It is a pathetic story that Nigeria will not feature at the next Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon after losing Group G ticket to Egypt following a 1-0 defeat in Alexandria on Tuesday which was preceded by a 1-1 draw in Kaduna last week Friday but the country can take some positives from the ill-fated campaign and one of these is the exquisite showing of Arsenal prodigy, Alex Iwobi. The 19-year-old played a cumulative time of about 25 minutes over the two legs but he was able to convince many Nigerians that he was the future of the Super Eagles. The Eagles were leading the Pharaohs 1-0 in Kaduna before coach Samson Siasia introduced Iwobi and he quickly added more bite to the team’s attack, he even provided the pass that almost resulted into Eagles’ second goal of the night. Moses’s attempt to tap in the ball was thwarted by an onrushing Egyptian player before the visitors scored an injury time equaliser.
He again came on in the second half of the return fixture in Alexandria and his presence on the pitch opened up the water-tight Egyptian defence, the Eagles became more purposeful in the way they attacked even though they unfortunate not to have a breakthrough. “It is unfortunate we did not win this game, I believe we should have won, we should have taken our chances,” the player told our correspondent in Kaduna after the 1-1 draw with Egypt. I am happy I made my debut in Nigeria, it has always been my dream and I hope to achieve a lot of things in the colour of my national team.” He would not have played the game had the England FA succeeded in its last minute bid to convince the player to dump the idea of representing Nigeria. The player had featured for Nigeria in two friendly matches but was still eligible to represent England because he had not played for the country in a competitive game.
The player admitted in an exclusive interview with Saturday Telegraph that the FA actually approached him but he had already made up his mind to commit his international future to the country of his birth.” I’ve always wanted to represent Nigeria because that’s where my family’s from, that’s where I’m from and this is where I feel comfortable playing for. It’s a personal decision and I’m happy to be here,” he added. Iwobi did not just come from nowhere, he has some solid pedigree. His uncle is the former captain of the Super Eagles, a Nigerian legend, Austin Okocha. The player told my Saturday Telegraph that the former Bolton Wanderers star actually played a role in his decision to commit his future to Nigeria. “Ordinarily I would have loved to play for England since I have played for all the under-aged teams up to the U-19, but my Uncle was one of those who convinced me to choose my country. He told me a lot of things about the honour and pride that goes with representing Nigeria,” he said. Okocha is still revered as one of the most successful and impactful players that ever wore the green and white jersey of Nigeria.
He is still very popular among Nigerian fans and it is certainly difficult to fill the shoes he left behind. As Okocha’s nephew, it is expected that Iwobi will have some pressure going with that tag but he does not feel it. “No pressure at all, I like to be who I am and try to improve every day. I am impressed with what I heard and saw him do for Nigeria and if I became a better player than him that will be fantastic,” he said. Okocha is giving his nephew a lot more guidance, Iwobi said the former PSG star constantly gives him advice,”not only about the national team but my career generally. He is someone I always look up to for motivation and I try to work on the advice he gives me.” The Lagos-born forward is certainly one of the newest guys in the Eagles but after a few call-ups, he appeared to have blended well with the rest of the squad. At the Kaduna camp of the team, the player was seen interacting well with other players, and midfielder Ogenyi Onazi seems to have taken him under his wings.
“The lads are exciting and I am happy to be here. We get along very well and everyone seems nice,” he added. He had told Saturday Telegraph about his willingness to try local delicacies especially ‘efo riro’ (vegetable soup) but Nigerians were scared when reports emerged that the player suffered food poisoning which kept him out of the team’s training sessions. Some reports said he got the poison from the salad he took, but our correspondent learnt that the player actually tried a hot ‘pepper soup’ which affected his stomach. The media, especially British press, feasted on the story and it appeared the player would not make the expected debut after all which inevitably would have given the English FA the opportunity to further try to convince the Nigerian. Iwobi said he was never thinking about anything other than featuring for Nigeria and was not afraid his competitive debut would be delayed. “Not at all, I just came and I had food poisoning but I was able to continue training the next day, I was able to play in the game against Egypt, it was nothing,” he said. Iwobi is nothing if not versatile: during his time playing for the various Arsenal youth team set-up, he has played in virtually every position on the pitch.
Arsenal’s youth coaches have experimented with Iwobi deployed in a variety of roles, so as to utilise his prodigious skills: his blistering pace, his calmness in possession (bolstered by his ability to use both feet), and his on-field intelligence to the fullest. In recent years, however, Arsenal’s coaches have kept Iwobi in an attacking role, and the 19-year-old is frequently used as a forward. His knack for scoring goals has been a major factor in this, and Iwobi has a decent goal-scoring rate. He managed eight goals for both the Arsenal U18 and U19 teams, before netting 10 times in only 17 starts for Arsenal’s U21 team, last season. Iwobi has been declared the next Alex Oxlade- Chamberlain by some Arsenal fans, and his propensity for mazy runs makes it easy for him to play in either side of the flanks. But the player’s preferred role is a place behind the striker, so he told our correspondent but he is always happy to help the team in any capacity. “I tried to do my best on the pitch, I am always willing to learn, to develop and listen to the manager, I am always willing to listen, to do whatever he asks me to do,” he added. With eight matches to the end of the current English Premier League season, Iwobi is one of those players that have put life into the Gunners’ fading title dream and he said they would continue to push until the end. “We are just trying to win the next eight games. Hopefully if we can win, we will see where we finish at the end of the season.”
Source: newtelegraphonline.com