Alex Iwobi admits he feels more confident this season compared to last and he recovers better after he makes a mistake.
Alex Iwobi has certainly been one of the major positives from Unai Emery’s changes behind the scenes at Arsenal.
Although the Nigerian burst on to the scene in 2015, his development seemed to stagnate very quickly and his performances became a source of frustration for many fans.
Not so this season.
At times, the 22-year-old has kept Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang out of the side and has four assists (and one goal) already this season, totting up a direct goal involvement rate of one every 93 minutes.
Last season his rate was 226.8 minutes.
Iwobi: "Do I feel like a better player than a year ago? I’d just say I am more confident. I feel that even if I make a mistake, I am able to go again. I think that is the difference between me last year and this year.” #afc
— LTArsenal™ (@ltarsenal) October 23, 2018
Arsene Wenger himself once said, “confidence goes up by the stairs and down by the elevator” and anxiety and nervousness are problems I know only too well.
People advise that you to just forget about mistakes and move on, but when your confidence is low, it’s not quite that easy. Every small mistake becomes amplified, affecting how you are able to react and perform in the next moment.
It’s great to see that Arsenal are working behind the scenes to improve confidence and self-believe.
I’m not sure how many years we’ve been asking for the club to address the psychological issues of players, but it seems like they might have finally found a way to do that that makes a difference.