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Alex Iwobi has hailed Everton fans for their huge support of the side over the last few weeks, including in the aftermath of a 0-0 draw with Watford on Wednesday evening, Megasportsarena.com reports.
Frank Lampard’s side pulled one point further away from the relegation zone after a stalemate at Vicarage Road.
The match followed another show of solidarity from Evertonians on Tuesday as they gathered in large numbers outside Finch Farm to see the team coaches off with banners, smoke bombs and songs. Throughout these huge events, Iwobi has been keeping his social media followers well informed with the mood on those buses.
He mentioned that the squad certainly appreciate the love they have been receiving in recent matches. And the Nigeria international particularly highlighted the amount of away fans who stayed in their seats on Wednesday to applaud the side off the pitch despite what might have been seen as a disappointing result.
Iwobi said: “We have to stay positive after this game. We wanted to get the three points, but we didn’t. But we’ve got seven out of the last nine [points], so it’s a good result for us to keep on moving.
“Before they [the fans] probably would have been disappointed but it shows how far we’ve come and how far they’ve come as well. They’re still sticking by us until the end.
“Nobody left when we went to go and clap them, there were no empty seats. So it’s helping us when we’re on the pitch, because we can feel it.
“Without them, we wouldn’t be able to perform the way we are. Especially at Goodison, but to do it away as well we feel it.
“At Finch Farm when they first did it we were a bit surprised, it took us 30 minutes to get out! Normally it’s just a simple drive! But we appreciate the support they’re showing us.”
Iwobi has found another new position in the side across recent weeks, despite having shown some of the best form of his Everton career as an attacking midfielder previously. The 26-year-old has been used primarily as a right wing-back by Lampard in the last three matches.
And it’s a position he is happy to keep playing as long as he is helping the team. The Blues star described the message he has received from the boss and how he is taking that onto the pitch.
“It’s good, anything I can do to help the team. I do get the ball a lot, I get into attacking opportunities as well, I just have to keep on doing what I can do for the team,” he added.
“Whether it’s right wing-back, right midfield, in the middle….I just have to keep doing my best. Before I started playing consistently he [Lampard] told me to go and express myself, play how I train.
“I’ve been trying to do that and repay the faith. Every time he’s always talking to me to stay confident, and that’s what I’m trying to do on the pitch.”
Iwobi admitted that he hasn’t had any particular individual defensive work on the training pitch over recent weeks to hone his talents in that area. However, he highlighted the huge influence that playing alongside Seamus Coleman has had in his performances.
He admitted: “Without him I’d probably be all over the place! He’s always shouting my name and telling me where to be so I do appreciate that.
“Playing next to someone like him he’s always vocal, always telling me ‘right shoulder’, ‘left shoulder’, ‘the winger’s coming inside’. He does help me a lot and makes my work easier, when I should be making his work easier!
“We do a lot of tactical work to make sure I’m smart with my positioning, but apart from that no [individual defensive work]. I guess I’m just alright so far, I’ve not been beat that much defensively one-v-one so I’m doing alright.”
Everton now head into a crucial pair of matches at Goodison Park in the latter stages of the campaign, starting with the visit of Brentford on Sunday. Thomas Frank’s side were comfortably beaten in the FA Cup by the Blues in Lampard’s first match in charge, but that doesn’t mean the squad are expecting a smooth ride this time around.
“We’re fired up, the last time we played Brentford was in the cup and we had a comfortable win. It’s not going to be the same, it’s not going to be as easy as before,” Iwobi concluded.
“So we know we have to prepare, rest and go again. Brentford are a good team, but with the same attitude and spirit we’ve been showing in the last couple of weeks we’ll get a result again.”
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