Everton of England versatile player, Alex Iwobi has gained from a smart piece of technical brinkmanship by his club’s coach, Carlo Ancelotti, who had to tinker the team for their latest English Premier League clash and the decision paid off handsomely.
Megasportsarena.com gahered that Ancelotti’s tinkering not only led to an away win that saw Everton climb to fourth position on the log, it also helped Iwobi notch one of the goals that helped his side beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 at Molineux Stadium.
Before the game on Tuesday night, Iwobi had gone 37 matches in the EPL without getting on the scorer’ sheet, but he eventually netted his second goal for The Toffees in just six minutes of action against Wolves, in a game that Ancelotti had to tinker with his formation due to injuries to some key players.
With his top scorer, Dominic Calvert-Lewin unavailable for selection due to a hamstring issue, Ancelotti resorted to a 3-5-2 formation, with Iwobi stepping out at right wing-back, but the Super Eagles’ star capped off a great performance with his first goal of the season.
Iwobi gave Everton a perfect start when he coolly finished Lucas Digne’s pass into the bottom corner and, though his early strike was cancelled out by Wolves’ Rúben Neves on 14 minutes, the visitors clinched three points thanks to Michael Keane, who rose high to head home in the 77th minute.
Despite having Calvert-Lewin unavailable and Richarlison on the bench, Everton roared into an early lead through Iwobi, after which Neves was on hand to finish off a brilliant Rayan Ait-Nouri assist, but The Toffees fought on gamely to snatch victory even without their 14-goal top striker.
Speaking post-match, The Toffees’ coach admitted he virtually took a gamble with his selection, and Ancelotti went on to reveal that he was thrilled with the way Iwobi and Digne combined for the first goal, especially considering that his game plan was to utilize the flanks.
Ancelotti told BBC Sport: “We had a different approach without Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin. We played more to attack the flanks with Iwobi and Digne and it worked well because the first goal was a fantastic combination.”
Iwobi’s goal on Tuesday meant the former Arsenal playmaker scored for the first time in 38 EPL games, as the last time he hit target was on September 1, 2019 – in Everton’s 3-2 win over same opponent at Goodison Park.
In the wake of his return to goals scoring form, Iwobi excitedly took to social media to reveal his delight with his feat on Tuesday, as he posted: “That 3 Point Feeling’s So Sweet #YaaDigg 🤟🏽🍬.”
