Iwobi is not good enough

One of the biggest surprises before the match even begun was the presence of forward Alex Iwobi in Arsenal’s starting line up. The young Nigerian international had been pictured at a party just hours before the Gunners crashed out of the FA Cup to Championship side Nottingham Forest, a game in which Iwobi also started. Arsene Wenger had before the Chelsea game stated that Iwobi was to be fined if it was proven he was out in the early hours, and so to see him start was a big surprise. What was less surprising was the display that Iwobi put in for the Gunners. The 21-year-old looked dangerous at times, getting into some promising positions, but his end product let him down every single time. It has been a couple of years now since Iwobi broke into the Arsenal team, and the winger has shown little sign of progress since then. His performance against Chelsea illustrated that, with one particular effort on goal – a toe poke that rolled harmlessly into Thibault Courtois’ hands – showing how far he has to go. Iwobi looks in danger of becoming the next Theo Walcott, breaking into the Premier League at a young age, before stalling massively in his development. It is still early days, with the youngster still just 21, but Arsenal fans seem to be growing tired of his ineffective displays. Rather than improving, he appears in a worrying state of steady decline.

Click below to see Arsene Wenger’s greatest concern in the coming weeks