Alex Iwobi: A victim of unfair expectations

When the Premier League resumes following the international break, Alex Iwobi will, in his very next appearance for Fulham, own the record for most appearances by a Nigerian in the English top flight. 

This is no mean feat. The Premier League is the biggest league in the world, with some of the wealthiest clubs and finest players the sport has to offer. No one is handing out appearances for free, best believe. If you are on the cusp of 300 appearances in the division, it is a safe assumption that you are, at the very least, a capable footballer, and that is even before looking too deeply into statistics.

And yet, by the time the final whistle goes on Friday at the end of Nigeria’s penultimate 2026 World Cup qualifier, there will doubtless be a section of Super Eagles fans savaging Iwobi’s performance against Lesotho. Most will do it with a measure of decorum, some will do it by disrespectfully invoking his filial relationship to the legendary Jay-Jay Okocha; both will be mistaken for different reasons. For the latter camp, the reason is obvious: theirs is a bad-faith assessment espoused purely as a form of ragebait, and is so obviously asinine as to be dismissed out of hand. The former, however, deserve an intelligent rebuttal, and so here it is.

What is the case against Alex Iwobi?

The 29-year-old stands accused of not providing creativity to the Nigeria attack. As the three-time African champions have struggled for goals over the past two years (at least), his perceived inability to unlock opposing defences and lay chances on a plate for the Super Eagles’ plethora of forwards has come under scrutiny.

Since making his international debut in 2015, Iwobi has amassed well over 80 international caps. His tally over that period stands at 10 goals and six assists, proof positive – his traducers would no doubt insist – that he has not pulled his weight creatively for the Super Eagles. Considering that he frequently has the most attacking profile of all midfielders in any given starting XI, he should be doing so much better. Why can he not be like his uncle Jay-Jay?

Why the case against Alex Iwobi falls down

For one, creativity has a lot of different facets. Iwobi is routinely one of the Premier League’s elite when it comes to progressing the ball into the final third, an important skill considering space between the lines of midfield and attack is at a premium in modern football. Though unsexy, that is, in itself, an important aspect of creating; if you are looking for silky through balls instead, it is worth considering that, for the most part, such passes are dependent on both the volume and quality of runs.

However, if this is not convincing by itself, consider the nature of Iwobi’s role. While he is notionally the most creative midfielder in the matchday lineup, he is more often than not placed  in a situation where he is also the only one who can actually circulate with a degree of reliability. If you select him alongside Wilfred Ndidi and Frank Onyeka, as has most often been the case in the last couple of years, who then is supposed to consistently receive the ball from the centre-backs and get the ball to him? Both are runners and tacklers, and so invariably Iwobi is forced to drop deeper.

If we split the responsibilities into three broad  categories (control/circulation, ball winning and creativity), that means the Fulham man is responsible for two, which is grossly inefficient. (For some reason, successive Super Eagles coaches have bluntly refused to trust Raphael Onyedika, a choice that would doubtless liberate Iwobi.)

The final point in this argument is that the idea of putting the creative burden of an entire team on one player is inherently ludicrous. Even from a strategic standpoint, it makes no sense, as it makes it easier for the opposition. Not even Iwobi’s uncle carried that load: apart from the fact that there was Kanu as well to thread the eye of the needle, a lot of Nigeria’s attacking came from wingers, so Finidi George was also a creative force with his passing and crossing. These are luxuries Iwobi simply does not have. 

Still, he has been a great servant for the Super Eagles, playing the sort of selfless role his mythic uncle never could have. He should be appreciated for what he is; as for what he could be, in that sense, he is more accurately a victim than a villain.