Nicolas Pepe: 2019/20 Performances

[Mark Tobias]

Sorry to go to clichés but really how much do these group of players “want it”?
Seems too many either think they’ve made it and are happy to coast along thinking talent alone will get them through games.
Again, part of the reason I love Doozy so much is that you can see that “he wants it”.

A key reason in our Springbok side going much firther than anyone thought they could was the fact that Rassie Erasmus had cut out the 'twitter culture' he found to be so disruptive in the squad.
Basically we have the same problem at Arsenal (And United do too).. We have a whoe bunch of players who think they are much larger than life, live for their social media feeds and basically are the definition of vanity. It is a disease which has swept the world IMO.

 

[BigPoppaPump]

Sorry to go to clichés but really how much do these group of players “want it”?
Seems too many either think they’ve made it and are happy to coast along thinking talent alone will get them through games.
Again, part of the reason I love Doozy so much is that you can see that “he wants it”.

and funnily enough I was a big fan of the player in your avi!
Commitment level was always at 230%.
Always felt the team on a whole played better when he started. We miss players like that, who allow the others with the talent to shine with their hard work and determination.

Alexis Sanchez would get so much hate from Arsenal fans so getting frustrated at our lazy players. Playing alongside Özil and Walcott would piss anyone off.

 

[mpower2540]

Sorry to go to clichés but really how much do these group of players “want it”?
Seems too many either think they’ve made it and are happy to coast along thinking talent alone will get them through games.
Again, part of the reason I love Doozy so much is that you can see that “he wants it”.

and funnily enough I was a big fan of the player in your avi!
Commitment level was always at 230%.
Always felt the team on a whole played better when he started. We miss players like that, who allow the others with the talent to shine with their hard work and determination.

This is a great point and this is something that has been allowed to fester in the squad for a long long time. I feel like the environment that these players come into is one where you don’t necessarily HAVE to win. Sanchez was a winner and he was hugely demanding of his teammates so they didn’t like it and he had to go. I know he’s been a disaster at Utd but he was sensational here.

I can’t remember the last time someone from the club came out and actually talked about winning major trophies and getting Arsenal where it should be. Half the time I hear us talking about how difficult it will be with the other top 6’s expenditures and the quality they have. Just giving more reasons to accept failure. The other issue is whenever they do talk about success I just don’t believe a word of it

 

[Mark Tobias]

The other issue is whenever they do talk about success I just don’t believe a word of it

Much more conviction in Bellerin's social media posts on veganism and fashion than of success with Arsenal.. I hear you loud and clear!

 

[roz]

A key reason in our Springbok side going much firther than anyone thought they could was the fact that Rassie Erasmus had cut out the 'twitter culture' he found to be so disruptive in the squad.
Basically we have the same problem at Arsenal (And United do too).. We have a whoe bunch of players who think they are much larger than life, live for their social media feeds and basically are the definition of vanity. It is a disease which has swept the world IMO.

Entirely with you, hate social media and all it brings. Its not just vanity unfortunately, its also greed. Players make alot of extra revenue through social media. Makes me love the springboks coach you mentioned!

 

[Mark Tobias]

Entirely with you, hate social media and all it brings. Its not just vanity unfortunately, its also greed. Players make alot of extra revenue through social media. Makes me love the springboks coach you mentioned!

Agree, he apparently told them they'd be dropped one by one if they do not focus on Rugby. Started it off with a lecture on how much they get paid, how utterly privileged they are to represent a country at national sporting level and that social media will be the downfall of their careers or alternatively they focus their attention on the real world and make a real impact that everyone else can rave about on social media. Rest is history. Still feel England were a little hard done but of course I am not complaining.

 

[roz]

Agree, he apparently told them they'd be dropped one by one if they do not focus on Rugby. Started it off with a lecture on how much they get paid, how utterly privileged they are to represent a country at national sporting level and that social media will be the downfall of their careers or alternatively they focus their attention on the real world and make a real impact that everyone else can rave about on social media. Rest is history. Still feel England were a little hard done but of course I am not complaining.

Not a huge rugby fan by any means but have always said football could/should learn a HUGE amount from rugby down to attitude, respect and the way they implement rules of the game e.g var/refs on mic.

Is Erasmus available? We need a manager......

 

[Eaststander74]

Alexis Sanchez would get so much hate from Arsenal fans so getting frustrated at our lazy players. Playing alongside Özil and Walcott would piss anyone off.

Only Arsenal fans on here, tbh. I don't know how there seems to be divide between forums & social media, and the feeling among fans who go to games, but there obviously is.

Seems like the more a player does, the more he becomes a target. Look at the feeling towards Auba on here... There are some that can't stand him and other that would sell him tomorrow... yet he's head and shoulders our best and most reliable player, as was Alexis. You wont get a fan in the stadium who would sell him tomorrow though, because he makes going to games worthwhile. Fans at home don't have to worry too much about reasons to get excited, because they can turn the heating up, before going to the fridge and grab a beer for the second half. Not a dig at fans who don't or can't go, but match goers are generally just more grateful to the players who give them reasons to cheer.

 

[Mark Tobias]

Is Erasmus available? We need a manager......

We want to build towards dethroning The All Blacks as the ultimate winners ;-)

Agree 100% on the respect etc in the game. Always amazed me how football players will back chat a ref. Before VAR I had never seen a decision over turned in my life. Rugby players listen and virtually never talk back because they are carded instantly!

 

[roz]

Only Arsenal fans on here, tbh. I don't know how there seems to be divide between forums & social media, and the feeling among fans who go to games, but there obviously is.

Seems like the more a player does, the more he becomes a target. Look at the feeling towards Auba on here... There are some that can't stand him and other that would sell him tomorrow... yet he's head and shoulders our best and most reliable player, as was Alexis. You wont get a fan in the stadium who would sell him tomorrow though, because he makes going to games worthwhile. Fans at home don't have to worry too much about reasons to get excited, because they can turn the heating up, before going to the fridge and grab a beer for the second half. Not a dig at fans who don't or can't go, but match goers are generally just more grateful to the players who give them reasons to cheer.

Sorry but disagree entirely (possibly because you think Auba is amazing )
I only get to go to a handful of games a year now as I live/work in W.sussex but you would never ever see me booing a player or the team at halftime. I have literally had arguments with fans inside the stadium about doing so. Once a guy was screaming all sorts of ****e at Walcott as he took a throw in, and trust me Theo could hear. I went mental at the guy and trust me I never even liked Theo. This ****s argument was that he was a season ticket holder and he pays alot so is entitled to express himself.

I know plenty of people that go to games regularly still and I would say the Auba opinion is 60/40 in favour of him. Personally I think he’s possibly the most overrated arsenal player so maybe there is a bit of truth to what you said.

Alexis was miles better in every way. Dont think i can ever remember anyone getting annoyed with Sanchez re. Telling other players to pick their **** up. If anything people praised him for it and rightly so.

 

[Eaststander74]

Sorry but disagree entirely (possibly because you think Auba is amazing )
I only get to go to a handful of games a year now as I live/work in W.sussex but you would never ever see me booing a player or the team at halftime. I have literally had arguments with fans inside the stadium about doing so. Once a guy was screaming all sorts of ****e at Walcott as he took a throw in, and trust me Theo could hear. I went mental at the guy and trust me I never even liked Theo. This ****s argument was that he was a season ticket holder and he pays alot so is entitled to express himself.

I know plenty of people that go to games regularly still and I would say the Auba opinion is 60/40 in favour of him. Personally I think he’s possibly the most overrated arsenal player so maybe there is a bit of truth to what you said.



Alexis was miles better in every way. Dont think i can ever remember anyone getting annoyed with Sanchez re. Telling other players to pick their **** up. If anything people praised him for it and rightly so.

I don't think you need superlatives like 'amazing' to describe Auba. His record as a striker and numbers for Arsenal, speak for itself. Genuinely have no idea how you can call him 'overrated'. His numbers make a total mockery of such a label. He scores when we're ****, and he scores when we play well. He's our best player. Also, have no idea where you get this 60/40 in favour thing from. If that's the case, a poll among the fans would probably reveal they want everyone else sold immediately

Alexis got hate on here for everything he did in the end, mostly from Özil stalkers, admittedly.

 

[roz]

I don't think you need superlatives like 'amazing' to describe Auba. His record as a striker and numbers for Arsenal, speak for itself. Genuinely have no idea how you can call him 'overrated'. His numbers make a total mockery of such a label. He scores when we're ****, and he scores when we play well. He's our best player. Also, have no idea where you get this 60/40 in favour thing from. If that's the case, a poll among the fans would probably reveal they want everyone else sold immediately

Alexis got hate on here for everything he did in the end, mostly from Özil stalkers, admittedly.

Just my opinion man
I could go on as to why I feel that way but I’ve been there before and it doesnt do anyone anything. Just 2 different opinions. Most would share yours regarding Auba, of that i am sure (which is why I think he’s overrated).

Completely, agree with Özil stalkers though

 

[Riou]

Sanchez and Özil were so good together, miss them both being here and at their peaks...perfect for each other on the pitch...one was an extrovert on the field, one was an introvert on the field...one was a scorer, one was a creator...one was a energetic force of destruction for us, one was a silent but deadly assassin...one was even right footed and one was left, perfect balance.

They were on the pitch for us, what Auba and Laca think they are

 

[BaZZe]

https://arseblog.news/2019/12/freddie-ill-talk-to-pepe-to-tell-him-what-i-expect/

 

[Hleb's Sirush]

“Nico is someone I plan on talking to. I’m going to have a little chat with him about what I expect and how I want to play.”

Reading that bit it looks like he won't start against Brighton.

Just needs to stay patient. I would be more worried about him if he for example struggled to dribble past players or all his shots were weak or way off target. He has shown he can dribble efficiently past players, he also has shown he can hit the ball powerfully. Was a whisker away from scoring a few screamers already. Separately he has shown he is capable of all the things needed to turn into a very efficient wide forward. Only thing missing was the accuracy. Which he showed against Vitoria so all he needs to do is pull everything together in one game and we will have a proper player on our hands.

 

[scytheavatar]

“Nico is someone I plan on talking to. I’m going to have a little chat with him about what I expect and how I want to play.”

Reading that bit it looks like he won't start against Brighton.

Just needs to stay patient. I would be more worried about him if he for example struggled to dribble past players or all his shots were weak or way off target. He has shown he can dribble efficiently past players, he also has shown he can hit the ball powerfully. Was a whisker away from scoring a few screamers already. Separately he has shown he is capable of all the things needed to turn into a very efficient wide forward. Only thing missing was the accuracy. Which he showed against Vitoria so all he needs to do is pull everything together in one game and we will have a proper player on our hands.

He's also missing the touch, vision and ability to think quickly to be a very efficient wide forward. His shots were weak or way off target because he takes forever to get the shot away. There's much more to being an effective player than just being able to dribble past a few players.

 

[scytheavatar]

I don't think you need superlatives like 'amazing' to describe Auba. His record as a striker and numbers for Arsenal, speak for itself. Genuinely have no idea how you can call him 'overrated'. His numbers make a total mockery of such a label. He scores when we're ****, and he scores when we play well. He's our best player. Also, have no idea where you get this 60/40 in favour thing from. If that's the case, a poll among the fans would probably reveal they want everyone else sold immediately

Alexis got hate on here for everything he did in the end, mostly from Özil stalkers, admittedly.

For the amount we paid, him being our best player should be the bare minimal standards. Auba can be our best player and still be overrated, cause there has been talk of him getting that Özil 350k per week salary. And IMHO we will be making a major mistake if we give him that, cause at those salary you expect a player who is worth 2 players put together. Which Auba is not.

 

[chessygoal]

He's also missing the touch, vision and ability to think quickly to be a very efficient wide forward. His shots were weak or way off target because he takes forever to get the shot away. There's much more to being an effective player than just being able to dribble past a few players.

It's a temporary issue. He had it all with Lille, vision, creativity, ruthless-ness. Anyone who saw him for an extended period know what he's capable of. It's unfair to reduce him as only a good dribbler, he's more than that.
When he was a teenager, he wasn't trained by the best professional coach surrounded by the best prospects. No, he was a goalkeeper in a small parisian club. Compare that to Saka, Nelson, Laca, Özil who were already on a path of elite football.
At age 20, he was playing in the 3rd French division. Compare that to Özil who was playing regularly at the same age for a top team in Germany and earned his first international caps.
It all changed in the last 3 years, but in hindsight, it was crazy to expect him to instantly perform. It's all new to him, he was an underdog all his life and now he's supposed to perform amongst the best of the best, in a foreign country, without speaking english.
He was never meant to be a top player and I wouldn't be surprised to learn that he suffers from impostor syndrome.
It was a crazy bet to buy him at that price, but if it works, it would be an amazing story to tell and add to Arsenal's folklore.

 

[zilfy]

When he was a teenager, he wasn't trained by the best professional coach surrounded by the best prospects. No, he was a goalkeeper in a small parisian club. Compare that to Saka, Nelson, Laca, Özil who were already on a path of elite football.
At age 20, he was playing in the 3rd French division. Compare that to Özil who was playing regularly at the same age for a top team in Germany and earned his first international caps.

This is very interesting. Its amazing he's made it this far in such a short time.
This makes me think he will be a bit of a late bloomer, peaking at 28, 29, rather than 25, 26. Knowing his development had been delayed a little means patience is in order. If he's come this far in four short years how much further could he go in four more?

72 mil was clearly ridiculous but i think if we hang onto him long enough he may just be worth that much (or more) down the line

 

[Mark Tobias]

It's a temporary issue. He had it all with Lille, vision, creativity, ruthless-ness. Anyone who saw him for an extended period know what he's capable of. It's unfair to reduce him as only a good dribbler, he's more than that.
When he was a teenager, he wasn't trained by the best professional coach surrounded by the best prospects. No, he was a goalkeeper in a small parisian club. Compare that to Saka, Nelson, Laca, Özil who were already on a path of elite football.
At age 20, he was playing in the 3rd French division. Compare that to Özil who was playing regularly at the same age for a top team in Germany and earned his first international caps.
It all changed in the last 3 years, but in hindsight, it was crazy to expect him to instantly perform. It's all new to him, he was an underdog all his life and now he's supposed to perform amongst the best of the best, in a foreign country, without speaking english.
He was never meant to be a top player and I wouldn't be surprised to learn that he suffers from impostor syndrome.
It was a crazy bet to buy him at that price, but if it works, it would be an amazing story to tell and add to Arsenal's folklore.

Wow, I honestly didn't know any of this. Certainly pulled a heart string there though. Keen to see this lad do the unthinkable then, I guess.