Nicolas Pepe: 2019/20 Performances

[BigPoppaPump]

Teams have been tackling Arsenal players like that since Alex Ferguson did it in that 50th game and people realised refs let you foul Arsenal players with impunity.

 

[billyf]

This guy is really talented but he has joined the most messed up Arsenal squad ever.

 

[Aussie_gunner123]

He tends to get a pretty bad challenge on him every time he goes on, gee that was a bad one yesterday, a scissors challenge. Same as against the last one.

 

[CaseUteinberger]

Yeah, this was a dirty tackle from Lewis. He should have gotten a direct red card not a yellow.

Pepe needs to be protected by referees especially given that there is VAR in the league now.

How that is just a yellow card and not a straight red is beyond me. It is from behind and a scissor tackle. If anything can do ones knees it is that. ****ing unbelievable. Hope the club raises a stink about it with the refs. They must see this for what it is also and start protecting him. If you get yellow cards for small challenges and gliding tackles from the front and side how is this not worse and a straight red.

We are so disadvantaged by the refs in the PL it is unreal. Imagine us being treated like Tottenham. Break ankles etc. and get your reds rescinded. Play dirty all game long and maybe at worst a yellow. That **** club gets away with anything.

 

[GDeep™]

Be nice to see the team stick up for him some more to be honest. Many past players would have taken a card to give some **** to someone making a challenge like that. Auba is a poor captain

Arteta had that in him, hopefully it’ll begin to filter down to the players.

Auba is poor at nearly everything though, poor footballer, poor captain, dodgy character - bet he’s a ghost in the dressing room when **** has hit the fan.

 

[Aussie_gunner123]

How that is just a yellow card and not a straight red is beyond me. It is from behind and a scissor tackle. If anything can do ones knees it is that. ****ing unbelievable. Hope the club raises a stink about it with the refs. They must see this for what it is also and start protecting him. If you get yellow cards for small challenges and gliding tackles from the front and side how is this not worse and a straight red.

We are so disadvantaged by the refs in the PL it is unreal. Imagine us being treated like Tottenham. Break ankles etc. and get your reds rescinded. Play dirty all game long and maybe at worst a yellow. That **** club gets away with anything.

Not just Pepe's challenge but I was shocked on the last one in the last minute, if thats a foul let me know but I see no reason it is by Laca. He backs out of it, Bournemouth guy comes through himself straight & hard, brings it on himself imo. I would have been fuming if they scored from that.

 

[Red London]

bet he’s a ghost in the dressing room when **** has hit the fan.

He must be. He looks like he's seen a ghost every time he steps up for an important penalty for us.

Elite goalscorer without an elite mentality

 

[Red London]

He tends to get a pretty bad challenge on him every time he goes on, gee that was a bad one yesterday, a scissors challenge. Same as against the last one.

There's no doubt now that managers are telling players to do crunching tackles on Pepe, I think its because hes seen as soft and slightly out of sorts right now.

Its just going to take time to get used to, but he won us the game vs West Ham after Cresswell did this **** to him anyway. He has what it takes, he needs to keep at it.

 

[GoonerJeeves]

I think Pepe will come good. Mourinho mentioned that one could expect that it would take time to adjust, but he was very clear on the talent.

Perhaps the Europa League games could be a key here.

 

[Aussie_gunner123]

W

There's no doubt now that managers are telling players to do crunching tackles on Pepe, I think its because hes seen as soft and slightly out of sorts right now.

Its just going to take time to get used to, but he won us the game vs West Ham after Cresswell did this **** to him anyway. He has what it takes, he needs to keep at it.

When he came on I think it was clear he has to start ahead of Nelson & why if thats right the other managers want bad tackles on him, he has good close dribbling & swerving skills to get away from defenders out of nowhere.

 

[CaseUteinberger]

Not just Pepe's challenge but I was shocked on the last one in the last minute, if thats a foul let me know but I see no reason it is by Laca. He backs out of it, Bournemouth guy comes through himself straight & hard, brings it on himself imo. I would have been fuming if they scored from that.

I get the feeling refs see us as a dishonest side, making meals out of tackles etc. not an honest hard playing “English” side like Burnley etc. some of it is fair when you see our players act like Socratis and Guendouzi when they are tackled. Think we to often don’t play act correctly. Look at the Sp**s **** Harry Mouth-breather Kane. When he gets tackled he often yells and screams like he is being killed, but it is when there is a bit more contact. The refs eat that up like there is no tomorrow. It also allows him to play physical and dirty himself. Despite that he cheats more than his fair share he is an “honest” player in their view I believe while ours are not.

 

[Aussie_gunner123]

I get the feeling refs see us as a dishonest side, making meals out of tackles etc. not an honest hard playing “English” side like Burnley etc. some of it is fair when you see our players act like Socratis and Guendouzi when they are tackled. Think we to often don’t play act correctly. Look at the Sp**s **** Harry Mouth-breather Kane. When he gets tackled he often yells and screams like he is being killed, but it is when there is a bit more contact. The refs eat that up like there is no tomorrow. It also allows him to play physical and dirty himself. Despite that he cheats more than his fair share he is an “honest” player in their view I believe while ours are not.

I can see your point there, you are probably right unfortunately. Seems like Arsenal are the ones disliked by most referees. There were quite a few other 50/50 calls which easily went against us, probably should have been in our favour. I'm not going to mention them, most probably know which ones I'm on about haha. Unfortunately, there always has to be a team disliked by everyone.

 

[DJ_Markstar]

Arsenal went from the hardest team in the league to the softest team in the league, I almost feel as though people lost the begrudging respect that 02-04 Arsenal team had earned by blowing everyone away.

I guess its like seeing your ex-gf who dumped you and now she's fat and unhappy, you're always gonna be happy about that ****.

 

[krengon]

 

[Tir Na Nog]

There we have it, listen more to the coach and work harder and he'll succeed here. It's really that simple.

Hopefully a fire will be lit in him.

 

[WiscoGooner8]

He was much more aggressive when coming on against Bournemouth, threw his body around a few times. Hopefully that’s a trend. The talent is there clearly.

 

[Penn_]

Is that not mildly concern regarding training? Thought Emery made similar comments.

 

[Divided_Pie]

In terms of Pepe's playing style and the area he likes to occupy, it seems he fits best in the right half-space in Arteta/Guardiola's preferred setup with possession, that looks like a 3-2-5.

Pepe is very strongly left-footed so he likes to cut in either to shoot or cross (he's scored and assisted for Arsenal this way) and he's not a crossing threat moving to his right. He also likes to drop a bit deeper to get on the ball, and he has shown a fair amount of creativity in the past (11 assists last season). The right half-space suits this, although he will need to get better at releasing the ball more quickly.

Problem is that when you start Auba, Lacazette, and Özil, there is no room for Pepe in the right half-space. Against Bournmouth this area was mostly taken up by Özil, with Auba in the left half-space (although Özil can play on both sides and did so last game).

Against City, Özil did move in to the space in the right flank that opened up when Pepe was double teamed. However, this is not ideal because he also prefers his left foot and so he also doesn't provide a great cutback threat from the right side.

To play Pepe, ideally you choose one of Auba and Laca so that Özil can primarily occupy the left half space, and Pepe the right, with, say, Martinelli on the left wing. Özil can run in to the space head of Martinelli on the left and provide cutbacks, and Bellerin can provide Pepe with overlaps on the right. In this scenario AMN still tucks in, but this time from the left, with Bellerin playing more aggressively up the pitch.

 

[Moah]

I have got him as my captain for this week's fantasy. Fingers crossed he scores 2 and setup another

 

[tap-in]

The comments about Pepe in training don't bother me at this stage. He joined a team in decline with players like Özil sulking around the place, not the best surroundings to adjust to a new club in a new country. He was then dropped by Emery just as he was playing his best, 2 great free kicks in EL then out! If that's not going to get you down nothing will.

IF Arteta says something negative about Pepe's training in a months time, then I'll be concerned. For a while now I've felt Pepe needs an arm around his shoulder, support from his team mates and a run in the team, that is the best way to lift an obviously talented player. If he feels better, feels wanted, then he'll train better and play better.

I expect him to start today vs Chelsea.