Nicolas Pepe: 2019/20 Performances

[Ashybashy86]

Lol *Crickets*. Tbf to him, Bellerin doesn't create any space for him. Gets crowded out.

 

[Yousif Arsenal]

Didn't really do something good today maybe the only good when he lead the counter and give good ball to Eddie to score.

 

[Hleb's Sirush]

I don't want to keep going back and forth debating the same things as it seems you have an opinion on this that you won't budge from. Likewise it is unlikely you will change mine. But I will reply to this post.

Taking Luke Shaw as an example of a good defensive full back is hilarious...

Well, you said "any defender at Premiership level can easily push him out wide". Whatever you think of Shaw's abilities, if now you are exluding the starting LB for a top 4 challenging team as you deem him not a good defensive LB, then you are just shifting the goal posts to defend your original statement.

I cant stress this enough one good game against liverpool does not mean hes amazing and one good piece of skill per match does not mean you ignore the rest of the performances.

Hes completely inconsistent except for most of his contributions come against the weaker teams. He got 6 starts in a row over Christmas iirc and got one goal against utd and that was about it. Some days hes good most days hes bad.

Is it any wonder most of his contributions come against weaker teams? We only beat 1 big team this season and he was terrific in that game. So you can watch us be hopeless in every big match, get battered, hardly create a chance, not a single player functioning well in the system we try to operate, but somehow you still expect Pepe to contribute. I'm not sure how high your expectations were of him but it seems you have unrealistic expectations. No one is saying he has been amazing. He has a long way to go but he has shown enough to see there is something there to persist with.

Lets take a look a this ability to glide past defenders against brighton... couldnt fkin do it could he? Was given the ball with one man to beat about 4-5 times. Another 4-5 times with 1 defender helping cover the first, any winger who is known for dribbling will beat his man 1 on 1 nearly every time and quite a few times even when it is 2 on 1

Again your expectations are so unrealistic I'm not sure if you aren't just winding us up. So a few times he didn't beat a defender you find it worthwhile to point it out. Also where are these wingers who beat defenders 'nearly every time'? Half way during the season his dribbling and successful dribbles were near the top of the league. If I remember correctly he was placed 2nd or 3rd. Even now when he isn't playing a lot which of course has affected the number of dribbles he was able to attempt, he is currently 5th. Yet just because he couldn't glide past some Brighton players you think he can't dribble. The stats even prove he is one of the better dribblers in the league despite playing for 3 managers and his rhythm constantly interrupted by being benched or subbed.

In saying all that I think Arteta is setting up to get the absoloute best out of him...

This is blatantly not true is it. I'm sorry but have you watched us play? Arteta has made a conscious decision to build up almost all our attacks from the left side. Xhaka even shuffles out there so we can give him the ball and he will try to progress it further from that side. Whoever plays on the left side, Tierney, Kola and Saka are told to bomb forward at every opportunity. Bellerin or whoever plays RB is told to tuck in, no overlap, no bombing forward. Haven't you noticed whoever plays RW is always starved of the ball. Saka is always involved but when he was shunted to the right against City he hardly got a kick. Same with Willock or Martinelli. Whoever plays RW never gets a kick. Arteta at the moment is using the right side almost as just a distraction, all our attacks go through the left.

 

[Monstar-Gunn4r]

Because I can't quote your post Hleb, I'm gonna try and limit my response because this is getting out of hand and I think no matter how many bad games he has you'll always make excuses like the team wasn't setup right or somebody else wasn't playing well so how can we expect him to, or the the windspeed was 15 knots south west when he needs an gentle easterly breeze. I've seen the same excuses for limited players like Lacazette and Özil.

I genuinely think most of you're points are rubbish and again just excuses we should ignore or gloss over a lot of bad performances for the very rare good one.

Just to clarify some things I think he is a decent dribbler, he just blows very hot and cold and from what I've seen in an Arsenal jersey its cold for the most part. I wouldn't chuck him in the bin yet as he is one of the least concerns I have with the squad, but he has been poor, very poor.

I hope you were watching tonight and looking for reasons to come on here and say oh Pepe was great tonight look at a,b and c but again he was poor, he didn't do it against Brighton can't do it against Southampton, who is next? I'm hoping hes tarts doing something soon because we badly need more inspiration than our 18 year old academy graduate. And yes Shaw is a poor defensive full back.

Also saying Arteta basically ignores an entire wing and uses it as a decoy is ridiculous.

 

[Moah]

Because I can't quote your post Hleb, I'm gonna try and limit my response because this is getting out of hand and I think no matter how many bad games he has you'll always make excuses like the team wasn't setup right or somebody else wasn't playing well so how can we expect him to, or the the windspeed was 15 knots south west when he needs an gentle easterly breeze. I've seen the same excuses for limited players like Lacazette and Özil.

I genuinely think most of you're points are rubbish and again just excuses we should ignore or gloss over a lot of bad performances for the very rare good one.

Just to clarify some things I think he is a decent dribbler, he just blows very hot and cold and from what I've seen in an Arsenal jersey its cold for the most part. I wouldn't chuck him in the bin yet as he is one of the least concerns I have with the squad, but he has been poor, very poor.

I hope you were watching tonight and looking for reasons to come on here and say oh Pepe was great tonight look at a,b and c but again he was poor, he didn't do it against Brighton can't do it against Southampton, who is next? I'm hoping hes tarts doing something soon because we badly need more inspiration than our 18 year old academy graduate. And yes Shaw is a poor defensive full back.

Also saying Arteta basically ignores an entire wing and uses it as a decoy is ridiculous.

"Hes been blowing hot and cold", no one is this team has managed to get "hot" this season apart from Auba, Saka and Leno.

And as @Hleb's Sirush has said two of them play together on the left wing where almost all the attack play happens. There was not a single attack that was developed to the right and he had to go to the left to get his first ball in attacking space. Second time he managed to beat his marker, albeit luckily, but gave the ball to Nketiah who should have scored.

Especially with Bellerin as a right back he will never get the chance to show his best as Bellerin can't make a single forward pass properly. He was frustrated the entire half because of him and it was showing.

So, all in all there isn't a single rubbish point in the post above yours and I'm sure expecting way too much of the player.

 

[GunnerShy]

He was anonymous yesterday. That said, he still very nearly contributed with an assist.

Whilst we were fortunate with our first goal, we were quite wasteful otherwise.

Bellerin and Cebellos didn't help him out but conversely he didn't help them out either.

My criticism of him (and I rate him), is that on a day like yesterday he needs to find a way to get involved, in spite of what's happening in the game.

Work rate, off the ball defensive work, press and win some football and take it in transition. Sanchez did it well early in his Arsenal career. He should know a lot of ball is going to go down the left hand side, it's our better wing.

Conversely, they attacked our right hand side a lot yesterday, win it and go. I think if he improves that, it will add consistency to his game by closing the gap between his good and bad performances.

 

[Maybe]

Bellerin and Cebellos didn't help him out but conversely he didn't help them out either.

My criticism of him (and I rate him), is that on a day like yesterday he needs to find a way to get involved, in spite of what's happening in the game.

OK, in what way can he do anything if Bellerin and Mustafi miss 95% of the forward passes?
Are you saying that he should win the ball in his own half, run with it to the box and assist for the goal? That's the only solution I see when you play next to bums like our defenders. There's no way this guy can play to his full potential within this team, and it's not his fault. Messi would struggle in this team

 

[Tourbillion]

OK, in what way can he do anything if Bellerin and Mustafi miss 95% of the forward passes?
Are you saying that he should win the ball in his own half, run with it to the box and assist for the goal? That's the only solution I see when you play next to bums like our defenders. There's no way this guy can play to his full potential within this team, and it's not his fault. Messi would struggle in this team

Bellerin is a massive problem for Pepe and the whole team.

He cannot pass or progress play in any way. He's so "stiff" on the ball and has lost most of his pace/energy.

Upgrading on Bellerin is almost as crucial as revamping the entire midfield.

 

[GunnerShy]

OK, in what way can he do anything if Bellerin and Mustafi miss 95% of the forward passes?
Are you saying that he should win the ball in his own half, run with it to the box and assist for the goal? That's the only solution I see when you play next to bums like our defenders. There's no way this guy can play to his full potential within this team, and it's not his fault. Messi would struggle in this team

Bellerin missed passes yesterday but I also don't think he found much space.

And yes, what I'm referring to is him pressing better and winning some of his own football. He didn't help Bellerin much on the defensive side.
My point being, when it's not going his way in an attacking sense (through some elements out of his control), I'd like to see him working harder in defence. Trying to create a bit of chaos. Win some ball and help on transition.

 

[Maybe]

Bellerin missed passes yesterday but I also don't think he found much space.

And yes, what I'm referring to is him pressing better and winning some of his own football. He didn't help Bellerin much on the defensive side.
My point being, when it's not going his way in an attacking sense (through some elements out of his control), I'd like to see him working harder in defence. Trying to create a bit of chaos. Win some ball and help on transition.

Think we've watched a different game, we didn't press as a team at all, and instead, we've decided to soak the pressure and wait for their mistakes. If we need a right forward who will be more of a defender, that we should search for another option or a different manager because Pepe is not about that.

If you spend 70m on a technically superior wide forward who is one of the best dribblers atm, you don't expect him to work harder in defence, you set the team to focus their passing to him so he can make a difference in attack.

Even if we go your way, I've always felt that Pepe is actually working hard with the team instead of being a lazy technical player. He does get back and is always within a defensive formation with his team.

 

[Maybe]

Bellerin is a massive problem for Pepe and the whole team.

He cannot pass or progress play in any way. He's so "stiff" on the ball and has lost most of his pace/energy.

Upgrading on Bellerin is almost as crucial as revamping the entire midfield.

Bellerin is not the player who enjoys being on the ball, he likes to run behind the defence and sprint back when needed, that's all he is.
We've basically decided to play a different game where he is required to receive the ball from Mustafi/Leno and progress with it from the back, and he was never good with that.
That's why we see Saka/Auba more often on the ball than Pepe because our left-hand side is suited for that game, while Bellerin and Mustafi struggle with it.

 

[UpTheGunnerz]

The kind of player that will benefit massively with an improved and stable midfield. Stating the obvious here, but still

 

[GunnerShy]

Think we've watched a different game, we didn't press as a team at all, and instead, we've decided to soak the pressure and wait for their mistakes. If we need a right forward who will be more of a defender, that we should search for another option or a different manager because Pepe is not about that.

If you spend 70m on a technically superior wide forward who is one of the best dribblers atm, you don't expect him to work harder in defence, you set the team to focus their passing to him so he can make a difference in attack.

Even if we go your way, I've always felt that Pepe is actually working hard with the team instead of being a lazy technical player. He does get back and is always within a defensive formation with his team.

I guess that's the gap between us and Liverpool then.
They've got fowards like Mane and Salah worth in excess of £70m who work much more effectively in defence than Pepe.

I'm not happy to excuse him his defensive duties particularly last night when he offered little going forward, even if you are.

Watched him last night failed to pick up the overlapping player or the guy on the ball so that Bellerin can track the runner. I don't disagree we need to get more out of him more regularly on attack my point is when he's stinking on attack, he can at least be doing more on defence and winning some ball. We don't need another Mesut Özil. It just doesn't suffice in the modern game.

 

[Ashybashy86]

or the the windspeed was 15 knots south west when he needs an gentle easterly breeze.

 

[Maybe]

I guess that's the gap between us and Liverpool then.
They've got fowards like Mane and Salah worth in excess of £70m who work much more effectively in defence than Pepe.

That's a complete bs, they work exactly the same. The difference is, when Liverpool wins the ball their defenders don't panic with it. Liverpool also likes to press teams more than we do, which can give a false idea that their forwards are working more. Our manager decided to sit back instead of pressing teams, which makes it harder for our forwards to win the ball back and it falls down to defenders to do it, but as I say, when they finally win it, they panic and quickly give it back.
That goes for all of our forwards, not only Pepe

 

[Ashybashy86]

Work rate, off the ball defensive work, press and win some football and take it in transition. Sanchez did it well early in his Arsenal career. He should know a lot of ball is going to go down the left hand side, it's our better wing.

I agree, but South Americans mostly have tenacious attitude. I've ragged on Pepe in the past, but really do believe he needs a RB who will make overlapping runs to open up some space.

 

[lomekian]

Its not an either/or. Pepe needs to up his workrate and get better and one touch passing and finding spaces in deeper positions. He's also benefit from working on being been more effective on the outside, but that's a lesser priority.

The team needs to get better at transitioning to him earlier, swifter transitions centrally and getting players (either full back or midfield) either underlapping or overlapping him.

Both are works in progress and drawing any definitive conclusions either way at this point is a waste of time.

The only thing we can say with certainty is that if we can start getting more early goals like the great Arsenal teams of the past, it will give him a lot more countering opportunities. There's a reason he's been impressive in most of our big games that we haven't been stuffed in.

 

[Hleb's Sirush]

He was anonymous yesterday. That said, he still very nearly contributed with an assist.

Whilst we were fortunate with our first goal, we were quite wasteful otherwise.

Bellerin and Cebellos didn't help him out but conversely he didn't help them out either.

My criticism of him (and I rate him), is that on a day like yesterday he needs to find a way to get involved, in spite of what's happening in the game.

Work rate, off the ball defensive work, press and win some football and take it in transition. Sanchez did it well early in his Arsenal career. He should know a lot of ball is going to go down the left hand side, it's our better wing.

Conversely, they attacked our right hand side a lot yesterday, win it and go. I think if he improves that, it will add consistency to his game by closing the gap between his good and bad performances.

This is the kind of constructive criticism worrh debating, rather than some people criticising him for stuff that are demonstrably untrue.

I actually agree with you. He can work harder off the ball.

 

[Maybe]

The only thing we can say with certainty is that if we can start getting more early goals like the great Arsenal teams of the past, it will give him a lot more countering opportunities. There's a reason he's been impressive in most of our big games that we haven't been stuffed in.

Is there a reason why you feel he works better on the counter? I've had a feeling about this guy that he is deadly when he is closer to the goal, so maybe if we could assemble a team that controls the ball 60% of the time would take the best out of him. I just don't see him as a guy who will run up and down all day. The only question is, would it be faster to set the team for the counter attacking football or would it be faster to make some transfers that would give us more control over the game.

 

[Maybe]

This is the kind of constructive criticism worrh debating, rather than some people criticising him for stuff that are demonstrably untrue.

I actually agree with you. He can work harder off the ball.

That's true, I don't agree with the guy at all but at least he is backing up his opinion with something