Ancelotti gives reasons for ‘fantastic’ Iwobi’s struggles at Everton

Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti has stated Alex Iwobi’s struggles at the club this season have been a result of the team’s fault and mistakes.

The Nigeria international has struggled for consistency in Ancelotti's team in this campaign but on Saturday, he was drafted in as a replacement for injured James Rodriguez in the starting XI.

Iwobi played for 76 minutes in Everton's 2-1 home loss to Aston Villa and he could not add to his tally of a goal and two assists after 28 appearances in the English top-flight so far.

In his assessment, Ancelotti disclosed that the former Arsenal star has had mixed performances in this campaign but he laid the blame on the team.

“I think he had some good performances, and he had some difficult performances: he is part of the squad and after that, he had some games where he played really well and was really helpful for the team, and in other games, I tried to change a little bit the strategy...it didn’t work well but not for his fault, [it was] the team’s fault and the team’s mistakes," Ancelotti was quoted by Liverpool Echo.

The Italian manager further hailed Iwobi for his professionalism and his attitude in training sessions despite his limited playing time.

“He is professional, but of course when there is competition sometimes you play and sometimes you are on the bench,” he added.

“He is not a frustrating player because he is really professional, really serious, always ready, not at all is he a frustrating player, because he is a really good professional with a fantastic attitude."

Saturday's defeat left Everton eighth in the Premier League table with 52 points after 33 matches and they are nine points from a Champions League qualification spot with five matches left to play for.