Nicolas Pepe: The Nutmeg Express!

[Moah]

We played really poor? Thought we actually played really well for the first half an hour (and had some good points with stuff breaking down in the final third throughout). Pepe wasn't involved in very little of the good play tbh but that is something thats not new. But hey if you want to draw conclusions from highlights and blame the team be my guest.

My general opinion is he'll continue to cause a lot of frustration, not because hes expensive but because he loses the ball a lot and doesn't dp much with it, same as Giroud... only Giroud did go on runs of form. For Pepe's future in the team he really needs to up his game if he has a higher level.

I get he might be best if we keep giving him balls on the edge of the box.... but so would any player. I thought his big thing before he came here was his threat on the counter. His technical ability, passing and incisiveness has been very lacking in his performances in an Arsenal jersey. Maybe he can change it, Arteta plays him so he must see some sort of potential in him.

Edit: IMO he plays more poorly because of the team but the team plays poorly because of him as well

There wasn't a single attacking play in that 30 minutes that he didn't get involved in.

I can't see anyone other than you saying we played really well yesterday. If it wasn't for Leno we would have been thrashed. That was a relegation fiddler kind of game.

 

[Monstar-Gunn4r]

There wasn't a single attacking play in that 30 minutes that he didn't get involved in.

I can't see anyone other than you saying we played really well yesterday. If it wasn't for Leno we would have been thrashed. That was a relegation fiddler kind of game.

We did play really well for the first part of the match. "BuT I WaTChEdd ThE HiGhLigHTs aND PeoPlE oN TwIttEr SaId sOmEtHInG"

Go watch the fkin thing if you want to have an actual discussion.

 

[Sydney-Gooner]

I'd wait till January before considering him a flop.

 

[Ash10]

He's the newer, better Xhaka. Cost us a lot of money, plays terribly almost every game but the one or two good thing he does now & again gets shoved down people's throat by his fans.

His fans are much saner though & he's far more talented than that bum(not that it's difficult or anything) so maybe there's still hope

 

[Trilly]

Just get him the ball in dangerous areas consistently and he will produce for you. Even if not directly just by the amount of attention he commands.

Yes he needs to work on his general play but keep him in the first eleven while he works that out. That’s now three goals he’s been heavily involved in, in what works out to about three full games?

 

[<<reed>>]

Raul has done it again hasn't he?

 

[RandomHero84]

Really pleased to see a cameo from him showing something more akin to what we all expected.

 

[UpTheGunnerz]

Just sauce, raw sauce, no ketchup

 

[GunnerShy]

Would be much better if we actually found him. Presented and demanded the ball a lot today to watch the midfielders choose the 5m sideways pass instead.

 

[Lady_Gooner]

Just when Team Pépé is on life support we are revived. We will never die... and we go again till his next goal in 3 months :Celebration:

 

[tap-in]

I got the impression Willian didnt want to pass to him for fear of being replaced next game Pepe gave us the spark today, involved in the build up for Saka and then went it alone to give us breathing space.

 

[Monstar-Gunn4r]

Would be much better if we actually found him. Presented and demanded the ball a lot today to watch the midfielders choose the 5m sideways pass instead.

Like he was making runs which is a good thing and pushed the defence back a bit, but when you hit a crossfield pass the ball doesn't enter some sort of existence outside of time where it immediately appears at Pepe's feet. A lot of the best forwards make run after run after run if you watch them them outside of what the tv shows.

 

[Macho]

Would be much better if we actually found him. Presented and demanded the ball a lot today to watch the midfielders choose the 5m sideways pass instead.

Noticed the same thing in our cup games it’s jarring. We are not ambitious going forward at all.

 

[Red London]

Came off the bench and changed the game. Willian has been doing **** all on the lonely right wing too recently.

Play both of them vs teams like Sheffield.

 

[say yes]

Should be starting every game. Anyone can see he raises the level of our attack. Pedestrian without him today, and Willian is much less effective on the right.

 

[blaze_of_glory]

Changed the game. But honestly then went very quiet again. Not necessarily his fault, speaks more to our attacking problems in general. We need to be able to get him and Auba into good positions way more than we do.

 

[SA Gunner]

The opposition knows that you have to either foul or tag team against Pepe as far out of the box as possible.

Today's goal had him in a one on one situation, and the chance to cut onto his strong foot, beautiful combination with Bellerin. More of that please.

 

[Macho]

That pace and the technique for the finish

You know people here were pissed off when he did it

 

[Ashybashy86]

Don't want to get too excited, but that was a brilliant goal. Against City:

Saka Auba Pepe

Willian​

 

[Sammy1887]

If only our midfield could pass the ball faster...Pepe could be lethal.