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Nicolas Pepe: Saint Nic Is Back

The_Playmaker

Established Member
Trusted ⭐
He's an elite shooter.

For the EPL alone in 20/21;

94th percentile for goals
86th percentile for non penalty expected goals
94th percentile for goals - expected goals
93rd percentile for non-penalty Goals - non-penalty expected goals

Crazy numbers. Do I trust Arteta to play Pepe in a way to get the best out of him? Nope.

Has Arteta already started playing him close to the touchline again? Yes.

Cool.
Yeah I agree. He is probably the best shooter at the club.


I still believe this was one of his most effective performances that goes forgotten.

Auba and Pepe as a duo makes the most sense with Martinelli and Laca as the back ups.

He has more freedom to go central, drop deep, run behind and also go wide. His movement caused Mayhem. 5 minutes of highlights? Look at how involved he was.

That is how I would build. Pick your front 2 and put a runner at 10 behind them like ESR.
 

Trilly

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

Country: England
He's an elite shooter.

For the EPL alone in 20/21;

94th percentile for goals
86th percentile for non penalty expected goals
94th percentile for goals - expected goals
93rd percentile for non-penalty Goals - non-penalty expected goals

Crazy numbers. Do I trust Arteta to play Pepe in a way to get the best out of him? Nope.

Has Arteta already started playing him close to the touchline again? Yes.

Cool.
When we signed Tomiyasu I quietly weeped for Pepe. It basically confirmed that Arteta has no intention of getting the best out of him as a goal scorer and is happy to use him as a 72M decoy to overload the right side for quick switches to Tierney.

The only hope is if Ødegaard drifting to his side somehow does the opposite of what we all anticipate and actually creates more space for Nico. We’ll see but it’s not looking good.
 

2Smokeyy

5.0 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (49)
Trusted ⭐

Country: England
When we signed Tomiyasu I quietly weeped for Pepe. It basically confirmed that Arteta has no intention of getting the best out of him as a goal scorer and is happy to use him as a 72M decoy to overload the right side for quick switches to Tierney.

The only hope is if Ødegaard drifting to his side somehow does the opposite of what we all anticipate and actually creates more space for Nico. We’ll see but it’s not looking good.

 

Trilly

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

Country: England
Arteta has spent too much time with Pep and is overcomplicating everything. He treats every game like it’s some CL final against a manager that knows him inside out.

We are over-coached and the tactics aren’t even good. Asking for your RB to overlap to help your winger whose best strength is cutting inside isn’t too much to ask for any manager in the world besides Mikel.
 

2Smokeyy

5.0 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (49)
Trusted ⭐

Country: England
Arteta has spent too much time with Pep and is overcomplicating everything. He treats every game like it’s some CL final against a manager that knows him inside out.

We are over-coached and the tactics aren’t even good. Asking for your RB to overlap to help your winger whose best strength is cutting inside isn’t too much to ask for any manager in the world besides Mikel.

So true. A fullback overlapping a winger is like the basics in football at all levels even the Sunday league man know how to do it ffs, so I’m not sure why he’s overlooking it like that. We’re literally not even a BTEC City as his tactics are much worse than that, I think he’s trying to liken it to Kyle Walker’s role at Man City whereby he’s not as attacking as Cancelo and always ready to stop the counter which is probably why we signed Tomiyasu.

Any half decent manager that does the basics in terms of tactics would significantly improve this squad.
 

The_Playmaker

Established Member
Trusted ⭐
So true. A fullback overlapping a winger is like the basics in football at all levels even the Sunday league man know how to do it ffs, so I’m not sure why he’s overlooking it like that. We’re literally not even a BTEC City as his tactics are much worse than that, I think he’s trying to liken it to Kyle Walker’s role at Man City whereby he’s not as attacking as Cancelo and always ready to stop the counter which is probably why we signed Tomiyasu.

Any half decent manager that does the basics in terms of tactics would significantly improve this squad.
It doesn't even need to be a full back. As long as it is a right footer who can physically run and go outside Pepe. That is literally all he needs. City have movement and runners. The CF can pop up on the right. KDB goes right and whips crosses in. ESR can easily do that. Yet we seem to be insistent on the final action coming from Tierney. A Tierney cut back to Pepe arriving at the perfect moment. The chances of that happening are so low and we will spend all game trying to make it happen once. The all the pressure is on Pepe to take his one chance or create his own goals. Its insanity.
 

BigPoppaPump

Reeling from Laca & Kos nightmares
This guy had 3 Chelsea players on him and completely dusted him omg I was wrong I'm sorry Pepe forgive me.

A formation like Chelsea' 3-4-3 would work so well for us:
Leno
White Holding Gabriel
AMN Partey Saka Tierney
Pepe Auba
Lacazette

So simple and easy and would be lethal on the counter, also Saka and Partey would be solid in both defence and moving he ball forward from deep and Saka doesn't score or assist enough to be a RW imo.
 

BigPoppaPump

Reeling from Laca & Kos nightmares
Arteta has spent too much time with Pep and is overcomplicating everything. He treats every game like it’s some CL final against a manager that knows him inside out.

We are over-coached and the tactics aren’t even good. Asking for your RB to overlap to help your winger whose best strength is cutting inside isn’t too much to ask for any manager in the world besides Mikel.
Arsène use to have us pass and move into space, such a simple and effective tactic. Now our players all stand around the edge of the box looking to pass back instead of making a run.
 

2Smokeyy

5.0 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (49)
Trusted ⭐

Country: England
It doesn't even need to be a full back. As long as it is a right footer who can physically run and go outside Pepe. That is literally all he needs. City have movement and runners. The CF can pop up on the right. KDB goes right and whips crosses in. ESR can easily do that. Yet we seem to be insistent on the final action coming from Tierney. A Tierney cut back to Pepe arriving at the perfect moment. The chances of that happening are so low and we will spend all game trying to make it happen once. The all the pressure is on Pepe to take his one chance or create his own goals. Its insanity.

I know it might be an unpopular opinion but I’m not fully convinced on ESR. I guess it could be down to his age and him learning these things but I don’t rate him as much as others have been doing.

I think our reliance on him is another factor which is holding us back a little.
 

BigPoppaPump

Reeling from Laca & Kos nightmares
When we signed Tomiyasu I quietly weeped for Pepe. It basically confirmed that Arteta has no intention of getting the best out of him as a goal scorer and is happy to use him as a 72M decoy to overload the right side for quick switches to Tierney.

The only hope is if Ødegaard drifting to his side somehow does the opposite of what we all anticipate and actually creates more space for Nico. We’ll see but it’s not looking good.
Thought you'd rate him in case he activates his sharingan during a game, hopefully him and Arteta get close so he does what he has to to activate his Mangekyo.
 

Trilly

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

Country: England
It doesn't even need to be a full back. As long as it is a right footer who can physically run and go outside Pepe. That is literally all he needs. City have movement and runners. The CF can pop up on the right. KDB goes right and whips crosses in. ESR can easily do that. Yet we seem to be insistent on the final action coming from Tierney. A Tierney cut back to Pepe arriving at the perfect moment. The chances of that happening are so low and we will spend all game trying to make it happen once. The all the pressure is on Pepe to take his one chance or create his own goals. Its insanity.
Exactly. He copies what Pep does that’s unconventional but doesn’t copy the things he does to account for his unconventional tactics.

Walker prevents the counter attack at the cost of an overlapping fullback but Pep gets his CM to make those runs instead so the attack doesn’t suffer. Mikel prevents the counter but doesn’t bother replacing the attacking threat.

He really is more Moyes than Guardiola.
 

Trilly

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

Country: England
I know it might be an unpopular opinion but I’m not fully convinced on ESR. I guess it could be down to his age and him learning these things but I don’t rate him as much as others have been doing.

I think our reliance on him is another factor which is holding us back a little.
I actually rate him but agree, we’ve seen other talents start out brighter and still end up not making it here.

Him being our no10 kind of sums up the current level at the club. Similar vibes to Elneny and Holding getting major minutes or Xhaka being a starting CM.
 

Riou

In The Winchester, Waiting For This To Blow Over

Country: Northern Ireland

Player:Gabriel
Think ESR is a better wide playmaker than a central one, tbh.

Think he will really find his feet in the next few years in the team, on the left.
 

RunTheTrap

Kai Havertz Offense League
I want to cuss this guy out every time he's on the pitch and yet he is one of those players that can make something happen out of nothing. I would give his first half performance a 3/10, but his second half deserves a 7/10. So maybe overall he gets a 5/10. But that seems both too high and too low considering he was involved with our only goal. I just don't get Pepe, and I think I never will.
 

razörist

Soft With The Ladies, Hard With The Mes

Country: Morocco
I am officially not a fan anymore. He’s like a **** Arjen Robben, always tries the same thing. Man his touch is so stiff, he dribbles like he’s injured.
 

Riou

In The Winchester, Waiting For This To Blow Over

Country: Northern Ireland

Player:Gabriel
He can be very frustrating, but he does seem like someone you can do trust to get a goal or assist, shouldn't dismiss that right now.

Team isn't functioning very well at the minute, so hard to blame individual players...lets give it a few more weeks.
 

boonthegoon

Arteta In by November

Country: USA

Player:Smith-Rowe
What an irritating player. Almost always off balance when he tries to shoot. Shiiiit first touches most of the time killing our attacks. Really at what point do we just accept the loss and sell him and get a proper rw in
 

Trilly

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

Country: England
There's a joke in there about being the most likely to score in this Arsenal team.

I'm of the opinion that one good chance flubbed off the post doesn't mitigate the other 89 minutes of bad play, but to each their own.
None of the PepeHive are actually saying he played well, he was poor (as was everybody and his touch was atrocious today) but we’re definitely enjoying people like you having a fit because he got some stats on the board. At the end of the day he contributed more to the win than your favourite player. 🥰

I genuinely would love if he played **** every game and racked up the goals/assists. A lot of you wouldn’t know what to do with yourselves. 🥲
 
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