EPL Club Converts Super Eagles No. 10 to a Defender

By Olamide Oyetunji - Super Eagles attacking midfielder Alexander Iwobi had the performance of his career as an Everton player in the English Premier League on Sunday.

Everton Boss Carlo Ancelotti took the oppositions by surprise by introducing a new system that a number of Everton fans have wanted to see recently.

But in the process of experimentation, he unearthed a performance from a player many might have been surprised to even see in the starting line-up, certainly not in the position he ended up in, anyway.

Carlo Ancelotti changed the shape of his team to a 3-5-2 defensive system which saw some players featuring in some unfamiliar positions and Alex Iwobi was one of them.

The Blues switched to a three-at-the-back against Fulham inside Craven Cottage in a bid to both make them more solid defensively and to unlock the attacking output that was so strong at the beginning of the term.

With defender Seamus Coleman out, and with Jonjoe Kenny also part of the travelling party to London, Alex Iwobi was instead chosen as the right wing back in this new system, playing just ahead of Ben Godfrey on that side.

The Nigerian who was coming off a decent international window that saw him scored a brace against Sierra Leone was the highlight reel especially in the first half as Everton compiles Fulham woes with a 3-2 victory.

Fulham's defence didn't have any clue how to deal with Iwobi whenever he gained possession out on the flank. His direct attitude and ability to run with the ball were ripping the newly-promoted side to shreds.

The former Arsenal midfielder was finding all kinds of space out wide and whipped some very dangerous crosses into the box before playing a crucial role in Calvert-Lewin's second goal of the afternoon.

That run with the ball directly at the heart of the Fulham defence, beating three players in the process, is exactly what Blues supporters have wanted to see on a consistent basis from Iwobi.

Alex Iwobi is not the first Nigerian with attacking prowess to be converted by an English Premier League team.

It must be recalled that Chelsea Legend John Obi Mikel served at Stamford Bridge as a defensive midfielder while Victor Moses was also converted from an attacking winger to a modern right wing back by Antonio Conte few years ago.