Iwobi carries good start for Everton onto international stage

In comparison Shilton had 48% and Gordon Banks 53%

And let's see if lwobi can keep up this form and improve for more than a few games.

I also understand the frustrations when you see him flying round the field like a blinded moth. If we get the best out of him, he will be like a new player. I still have hopes.

That's an interesting stat though, in fairness to Banks, England didn't play Andorra, Montenegro, or even Slovakia in those days. As for Shilton, no excuse as he played in the era when Turkey were good for an 8-0.

I hope he progresses, as I like his attitude and, if he becomes a more effective player (like he's showing he can do), all the more good news for EFC... and us watching him.

Andrew @2. I don't want to take anything away from Jordan as he really does seem to have matured and turned the corner, both for Everton and for his country.

But genuine question on that stat. Do you / we think that is because of the more cautious and defensive nature of football in the modern game? Particularly on the international stage, where a lot of the games are akin to a chess-like stand off?

That – added to the fact that he can't pass, tackle, cross, head or shoot – makes me very worried how we decided to splosh plus £30M on him.

I don't doubt his effort, though, and his directness is refreshing.

I did think he was useless but I hope I was wrong and look forward to seeing more of his talent.

I am, though, sick of international football.

He has of course been quite poor for the two seasons before this but he was certainly no worse than Bernard who received much less criticism. And even despite being poor and in and out of the team, Iwobi still had some of our best dribbling and creation from open play stats.

He's not a good crosser, I think that much is obvious to both stats and to the eye, which is why he is better centrally or cutting in with an overlapping wingback. The trouble last season was that Ancelotti either played him out wide (often with Holgate behind him, who doesn't overlap, or with Coleman, who'd been told to hold position more) or he was played at wingback where his poor crossing is an issue.

If Iwobi is given confidence and played more centrally, or at least outside but with license to cut inside, then we might yet see more from a player who's started the season pretty well under the new manager.

Back to the crossing. Maybe his call last season to be played more central was justified and a bit of his own frustration coming out??

Back to how we coach players in this country. He's fast, must be a winger. With that concept in mind, Lineker would have been a failed winger who couldn't pass, couldn't tackle or track back.

Coaching and management must come into this, not just the player himself. I hope it's not too late for him as I see talent in there. Let's open it and realise it given how much we've spent on him.

Could be that Rafa will really get a hold of Alex and teach him how to play, and we would then have a very good player.

He's shown potential but in my view bottles it often and poor descision making, but so far this season and it's very early days, he's playing like a new player, and has made some killer passes.

Let's see what happens but the last managers style and techniques it could be argued didnt inspire many players nor supporters.

Onwards and upwards for Everton and to beat Burnley.

It depends just as much on the quality of the team as a whole, especially defensively, and even the quality of the opposition.

Having said that though, I think Pickford is developing into a really world-class goalie.

Sam (13), to say he was better than Bernard who you thought got better treatment by the fans than Iwobi, is just making Iwobi the better of two poor players.

I'm content to see if Mr. Benitez can improve him into a more consistent player for Everton, if he can put more heart into his play, we will have a better and more useful player.

Your comment seems to contradict 90% of supporters who have posted on this particular article. Wherever you work and whatever you do in life, I hope your employers give you a better chance of being a success than you do for a young player who does always try.

We need to give all players some hope that they can succeed where they may have previously failed. I think the present management team are already getting more out of him. They must be letting him know that they have far more belief in him than you do.

All people in this world need to know that they have some worth. We all need to be given a fair chance and, for some, it just takes longer. Give him a chance!!!

We often like to single out a scapegoat for collective team failings, on and off the pitch. Last season Iwobi was one of the prime candidates, unfairly in my view. I am very pleased to see him finding decent form. If he can add more conviction to his play in the opposing penalty area a few more goals might follow. No doubt Rafa will be working on this aspect in the weeks ahead.

As others have alluded to, one thing that he (and most others in our team) lack is composure. If Rafa can build that into Iwobi – and others like Holgate, Davies, Gordon – then, we will surely be more solid as a team and create more chances.

I also do hope that players like Branthwaite, Gordon, Davies, maybe Onyango and Dobbin are given opportunities to play some significant time.

He did have a song, borrowed from the film Madagascar (I think)... but it soon died a death, rather like his form.

There have been brief flashes of what he can do over the last two seasons but then he loses confidence easily, wilts away and becomes an inconsequential player and often a liability.

The true test now will be if he can find consistency to play at his best level and improve. He's given himself a bit of a foundation to prove himself, now he needs to grab the opportunities that Benitez will give him over the next few weeks.

There IS a player here, we've just not seen much of it in actual games.

Think Rafa's ‘break at pace' approach, with Iwobi, Gray, Calvert-Lewinand Richarlison all being very quick must give other teams a lot more to think about than worrying about James, Sigurdsson and Gomes jogging the counter. Will also play more to his skills.

Keep it up Alex, prove the doubters wrong!

Iwobi is shite but some of you refuse to see it. I suppose if you stood in a big, steamy, dog turd you'd see some potential in that as well, right? You can't polish a turd no matter how much you try.

I'm not saying Iwobi is a turd, far from it, but he is shite.

And that statement, which I've also read in several places, sums up the problem with Iwobi. He's lacking the mental fortitude to put those skills into practice in the heat of a real game.

I've said previously he lacks courage, bottle, whatever, but I thought "mental fortitude" sounded less aggressive. But take your choice from any of those.

I reckon Alex will play over 30 games for us this season, and be one of the better players. Words I didn't think I'd be typing a few weeks ago.

As long as they perform well as a team, work hard for each other, take their chances and don't mess up, it's a foundation to build upon.

Opinions are like arseholes, we all have one, John. In my opinion, Iwobi is a poor footballer. History will show us who is right.

Benitez MAY have found a way to bring out better play from him in the actual games but it's early days.

But for anyone who's watched us/him over the last couple of seasons it's been obvious that in the main he's been poor.

In a training setting of 4 on 4, or 6 on 6 where there was bit more freedom, I had mates who were way better than me from a skills or technical ability perspective. Likewise at 5-a-side.

But put them in an 11-a-side full on match setting, they were lost, whereas I thrived at my own level.

Iwobi for me has done reasonably well so far in the 3 games this season. Maybe this manager can get more out of him. He's young enough to be shaped and developed.

My repeated observation of him is that he confuses me as much as he seems to confuse himself. The blessing being, he confuses the opposition too. You just never really know what the outcome will be when he receives the ball!

If Benitez can help him in that regard he could be a very good player.