Alan Smith is delighted at the progress of Alex Iwobi this season and thinks the 22-year-old adds something different to the current Arsenal team.

Iwobi changed the game against Watford on Saturday. Arsenal were struggling to open the scoring and conceding as many chances as they were making before the Nigeria international came off the bench. After that, he was heavily involved in two quick goals and the Gunners stole the victory.

Arsenal legend Alan Smith is clearly impressed with how things are going for the young academy graduate.

“It has been enlightening and heartening to watch Alex Iwobi shine this season,” Smith told the Evening Standard. “[Before now, he was] ponderous in possession, first touch often heavy, you could see the uncertainty in everything he did. I wondered if he would ever bounce back to reach full potential.

“Lately, though, it has been the exact opposite. The 22-year-old (above) looks powerful and positive with or without the ball, as if he understands his role. We hear he feels confident under Unai Emery, suggesting the new manager has devoted some time to improving the attacker.

“This all adds up to good news for the team as a whole, since Iwobi’s game can provide something different when Emery sees fit. Against a strong, physical side like Watford, he could prove useful, whether from the bench or from the start.”

It’s true that Iwobi only seems to be getting better this year. He’s not afraid to take players on, to try dangerous passes, to go for goal himself.

The result of this renewed confidence is that he’s actually making fewer mistakes, even though he’s taking more risks. When he does mess up, he just resets and goes again, which is exactly what you want.

Smith is right to highlight the Iwobi’s work off the ball too because it often goes unnoticed. Perhaps as a result of undertaking his development in the tough-tackling Premier League, he has no problem throwing himself into physical duels or pressing opponents to win the ball back.

The Brentford right-back on Wednesday, Moses Odubajo, found that out very quickly. Iwobi put him under a lot of pressure, winning the ball back repeatedly, earning a corner for the first goal and playing Monreal in to assist the second. It was no surprise to see the manager withdraw Odubajo early in the second half.

Hopefully, Iwobi can keep getting involved in Arsenal goals and wins, whether he gets credit in the goal/assist tallies or not.