Nicolas Pepe: 2019/20 Performances

[Gunner-Union]

Too predictable atm all defenses know he won’t go on the outside and cross with his right he always cuts back. I’d like to see him on the left as a traditional winger at times and also learn to cross with his right. He has the tricks and pace to terrorize most fullbacks but with our slug pace build up and him beating a man then cutting back so the beaten man catches up it’s all very boring

 

[Riou]

 

[Macho]

So two weeks ago, calling him ineffective and an absolute letdown for the price tag made me ignorant? Muppet.

You are ignorant though. I don’t really talk to your kind it’s just a shame this board allows all sorts.

 

[Gooner416]

You are ignorant though. I don’t really talk to your kind it’s just a shame this board allows all sorts.

I get it, it’s hard for “your kind” to engage in any sort of debate about a player with objective facts without throwing insults around. Your avatar and username is typical of that “kind” that free roams the internet but wouldn’t dare say anything close to ones face.

Keep typing little man!

 

[razörist]

 

[Heavy Duty Rom]

Listen, a player like this will never show any kind of consistency. I want him to do well, we all do, but the signs aren't good. He doesn't do the simple things well. I was sceptical when we signed him because of his poor International record, its usually a good guide to see where a player is at.

He's purely a counter attacking player, a player who would suit a team like Wolves. He doesn't have enough to his game to play in different styles or systems.

People say give him time to settle etc.... but sometimes, it only takes a few apperances to know if a player is right for a club or not, he's not.

 

[Trilly]

I'm saying do people think he's magically going to "gain confidence" and start playing anything like what is expected of him? He's not. Role or not in terms of individual actions/movements this was what he was like at Lille. Difference is you can get away with it in France just like Gervinho did.

If you're going to bring up Youtube highlights then go look at how many of them include him literally dribbling into defenders and getting a lucky bobble that allows him to retain the ball. A lot of his goals are also fairly ****e finishes that are straight at the keeper who then proceeds to inadvertently let in bundle in. These are two traits he's shown with us. They worked for him at Lille, level is a little higher here though so he needs to seriously kick on and not just gain confidence and adapt to the league but actually find levels he's not shown before in his career.

You said he was playing the same as he was at Lille. He plays a completely different role at Arsenal than he does at Lille and that’s fact.

Talking about bobbles and shooting at the keeper is stuff I simply can’t be bothered to address because of how ridiculous it is.

 

[Trilly]

The closet racists are shaking with anger.

 

[Trilly]

Listen, a player like this will never show any kind of consistency.

sometimes, it only takes a few apperances to know if a player is right for a club or not, he's not.

Should call you Crystal ball Rom I suppose.

 

[Oxeki]

This thread

 

[Heavy Duty Rom]

Should call you Crystal ball Rom I suppose.

What can i say? I am a man of vision.

 

[hydrofluoric acid]

Should call you Crystal ball Rom I suppose.

Good times when drinking rum from crystal ball! The nights never went as we thought they would though!

 

[Camus]

1)He plays nothing like Gervinho. This is a stunningly lazy comparison that belies how little substance your appraisal actually has.

I never said he "played" like Gervinho. If you're going to go off on a try-hard rant then at least address the actual points being made instead of constructing strawmen.

I said he's "like" Gervinho. Beyond the fact he's an Ivorian that played for Lille and then signed for us I then went on to specifically explain exactly what likeness I was referring to. Which was the following:

"Looked amazing in France but just moved to England and stayed at that level and thought it would be enough"

So clearly as you can see there is zero reference to their individual play-styles being alike but is instead a reference to both of them not having the requisite ability to be outstanding in the PL whilst instead having excelling in the lower leveled Ligue 1.

2)I doubt you've watched more than 5 Lille games in your life.

Yeah spot on. I defer in totality to you as I'm sure you're on the Euro Star to watch them every week. ****, I bet you even have a subscription to their official channel and watch Lille womens and youth football. My mistake mon frère, I wasn't aware I was dealing with a Lille super fan....

3)The Lille side he played in operated in an entirely different manner to either Emery or Arteta, so no, his actions are not like for like.

Your ability to dribble, to beat a man, 1st touch, shooting ability etc.. are all independent of what system you're deployed in. It's pretty funny seeing people cling on to this notion that the right system is magically going to change Pepe into a world beater when on a very fundamental he's shown that he needs to actually improve aspects of his individual game 1st and foremost.

4)He's barely had a half season here, hardly enough to write someone off.

Haven't wrote him off. That's your 2nd strawman now. For someone who opened his post with cries of how "stunningly lazy" mine was it's highly ironic that you're too lazy (or is it incapable?) of addressing my actual points are instead resort to simple strawmen to knock-down.

What I'm saying is the dynamic of the Pepe discussion needs move away from "he just needs the right system/gain confidence" to instead "he needs to significantly improve his individual game"

5) Every statement he's given about his struggles has indicated that he feels he is solely to blame and he intends to work hard to improve, which is hardly "staying at your level and thinking it will be enough".

He's actually made ambiguous/contradictory statements actually.

"My stats have not been good enough or my usual performances, it is not the same as Lille or the Liverpool game earlier in the season."

As I stated his performances at Lille (nor in the Liverpool game for that matter) are good enough. So it's simple not a case of reaching those levels are thinking everything's going to click into gear.

"My confidence must come back. I am not very worried."

Again I don't see this as a confidence issue. It's actually circular in effect, since his confidence is never going to improve unless he starts playing well and here he's saying playing well is linked with his confidence....

"I have to keep working as the level here is different so is the language."

This is the only encouraging partial quote in that he at least acknowledges the PL is a different level. Not sure what the language has to do with it though, it's always and easy cop-out.

Maybe it's PTSD from the whole Özil situation but I'm just not in the mood anymore for going along with the theory that under-performing players are suddenly going to drastically improve with a system change or a personal change change or any form of change not involving a concerted effort from the player to improve on an individual level.

 

[Camus]

Even if some agree with you, he is still 3 times better than others when it comes to playing on the wing, yet he somehow ends up on the bench.
Btw, Gervinho was nowhere near him when it comes to dribbling, this guy has some insane skills.
I don't think any of us has a reasonable explanation for him not being default starter on the right wing, and with us being a bottom half team, none of our managers proved anything by dropping him from the squad. What's the plan here? Move him to the bench and waste 70m? It's not their money so I guess it's OK

Is it a coincidence that despite his clear lack of ability three different managers of ours have backed a player like Xhaka and the same three managers not been knee on Pepe? And despite all three being desperate for results for different reasons. To me that's a clear indication that his simply not impressing them in training let alone actual games.

Your last point is the reason I'm taking the stance I am as I can see this devolving into another Özil situation. If he's not good enough then he's not good enough. We need to cut our losses and move on while we can instead trying to justify his involvement based on his price tag. It's just going end badly for us on many different levels. Again that's IF he's not good enough. I'm willing to extend the "IF" period to more than a little over half a season before people jump down my throat.

You said he was playing the same as he was at Lille. He plays a completely different role at Arsenal than he does at Lille and that’s fact.

Talking about bobbles and shooting at the keeper is stuff I simply can’t be bothered to address because of how ridiculous it is.

I explained my point and why it's not even remotely the same as what you're arguing against here, again. At this point it's wilful ignorance on your part. Really strange as well, as if you're trying to be argumentative for the sake of it.

If you can't be "bothered" to address a point than simply don't reply instead doing so with this childishly cringe-tier nonsense. "uuuuh I could refute you if I wanted to but I can't be bothered as its stooopid"

End this here shall we. No need for you to "bother" with me again.

 

[GDeep™]

If Gervinho was here now he would be one of our best players. I liked him, despite him being a basic player.

His composure killed him, and that’s one thing that Pepe has in spades.

 

[Maybe]

If he's not good enough then he's not good enough. We need to cut our losses and move on while we can instead trying to justify his involvement based on his price tag. It's just going end badly for us on many different levels. Again that's IF he's not good enough. I'm willing to extend the "IF" period to more than a little over half a season before people jump down my throat.

Fair enough, but then it looks like our new business model of technical director + Raul doesn't work at all. Obviously Emery didn't like the player that much, Ljungberg didn't like him and now Arteta. Who wanted the player in that case and why did we pay so much for him? Wenger being the main guy for transfers wasn't the best thing ever, but this system looks like a whole new level of a massive failure.

 

[Macho]

I get it, it’s hard for “your kind” to engage in any sort of debate about a player with objective facts without throwing insults around. Your avatar and username is typical of that “kind” that free roams the internet but wouldn’t dare say anything close to ones face.

Keep typing little man!

Lmao if only you knew.

 

[Pepes blue pill]

someone change this camus blokes name, he is a disgrace to Albert

 

[CaseUteinberger]

I get it, it’s hard for “your kind” to engage in any sort of debate about a player with objective facts without throwing insults around. Your avatar and username is typical of that “kind” that free roams the internet but wouldn’t dare say anything close to ones face.

Keep typing little man!

Hey there! Don't mess with @Macho! He has a pretty awesome avatar! Not as awesome as Honky Tonk Man, but still...

 

[Jae]

Can we all stop being horrible sh*t stain fans and start getting behind our players for once please? Even the ones that have been here for like... Less than 6 months maybe? Thanks.

Proper draining all the negativity on this forum.