He isn't setting the tempo, the games have been passing him by, he hasn't been involved enough.... that is the problem.
I would expect the player in his position to be the most creative on the team, his biggest strengths are his free kicks and the fact that he gets some very good goals from distance because he strikes the ball very well.
We go wide because there is no creativity or pace in the middle. Iwobi created more in fifteen minutes in the middle against Villa that Gylfi had in all three games that he had been involved in.
Right, but he's never ever been a player who sets the tempo. People have been saying they 'expect' him to do that for years now. He just doesn't do it.
People also seem to view that no.10 role as the place where play is started. It isn't. It's on the deeper midfielders to set the tempo. Look at Chelsea. Mount doesn't set the tempo from his role at 10. He just darts about finding space.
Iwobi didn't play central v Villa. He played off the left with a free licence to go where he wanted.
Silva's the one who wants us to play wide. It's pretty clear.
He also asks Gylfi to push up alongside the striker - so he's hardly playing as an out and out 10.
What Gylfi hasn't done so far this season is drop when we do have the ball. Instead of looking to get in behind, he should be dropping back when we are in possession so he can receive the ball 25 yards out and work his magic one way or the other. But, that also requires our midfielders and full-backs to be drilling those passes into him. He hasn't got the pace to run back and do it himself.