Nicolas Pepe: 2019/20 Performances

[hydrofluoric acid]

Did teams invent double teaming on Pepe just to stop him?

What happens to other a lot better and adapted wide forwards in this league when they are double teamed? I'm curious.

 

[Macho]

We get it, he’s sh*t - so now what?

Flipping ell moan moan moan and moan some more- hope he stays on the bench next game Jesus Christ.

 

[lazyfreak]

3 goals and 3 assists in 14 starts ( while being double teamed regularly and getting kicked to pieces at times)

He could- and needs to - do better but you're over exaggerating. What do you expect from a 24 year old switching leagues and cultures and joining what was a **** show for the first six months.

God knows what would have been posted about Pires when he joined got 4 goals and 7 assists in 33 games during his first season with us.

This idea that young players can switch leagues and jump in and be consistently amazing from day 1 is batshit mental. Haaland and Martinelli are exceptions, not the rule

I'm not talking about numbers/output when it comes goals and/or assists. Quite frankly, if Pepe had zero goals and assists at this point but showed more technical and tactical (positioning, decision making, etc) adeptness then I (don't know about everybdoy else) would actually be happy with that.

Unfortunately it's not the case. Like a 17 year old Walcott for example, he either over dribbles, dribbles into nowhere and would very cheaply lose the ball. At times, it looks like he can't even control the ball. A 24 year old, especially after the 18-19 season he had, should be showing much better than that. I mean, not even Gervinho was like this when he arrived!

I also don't buy into the notion that teams deliberately set out to double up on him. Unless you can prove that the managers really have set their teams out to do so. I don't buy into the idea that managers would tell their players, "look, it's Nicolas Pepe, I need two of you to always keep him in check" or anything else along those lines.

Can Pepe all of a sudden turn it around and prove he's worth 72m? Sure, absolutely. Only time will tell. At the end of the day, we need him to come good. It's gonna be extremely difficult to shift him, let alone recoup anywhere near the 72m we paid.

 

[Jae]

We get it, he’s sh*t - so now what?

Flipping ell moan moan moan and moan some more- hope he stays on the bench next game Jesus Christ.

Proper boring this forum at the minute. Every thread is the same old ****e. People just constantly moaning. Its like watching AFTV in text form.

 

[razörist]

Next season he’s off to Africa in December and probably not back until Feb. That’s his second season hindered.

I’ll take my money back if it was offered now. You shouldn’t have to put in this much work and wait over 12 months for an 80M player to contribute.

I thought they changed it to the summer what the hell? Back to winter tournaments?

 

[jus2nang]

I thought they changed it to the summer what the hell? Back to winter tournaments?

They did, but the next one is in Cameroon so can't be hosted during the rainy season. You'll find that any time it's anywhere near the equator it's likely to be moved back to Jan/Feb.

 

[razörist]

They did, but the next one is in Cameroon so can't be hosted during the rainy season. You'll find that any time it's anywhere near the equator it's likely to be moved back to Jan/Feb.

ffs

 

[Trilly]

Next season he’s off to Africa in December and probably not back until Feb. That’s his second season hindered.

Worrying tbf. Very worrying.

Good thing Arsenal doesn’t mean that much in the grand scheme of things. No point worrying about that, not right now anyway.

 

[Trilly]

I understand what you're referring to G. Arteta did precisely what you're talking about in the second half by bringing on Ceballos for Pepe and moving Willock to the right.

At City when they do that, they use Bernardo or KDB and Pepe's closer in style to Mahrez than KDB and Bernardo who are obviously playmakers. Willock suggested he wants him to develop into an attack minded playmaker so it makes sense.

I mean, tactics are undoubtedly a factor also I just think the biggest is he's still physically adjusting to the speed and intensity here and learning the movements of his teammates - he doesn't yet have the confidence to go direct at opponents.

A few more goals and we'll see a different player.

Raises the question.

How long will it take for a wide forward to adapt into a playmaking winger? Is it even possible? Think it’s square peg in a round hole again, a victim of his on the ball ability when really he should be getting onto the end of things.

 

[Big Poppa]

Raises the question.

How long will it take for a wide forward to adapt into a playmaking winger? Is it even possible? Think it’s square peg in a round hole again, a victim of his on the ball ability when really he should be getting onto the end of things.

Agreed.

 

[krengon]

Simplifying his game will go a long way.. He's not very effective with his actions atm, even his running is not optimal..

 

[<<reed>>]

So Bebe has got a ready excuse for being a bum next season too?

Lovely stuff.

 

[Macho]

So Bebe has got a ready excuse for being a bum next season too?

Lovely stuff.

Hopefully he gets sold this summer for whatever we can get.

Not sure I can take another season of fans constantly complaining about one guy. Big signings really do not suit us.

 

[Hleb's Sirush]

People should stop expecting him to adapt to this league straight away based just on his transfer fee. There is no correlation between how much a player cost and how ready they will be to perform in a new league. Age and experience is a much more relevant factor. If a player is 25+ and has played a good few years at a decent level plus some decent amount of caps for their national team including a few tournaments then that is far more accurate guide that they will hit the ground running. When a player is in their early 20's, no matter how big their transfer fee you are still buying a potential.

Transfer fees have gone completely mental. Pepe was without question one of the best players in Ligue 1 last season. It is crazy to even say it but nowadays players with very high ceiling like that go for that price. Not the finished article, mainly just the potential. Look at these transfers from last few years.

Joao Felix 20 yrs €126m
Kepa 23 yrs €80m
Lucas Hernandez 23 €80m
Ousmane Dembele 20 yrs €105m
Pulisic 20 yrs €64m

The clubs themselves won't admit but all those players apart from maybe Hernandez were signed for their potential. Realistically, looking at their ages at the time of the transfers and their experiences, it would point at them not having an instant impact. Which is exactly what happened.

The moral of the story? Your transfer fee, even if it is more than 100m, won't speed up your adaptation period. If you are young you still will need time to adapt, develop and get used to your new environment and league.

 

[DanDare]

Proper boring this forum at the minute. Every thread is the same old ****e. People just constantly moaning. Its like watching AFTV in text form.

Join me in spreading positivity

Arteta is a great appointment
Mari will be a success!
Pepe is just getting started and will be a killer
We have loads of promising youngsters!
The summer shows great promise for the start of a rebuild and a renewing of our hopes
Arsenal FC is the best club in the world!

 

[samshere]

Next season he’s off to Africa in December and probably not back until Feb. That’s his second season hindered.

I’ll take my money back if it was offered now. You shouldn’t have to put in this much work and wait over 12 months for an 80M player to contribute.

But on the bright side, he'll be available in August, when most of the Euro returnees would be out.

 

[zilfy]

But on the bright side, he'll be available in August, when most of the Euro returnees would be out.

on an even brighter note, we won't have many players out for Euro's because our players either aren't good enough or are African/South American.

Only Tierney (if Scotland make it), Xhaka and Sokratis I think. The latter two we hopefully shift in the summer anyways.

We can sit back and laugh at our rivals with all their elite European talent. They'll have little pre-season and will be exhausted too!

 

[roz]

on an even brighter note, we won't have many players out for Euro's because our players either aren't good enough or are African/South American.

Only Tierney (if Scotland make it), Xhaka and Sokratis I think. The latter two we hopefully shift in the summer anyways.

We can sit back and laugh at our rivals with all their elite European talent. They'll have little pre-season and will be exhausted too!

Lol

 

[Jae]

Join me in spreading positivity

Arteta is a great appointment
Mari will be a success!
Pepe is just getting started and will be a killer
We have loads of promising youngsters!
The summer shows great promise for the start of a rebuild and a renewing of our hopes
Arsenal FC is the best club in the world!

Hats off to you sir. You are a bright spark in a sea of dread

 

[TakeChillPill]

Pepe is basically gervinho + good freekicks and corners