Alex Iwobi Gives Reasons Why He Doesn’t Play As Expected for Super Eagles

• Alex Iwobi delivers contrasting performances for his club, Fulham, and the Nigerian national team
• The attacker has been a subject of criticism by football-loving citizens, particularly after AFCON
• Iwobi has opened up on the difference between club and country and how it affects his performances

Alex Iwobi has admitted to not playing to the expectations of Nigerians whenever he wears the Super Eagles jersey and has explained the reasons for his poor performances.

Iwobi made his Super Eagles debut in 2015 after switching his international allegiance from England, which he represented at three youth levels.

Nine years after his first game against the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigerians are still asking questions of when he will play to his hype as Austin Jay-Jay Okocha's cousin.

Iwobi defends Super Eagles performance

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Iwobi is not deaf to the fans' discussions on social media and has shed light on the difference between his performances for his club and the national team.

“My role for the national team and club side are two different roles. When I play, I am told to keep the ball and not really go forward as much until recently with this new manager. He wants me to get forward as much as I can,” he told 54Footballx.

“Before I was told to sit back to let the attackers do the attacking. At least, you control the midfield or try to control the midfield.”

“Whereas for my club side, I have the license to go and express myself a bit more, get attacking, get into goal-scoring opportunities; that is the big difference,” he added.

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As noted by Transfermarkt, he has two assists in the last 32 games while his last goal came in the 2-1 AFCON 2023 qualifier win over Sierra Leone in June 2022.

He started six of seven games at AFCON 2023 but registered no attacking contribution. Nigerians on social media bullied him into deactivating his social media pages.

Photojournalist and football analyst Michael Adegbile, speaking to Legit.ng agrees with the Fulham midfielder and adds that he is one of the most important players in the national team.

“Spot on by Alex Iwobi. For those who see the game beyond numbers and skills, we know the impact he has on the national team, especially at the AFCON, where he was heavily criticized. I still believe Alex is one of the most important midfielders in the Super Eagles set-up,” he said.

Iwobi praises Aina's influence

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Legit.ng reported that Alex Iwobi praised Ola Aina's influence on his career when both players grew up together in London and played football on the streets.

Iwobi admitted that the defender helped him develop his left foot because he was good at both, and he bullied the attacker into taking extra practice to improve.

Source: Legit.ng