Last weekend's North London derby between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal was significant for Alex Iwobi in that Unai Emery resisted the mouting temptation to approach the game in a certain, and somewhat expected, way: by playing a resurgent Mesut Ozil from the off or utilizing the pair of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexander Lacazette from the get-go.
Also, given Henrikh Mkhitaryan gave, arguably, his best individual performance in an Arsenal shirt in the 5-1 success against Bournemouth a few days before the derby, leaving him out might have led to a few raised eyebrows. While the same argument could be used in defence of Ozil, the oft-held notion of the playmaker’s flawed work rate off the ball perhaps justified Emery’s decision.
With the Armenian’s participation against Spurs somewhat set in stone, electing to start Auba alongside Lacazette would’ve been to Iwobi’s detriment. When the Gunners’ top scorers are deployed in tandem, the Gabon international often occupies a wide berth on the left with the freedom to drift in-field to be closer to the Frenchman.
Another alternative could’ve seen Emery utilize a 4-4-2 diamond which, similarly, wouldn’t have benefitted the Nigerian given he ranks in the lower reaches when ranking Arsenal’s number 10s.
However, Emery chose none of the aforementioned and went with a 4-2-3-1 against Mauricio Pochettino’s 3-4-1-2, to the Nigeria international’s benefit.
For Iwobi’s part, the show of confidence to hand him another start after the Manchester City disaster was significant.
Having made the error that led to the Citizens opening the scoring inside the first minute of the encounter, there couldn't have been too many questions had he been left out in the very next big game away from home.
Playing the attacking midfielder from the start at the expense of Aubameyang made sense too, because he offers a bit more in and out of possession.
The frontman incessantly cuts a peripheral figure when the Gunners don’t have the ball for extended periods and given the game plan was to cede possession to the Lilywhites, leaving Auba out was logical.Iwobi’s superior, and often underrated, linkup play which trumps most of his attacking teammates was exactly what was required for Arsenal during the initial stages of the encounter at Wembley Stadium. He blends that with intelligent combination with the overlapping full-back time and again to create chances for his side.
Since the unfortunate injury to primary right-back Hector Bellerin, Emery’s side have channeled a glut of attacks down the opposite flank, with the left-back often put in situations where he’s able to send low crosses into the box or find a specific target with a cut-back.
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