenging decisions when they think he isn't right. Dean was the only guy who actively challenged Wenger, after him, it became the all Wenger bandwagon.