IWOBI: I’LL BREAK KOP MONOPOLY
EVERTON LIVERPOOL
ALEX IWOBI spent much of the lockdown playing Monopoly – and now he is aiming to break Liverpool’s stranglehold on Merseyside.
Everton’s £28million striker revealed that his three months in isolation were more about playing board games than watching box sets.
And he proved pretty adept at snapping up prime London real estate.
Liverpool’s champions-elect will land on Carlo Ancelotti’s turf today – and while Everton will be looking to halt the Reds on their march to the title, the bottom line is that they have not had the number of their greatest rivals for almost a decade.
Their last win over Liverpool was 21 games ago in October 2010 when Tim Cahill and Mikel Arteta scored in a 2-0 victory.
And Iwobi admitted: “We have to accept it’s not a great record – and not a record we want to keep.
“Hopefully, we can change that. Even though there are no fans, we are on our own turf and we don’t need any more motivation. We are more familiar with the turf than they are. We are ready and, hopefully, can change the record.”
Iwobi, 24, has failed to win against Liverpool in five previous appearances against Klopp’s side for both Everton and Arsenal.
He added: “It’s not easy because they are a strong team.
“There are a lot of factors which come into play, but joining the Blues is an extra motivation because it is a derby. It can make you hungry. We want to prove Merseyside can be blue. It is a test for all the players. We can see how good we are.”
Iwobi (above) admits that he is now at a stage of his career where he has to turn his potential into performances.
The Nigeria international’s decision to quit the Gunners after almost a decade gave him a fresh challenge. But his time at Goodison has been hampered by both injury and, more recently, the lockdown.
Iwobi added: “I was interacting with my family in London, playing ping-pong and also Monopoly.
“I’m pretty decent at Monopoly! I know how to manipulate my friends. I might get the Liverpool version for when my mates come to visit – then I can show them I’m a real Scouse lad now!”