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Nicolas Pepe: Saint Nic Is Back

Maybe

You're wrong, no?
Love seeing these goalpost shifts in less than 10 minutes of each other. Sheesh.
Yeah, it is confusing for me as well. Idk anymore if we are competing with top clubs or "normal" clubs, that's gonna be my excuse. But spot on, quality stuff
 

grange

Losing my brain cells 🥸

Country: USA

Player:Havertz
Yeah, it is confusing for me as well. Idk anymore if we are competing with top clubs or "normal" clubs, that's gonna be my excuse. But spot on, quality stuff

I don't think Ramsdale would get into a top club as I think the top clubs are too well established at this position. I think somebody like Tierney would though. Saka, Tierney, Gabriel, possibly Partey (based on talent not performances), and Auba (same as Partey). I don't think Saka, Partey, and Auba would play week in and week out though - and probably add Tierney to that list. ESR is borderline right now. White, Xhaka, Tomi, Sambi, AMN, ESR, Ode, and Pepe would easily slide into most midtable teams.

It's hard to tell, regardless, because the team does not play well together for a full 90. We are disjointed and have trouble distributing the ball to progress into our attack. I don't think it's because the players are crap though. I think it's because we have square pegs trying to fit into round holes. Partey is the most obvious. He's not a defensive mid and should not be asked to do that full time while trying to progress possession to our attack. Neither is Xhaka. We put too much pressure on guys who aren't really suited to the roles we ask them to perform.
 

boonthegoon

Arteta In by November

Country: USA

Player:Smith-Rowe
Where do you see me painting him as a victim? I've backed Arteta's treatment of him this season 100% all the way it's for the best. Arteta guys like yourself, boon, etc are quick to blame him instead of Arteta for bad results.
Wait BPP is arteta guy??? He hates him ffs 😂😂😂
 

GunnerUK

Active Member
Offers nothing. same level as Gervinho. I’d even say Gervinho was more pleasant to watch as his Erratic style of play was unpredictable and kept you amused.

The likes of Carlos vela, Nick Bendtner, Andre Santos all contributed more to this club and they were ****.
 

2Smokeyy

5.0 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (49)
Trusted ⭐

Country: England


Makes you wonder yet people think Raphinha would be a success on our RW even though our “Starboy” has struggled there too.

It’s a system issue with these dreadful tactics and if you can’t see it then you’ve got an agenda, fool.
 

AbouCuéllar

Author of A-M essays 📚
Partey is the most obvious. He's not a defensive mid and should not be asked to do that full time while trying to progress possession to our attack. Neither is Xhaka.
I'm a bit confused by this. I agree in so far as that Thomas is not a natural progressor of play from the back, but he's definitely a defensive mid, if not what is he? He just needs a natural progressor / constructor of play next to him, that's for sure...Xhaka is that, IMO--not sure why you say "neither is Xhaka"?--but he has his issues that we know of.

That said, Xhaka and Thomas is a fairly natural pivot pairing and if he can keep them both fit I don't think Arteta really has much excuse to not get decent possession football out of them, plus the ball playing CBs we have, plus Saka, Ødegaard, and ESR. It's really a fair enough level for a good 4th-5th placed possession side in this league, given Man United's level.

It lacks depth, of course, and obviously ideally we'd replace Xhaka with an even better player who is just as good of a passer but without the issues Xhaka comes with. But the starting lineup is undoubtedly far better than the performance level Mikel is eliciting from it. Perhaps Xhaka being injured can be something of an excuse. Let's see what the performance level looks like with him back in the side.
 

Rex Stone

Long live the fighters
Trusted ⭐

Country: Wales


Makes you wonder yet people think Raphinha would be a success on our RW even though our “Starboy” has struggled there too.

It’s a system issue with these dreadful tactics and if you can’t see it then you’ve got an agenda, fool.

Was the worst type of player for an Emery or Arteta system.

Seemed to be just a hot name. If he went Bayern or even Pool he’d have done alright.
 

Country: Iceland
I have no idea why people like Pepe so much even if he is awful at football? Maybe its because of his army salute celebration and people think he fought in a wat protecting them?
 

2Smokeyy

5.0 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (49)
Trusted ⭐

Country: England
Was the worst type of player for an Emery or Arteta system.

Seemed to be just a hot name. If he went Bayern or even Pool he’d have done alright.

101% then the same people criticising him here would be blaming the club for failing to sign him - we’ve seen it all before.

He’d be guaranteed success under Arsène Wenger too imo. No ballers are succeeding in this restrictive Arteta-ball with him constantly barking orders from the touchline and players playing within a zone. Arsène would have just gave him the keys to the city and Pepe would be laying waste to a lot of fullbacks in the PL.

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All of a sudden this guy can’t play football? Getouttaaaaereeee.
 

AbouCuéllar

Author of A-M essays 📚
It’s a system issue with these dreadful tactics and if you can’t see it then you’ve got an agenda, fool.
Lol. Those maps literally just show a player getting more often in better positions, ie, better global play (explainable by a lesser league and a better team respective to league than us).

There's no systematic difference in those heat maps-- Arteta plays Pepe just like Pep plays Mahrez, or just like Saka himself, more to the point, plays.

There's no big tactical, systematic difference that you are pointing to, and this graph doesn't show that, as much as you want it to, "fool."

Amazing the clutching at straws people do with this player. And I say this believing that Arteta could obviously get more out of Pepe, but it's not about using him in some other distinctive way, he's used as an inverted RW like every other inverted RW in the world, but he's in an inferior style and team that doesn't get the ball enough into interesting positions systematically and thus forward players suffer.

But Pepe somehow being used drastically different is nonsense. The major differences tactically are our (poor) attempt at a possession, juego de posición style without efficiency in build-up and press resistance nor in pressing and playing successfully with a high line to habilitate said pressing and general style, versus Galtier's style at Lille which was more counter-attacking. But in terms of individual usage the differences are not nearly as radical as you're making out in attempting to make excuses for Pepe.

Pepe under Arteta can really be summed up like this: Saka is better than him on the RW. ESR and Martinelli are better than him on the LW, and ESR / Martinelli + Saka LW and RW is better than Saka and Pepe LW and RW. The rest are just mental wanks from people like yourselves who can't accept that the player you are a fanboy of isn't that special. Saka suffers from the lack of quality of our global play in the same way that Pepe does...both are used correctly within the highly flawed global tactical set-up and football we offer, but Saka is better and thus suffers a bit less.
 

GunnerUK

Active Member
Lol. Those maps literally just show a player getting more often in better positions, ie, better global play (explainable by a lesser league and a better team respective to league than us).

There's no systematic difference in those heat maps-- Arteta plays Pepe just like Pep plays Mahrez, or just like Saka himself, more to the point, plays.

There's no big tactical, systematic difference that you are pointing to, and this graph doesn't show that, as much as you want it to, "fool."
style and team that doesn't get the ball enough into interesting positions systematically and thus forward players suffer.
Exactly this. He looked excellent in France because the standard of play is far inferior compared to England. Pepe won’t make the cut just like Bakayoko didn’t for Chelsea after looking World Class for Monaco. To thank he cost nearly double what we paid for Alexis too.
 

Macho

In search of Pure Profit 💸
Dusted 🔻

Country: England
101% then the same people criticising him here would be blaming the club for failing to sign him - we’ve seen it all before.

He’d be guaranteed success under Arsène Wenger too imo. No ballers are succeeding in this restrictive Arteta-ball with him constantly barking orders from the touchline and players playing within a zone. Arsène would have just gave him the keys to the city and Pepe would be laying waste to a lot of fullbacks in the PL.

giphy.gif



200w.gif


All of a sudden this guy can’t play football? Getouttaaaaereeee.
He's not started in over 2 months, all kinds of kids are ahead of him and people are still mad because not everybody hates him :lol:

He's not even a factor anymore and people still pop in to slag him off, just says it all.
 

2Smokeyy

5.0 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (49)
Trusted ⭐

Country: England
Pepe under Arteta can really be summed up like this: Saka is better than him on the RW. ESR and Martinelli are better than him on the LW, and ESR / Martinelli + Saka LW and RW is better than Saka and Pepe LW and RW. The rest are just mental wanks from people like yourselves who can't accept that the player you are a fanboy of isn't that special. Saka suffers from the lack of quality of our global play in the same way that Pepe does...both are used correctly within the highly flawed global tactical set-up and football we offer, but Saka is better and thus suffers a bit less.

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From calling Arteta a basque dog to defending his tactics? Please stop 🤣 you’re embarrassing yourself.

I have two important questions for you chief:

- Which of our current options are effective on the right hand side?
- And why is our attacking play a lot stronger on our left hand side and non existent on the right?

I’ve been told that Arteta will keep you on the payroll if you manage to answer those two questions as it’ll save his job.
 

AbouCuéllar

Author of A-M essays 📚
From calling Arteta a basque dog to defending his tactics? Please stop 🤣 you’re embarrassing yourself.
I'm not defending his tactics whatsoever in that post, in fact I'm having a number of goes at them, but I understand that sometimes a bit of nuance and not black and white thinking can be confusing for those who just want to rant and come with snide and arrogant posts calling people fools, while doing very little thinking themselves.

- Which of our current options are effective on the right hand side?
Answered in my post.

- And why is our attacking play a lot stronger on our left hand side and non existent on the right?
This may have been true to some extent last season but it doesn't really seem that way this. Think of our recent open play goals, Everton from the left United from the right, Newcastle left and right, Watford right / central, Tottenham two from the right one from the left...

In general our attacking play and chance creation is quite poor but I am not seeing a real side bias this season.
 

Trilly

Hates A-M, Saka, Arteta and You
Trusted ⭐

Country: England
Where do you see me painting him as a victim? I've backed Arteta's treatment of him this season 100% all the way it's for the best. Arteta guys like yourself, boon, etc are quick to blame him instead of Arteta for bad results.
You shouldn’t have even responded, guy flip flops more than his aunties favourite pair of sliders.

Clearly binge eats a tub of Ben n Jerry’s, feels bad then comes on here to take shots and feel better about himself. Man needs a gyal. :(
 

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