Nicolas Pepe: The Nutmeg Express!

[Maybe]

This is him last season, dribbling past players at will. Compare it to this season when he is very hesitant to take on players. Guess this shows he is trying to adapt but I'm not sure he should completely abandon that style.

He is not hesitant to take on players, he just fails to do it because of low confidence. He can't play his game like that, he needs trust from the manager which he is not getting. Every move he does is being criticized by fans and the threat of ending up on the bench is constantly there. No way he can do what he was doing for Lille or for us last season if Arteta continues with his c**p.
The worst thing, even when he does play well, he ends up on the bench anyway

 

[Hleb's Sirush]

He is not hesitant to take on players, he just fails to do it because of low confidence. He can't play his game like that, he needs trust from the manager which he is not getting. Every move he does is being criticized by fans and the threat of ending up on the bench is constantly there. No way he can do what he was doing for Lille or for us last season if Arteta continues with his c**p.
The worst thing, even when he does play well, he ends up on the bench anyway

I actually heard at one point Arteta yelling at him. Not sure for what. Granted Arteta is vocal and you can hear him shouting at a lot of the other players too, but I can imagine in Pepe's case he is very conscious not to do anything wrong as he is already not preferred to start.

If he keeps up popping up with the goals and assist I'm sure eventually he will force his way into the side. He just has to keep believing in himself.

 

[Kysus]

He doesn't force himself into anything anymore, he is at the point where his motivation is next to nothing, and his confidence is destroyed by the manager who prefers Willian.
The guy was dribbling for fun last season and suddenly he can't do it against farmers in the EL, same with his crossing. That's all down to confidence and it will be hard to build it back with the way Arteta manages him.

It not confidence nor is it motivation, it's clearly tactical.
Pepe is thinking too much right now you can see it, he is on a leash, the fun is gone.

While tactical education is necessary(for him to improve his decision making) the shackles need to come off again. A pepe who feels he is not allowed to really take on players is of no use, might as well just sell him then.
Was a brutal and sad watch today I have to say.

#FreePepe

 

[Maybe]

It not confidence nor is it motivation, it's clearly tactical.
Pepe is thinking too much right now you can see it, he is on a leash, the fun is gone.

While tactical education is necessary(for him to improve his decision making) the shackles need to come off again. A pepe who feels he is not allowed to really take on players is of no use, might as well just sell him then.
Was a brutal and sad watch today I have to say.

#FreePepe

Was saying the same thing a few days back. We can't know what the results of this "retraining" will be. He could turn things around with Arteta as Sterling did, switch from a flashy player to a very effective winger, but it could be the end of him here if that doesn't work as planned

 

[hydrofluoric acid]

Arteta is giving him chance after chance to impress, easy games, where Pepe should be running a circle around these teams. The play goes down right, the play goes through Pepe. Not enough imo.

Glad he scored goal and assists today, he needs those little confidence boosters. Now we just need to give him allowance to camp in opposition final third without contributing anything else but receiving the ball and finish it into the net!

 

[Newchange]

I noticed at the end of the game Arteta and Pepe didn’t really see eye to eye during their handshake. It’s clear Arteta is losing patience with Pepes continuous loss of possession. Pepe is better then this and is really lucky fans are not in the stadium right now as they would be on his back. We can all see the talent but the application isn’t there. Decision needs to be made in the summer. Sometimes it’s ok to say it’s not working and to move him on

 

[Batman]

Was saying the same thing a few days back. We can't know what the results of this "retraining" will be. He could turn things around with Arteta as Sterling did, switch from a flashy player to a very effective winger, but it could be the end of him here if that doesn't work as planned

Actually the Sterling example gives me a lot of hope. Pepe has more talent than Sterling IMO. Sterling is not particularly clinical, not exceptional technically and is fairly limited to scoring inside the box. Pepe is not as rapid and his overall movement is definitely not as good but in terms of the variety of ways he can contribute, I think there are more avenues such as shooting from distance and set pieces. The big difference for me at the moment is that Sterling has always had confidence even when he was wasteful. Pepe ebbs and flows in that regard but hopefully with more 1 on 1 instruction and more consistent results we'll see the floodgates open like they did with Sterling. That certainly didn't happen overnight.

 

[The_Playmaker]

Actually the Sterling example gives me a lot of hope. Pepe has more talent than Sterling IMO. Sterling is not particularly clinical, not exceptional technically and is fairly limited to scoring inside the box. Pepe is not as rapid and his overall movement is definitely not as good but in terms of the variety of ways he can contribute, I think there are more avenues such as shooting from distance and set pieces. The big difference for me at the moment is that Sterling has always had confidence even when he was wasteful. Pepe ebbs and flows in that regard but hopefully with more 1 on 1 instruction and more consistent results we'll see the floodgates open like they did with Sterling. That certainly didn't happen overnight.

I think Pepe is misunderstood. There is a major difference between his profile of player and Sterling. Any winger that Pepe is currently being compared to like Sterling, Sane, Gnabry, Coman, Zaha, Mahrez. All of these players are direct dribblers who have an explosive first step that can take you on either side.

Pepe isn't like that at all. He doesn't beat players with acceleration, he beats players with body feints and shoulder drops. You don't want him stuck on the touchline as there is no where for him to go after he feints. He wants to feint to get into a position to shoot or pass. On the touchline he just keeps fainting and dwells on the ball.

I've said it before but he has similarities to Özil, what Özil has in vision and passing, Pepe has in finishing. You want Pepe closer to central spaces. So he can feint and pass or feint and shoot. Its actually crazy how clinical he is off a rolling ball. Around the area he can shift and shoot and find all types of angles. Look at all his finishes. Its edge of the box or central areas.

He needs freedom to roam. I wouldn't mind seeing him the Laca role. Laca has 3 problems. He cant sort his feet quickly enough to get a shot off, he is weak aerialy and he cant turn. Isn't Pepe the opposite?

We need to get him closer to Auba and closer to goal.

 

[remains]

It hasn’t really worked out for him here if we are brutally honest. Wouldn’t be surprised to see him sold this summer.

 

[Ash10]

Yeah let's keep on pretending like he had a great game. Other than stat padding against scrubs he hasn’t done anything to inspire hope

 

[scytheavatar]

He needs freedom to roam. I wouldn't mind seeing him the Laca role. Laca has 3 problems. He cant sort his feet quickly enough to get a shot off, he is weak aerialy and he cant turn. Isn't Pepe the opposite?

We need to get him closer to Auba and closer to goal.

Lacazette is struggling in Arteta's system because he's running until he can run no more. Arteta doesn't want a goalscorer to be his center forward, he wants a Welbeck who can do the dirty job and help set up the wingers which are our real threat. Which is why he refuses to play Auba as a center forward. Don't expect Pepe to do a better job in the Laca role than Laca is doing right now cause from what I have seen his stamina isn't that fantastic either.

 

[Big Poppa]

Lacazette is struggling in Arteta's system because he's running until he can run no more. Arteta doesn't want a goalscorer to be his center forward, he wants a Welbeck who can do the dirty job and help set up the wingers which are our real threat. Which is why he refuses to play Auba as a center forward. Don't expect Pepe to do a better job in the Laca role than Laca is doing right now cause from what I have seen his stamina isn't that fantastic either.

It’s mind boggling tbh. His use of the CF role to defend first is overkill.

Pepe’s one of the most frustrating players I’ve ever seen. Within 90 minutes he’ll fail to trap 5 yard balls and hit shots closer to the corner flag, then out of nowhere put it first time into the top corner.

It really does feel like he needs a regular run of games to gain confidence.

 

[BigPoppaPump]

Can't be mad at his goal and assists but you can see why Arteta is hesitant to play him in PL games, he loses the ball way too often. Decent opposition would just swarm him knowing that's a guaranteed turnover.

But if you create chances for him he'll score, he's more similar to Aubameyang than Alexis. We can't fit both Auba and Pepe in the same team. Need some wingers that can help in the build up instead of kill it every time.

 

[Big Poppa]

Actually the Sterling example gives me a lot of hope. Pepe has more talent than Sterling IMO. Sterling is not particularly clinical, not exceptional technically and is fairly limited to scoring inside the box. Pepe is not as rapid and his overall movement is definitely not as good but in terms of the variety of ways he can contribute, I think there are more avenues such as shooting from distance and set pieces. The big difference for me at the moment is that Sterling has always had confidence even when he was wasteful. Pepe ebbs and flows in that regard but hopefully with more 1 on 1 instruction and more consistent results we'll see the floodgates open like they did with Sterling. That certainly didn't happen overnight.

I had to re read this a couple times.

Not particularly clinical? 20 goals in 33 league appearances last season and a shot accuracy of 38%. 17 in 34 the season before and a shooting accuracy of 51%. He still misses easy chances but his overall numbers are actually insane.

Even without the end product, Sterling’s first touch, passing, acceleration, close control, and balance are levels above Pepe. It’s not even close.

It’s also his personality on the pitch. It’s a horrendous comparison at best anyway.

 

[BigPoppaPump]

I had to re read this a couple times.

Not particularly clinical? 20 goals in 33 league appearances last season and a shot accuracy of 38%. 17 in 34 the season before and a shooting accuracy of 51%. He still misses easy chances but his overall numbers are actually insane.

Even without the end product, Sterling’s first touch, passing, acceleration, close control, and balance are levels above Pepe. It’s not even close.

It’s also his personality on the pitch. It’s a horrendous comparison at best anyway.

Sterling is on a whole other level to Pepe, you can't even compare the in game intelligence. Pepe just doesn't have the overall game Sterling does, he's more of a one trick pony.

 

[CaseUteinberger]

Pepe simply needs to raise his overall game and subject himself to what Arteta demands from his players, regardless if it is offensive interplay or defensive work rate. Pepe has some real strengths. His shooting is just very sweet. But there are simply a lot that he needs to improve on. His ball retention is poor. As a winger he makes too many poor decisions. Until he improves that he will struggle to get games.

 

[2Smokeyy]

Can't be mad at his goal and assists but you can see why Arteta is hesitant to play him in PL games, he loses the ball way too often. Decent opposition would just swarm him knowing that's a guaranteed turnover.

But if you create chances for him he'll score, he's more similar to Aubameyang than Alexis. We can't fit both Auba and Pepe in the same team. Need some wingers that can help in the build up instead of kill it every time.

I actually agree with this which is why I think it was a big mistake that we ended up signing him especially for an inflated price.

I would have preferred someone similar to Alex Hleb who was fantastic at easing pressure by carrying the ball but could also help with our build up in the final third. I’m sure there are a few players who have those same attributes around Europe. Hleb would have been great in this team.


Put both Hleb and Cesc from that team above into this one and Auba would easily hit 30+ goals a season imo.

 

[Kysus]

Sterling is on a whole other level to Pepe, you can't even compare the in game intelligence. Pepe just doesn't have the overall game Sterling does, he's more of a one trick pony.

A player with amazing shooting technique, pace and ability to destroy defenders with his dribbling is an interesting "one trick" pony definition.

 

[Jasard]

He's very weird. He goes from excellent technique to bafflingly poor. His dribbling actually just seems below average? Just seems like we paid 72m for a player that is capable of 'moments' but no consistency even within a game.

 

[Finesse]

The Pepe and Sterling comparison is bizarre. It’s too day and night. Unless we are hoping Arteta manages to turn him around like he did with Sterling.

I watched him in Ligue 1 and he operated differently. I recommend anyone take some time and use YouTube clips. He used speed and body feints to move pass players while the ball was on motion especially from central areas. He would do this and get space to release the ball or make a shot. That was his game.

At Arsenal he is trying to be a Mahrez by trying to force the full back to the corner into a 1 vs 1. He then holds the ball and starts making body feints to leave them for dead. Within seconds he gets crowded and dispossessed. He can do this all game and never changes. Sometimes Arteta just switches him to the next wing. He passes to his full back when he cannot go past players and does not even move to get it back. His first instinct is to take on players. It’s only when he manages to or not to that he looks for his next decision. Hence his rushed passes , over hit crosses and terrible decisions.

Pepe can be asked to stop taking on players as his first decision. It’s like he just wants to get the ball and start dribbling . Even without scanning to see a run or combination. He should be forced combine , pass and move at all times. He will start relying on his speed and movement and less on body feints. It should start in training. He should watch Saka do it with ease. Watch his highlights yesterday and see his best decisions came with simple applications. His assists and an early pass for Willock all came without his dribbles and feints.