Robert Pires rates Iwobi highly

Iwobi replaced Aaron Ramsey with 30 minutes remaining and it was his cross that forced Watford’s Craig Cathcart to

 turn the ball into his own net for Arsenal’s opener. And the Nigerian’s performance caught the eye of Arsenal legend Pires, who believes Iwobi has a huge future ahead of him at the Emirates. ‘I know just one thing, I told him after the game he made the difference,’ Pires told Standard Sport. ‘He’s a great player, very fast

Alex Iwobi and his teammates

Robert  Pires

‘He finds good solutions on the field with his vision. He has good mentality and spirit. Of course, he’s young but he’s learning very quickly. ‘Arsenal with Alex Iwobi and Alex Iwobi with Arsenal have a good future.’ Iwobi, meanwhile, revealed after the 2-0 victory over Watford that Emery has told him to stop being ‘so critical’ about his own performances. ‘I’m more positive and more confident with the ball,’ the 22-year-old said

‘The boss has basically told me that if something doesn’t work, just keep going and don’t dwell on it. ‘He’s told me to stop being so critical and to just keep trying no matter what happens, no matter if things don’t go as I want them to. ‘That’s given me a lot more confidence to try a few more things, like beat a player, to shoot more. I’m always ready to get on the ball a bit more, so I guess it’s helped in that sense.

‘I’ve lost a bit of weight because of the intense training and I think it’s made me a bit sharper.’ The Gunners continue their Europa League campaign on Thursday evening with a trip to Azerbaijan to face Qarabag. They then return to the Premier League and make the short trip across London to Fulham on Sunday.