Nicolas Pepe: The Nutmeg Express!

[Taylor Gang Gunners]

Why am I not surprised that this thread has grown the most of any player thread, people always waiting to stick the knife in and I’m talking about you @Taylor Gang Gunners.

Villarreal did a proper job on us but it’s fine let’s go back to our trusty scapegoat while ignoring the ineffectiveness of our usual favourites. Saka has been poor for weeks now while Pepe has been playing out of position (no he’s not fxcking better on the left) without an overlapping full back.

But yeah, sell for 30M. Christ.

(yep trusted members don’t agree on everything btw)

p.s. if Pepe is a flop then so is pulisic. 2 mins of research would tell you that, if I see that comparison again I swear.

Ive been on of Pepe’s biggest supporters. But I can’t ignore these wishy washy performances any longer. I knew he wasn’t a £72M player a while ago, but now I’m confident he’s not good enough for us.

Pulisic is twice the player of Pepe. I know what I see, no stats are gonna convince me otherwise. If I can’t wait to stick the knife in the opposite can be said about you, you can’t wait to defend him despite his up and down displays.

Not consistent enough. Not good enough.

 

[Trilly]

Yet the performances should be adjusted by age............ Saka is still very young and will probably improve a lot in the future. Pepe is no longer that young and what we see from him now is what we are going to get for the rest of his career. If Pepe can't be producing consistently and maturely by now then why do you think he ever will?

Performances shouldn’t be adjusted due to age. We’re talking about what you do on the pitch to help your team win, not how good you’re eventually going to be.

When giving out match ratings a 7/10 doesn’t become a 9/10 performance just because somebody’s young.

 

[Trilly]

Ive been on of Pepe’s biggest supporters. But I can’t ignore these wishy washy performances any longer. I knew he wasn’t a £72M player a while ago, but now I’m confident he’s not good enough for us.

Pulisic is twice the player of Pepe. I know what I see, no stats are gonna convince me otherwise. If I can’t wait to stick the knife in the opposite can be said about you, you can’t wait to defend him despite his up and down displays.

Not consistent enough. Not good enough.

Difference is I’m not defending the display I’m calling out how you ray charles some players performances but are always eager to come for others.

Quite a few of your favourites did **** all yesterday but not a peep from you. You can’t use the same argument against me because I don’t scapegoat players. Anyway you were backing Arteta as recently as two days ago so why even bother.

Nobody actually reads my posts these days. Cba

 

[berric]

Wonder if Pepe just kept building up the momentum from last season it would've been a different story. He just looks lost and bad now. Still one of our most effective players, yet a terrible waste of money.

 

[AberGooner]

Puliisic is twice the player of Pepe. I know what I see, no stats are gonna convince me otherwise. If I can’t wait to stick the knife in the opposite can be said about you, you can’t wait to defend him despite his up and down displays.

Not consistent enough. Not good enough.

Not saying Pulisic is or isn't better than Pepe but plug Pulisic into this side and he'd be getting the same criticisms Pepe gets. Arteta will make any decent player look ****, simple as that.

 

[Taylor Gang Gunners]

Difference is I’m not defending the display I’m calling out how you ray charles some players performances but are always eager to come for others.

Nobody actually reads my posts these days. Cba

Ray Charles? The first player I called out was Partey who I ****ing love. It’s not that I’m eager to come for other players, I naturally feel more disappointed when the ones I rate put in stinkers as opposed to the ones I expect to be sheight.

It’s that way for me might not be the same for you. But by all means keep taking digs.

 

[Macho]

I don't get this tbh, he's been the only guy in Auba and Lacazette's absence that has looked like doing anything. Nobody played well yesterday yet I don't see this for other players.

Bit of a shame but seems like something that will never change cause of that blasted price tag.

 

[Taylor Gang Gunners]

Not saying Pulisic is or isn't better than Pepe but plug Pulisic into this side and he'd be getting the same criticisms Pepe gets. Arteta will make any decent player look ****, simple as that.

I'm an Arteta fan but you might have a point here. I'd be remiss not to consider the fact he'd perform better under a better coach. But I have to consider he played under Emery and Freddie a bit and has largely produced the same performances.

 

[GoonerJay24]

Yet the performances should be adjusted by age............ Saka is still very young and will probably improve a lot in the future. Pepe is no longer that young and what we see from him now is what we are going to get for the rest of his career. If Pepe can't be producing consistently and maturely by now then why do you think he ever will?

I think a more competent experienced manager gets Pepe regularly scoring goals, creating chances and being a generally bigger attacking threat.

 

[BigPoppaPump]

Difference is you’re chatting ****, I’ve never said he’s great. I’ve also acknowledged that while he’s doing okay now, he’s still not doing as good as he should do and that I hope it would happen under a new manager.

You quoted my post as you clearly felt targeted, at least stick to facts when you reply. Next time I’ll just air you.

You come here and defend him with your life every time he’s criticised and point the fingers at others. Even now you’re getting mad at Taylor Gang for calling you out on it.

I never felt targeted I’ve said Pepe is wack from day 1, I’m just saying you’ve also made up your mind about him so don’t be a hypocrite. You’re basically to Pepe what Say yes was to Arteta.

 

[Riou]

He should have been tried as a CF at some point this season, feel he would have suited that position more in this league, plus he would have been by some distance our most rounded option in that role if it worked.

Was poor last night, but it's hard not to blame the manager...none of our players have played that well for ages now.

 

[Penn_]

Pepe might have been one of our better players this seasons, but he’s also one of the reasons why our play is slow in general.

 

[BigPoppaPump]

I don't get this tbh, he's been the only guy in Auba and Lacazette's absence that has looked like doing anything. Nobody played well yesterday yet I don't see this for other players.

Bit of a shame but seems like something that will never change cause of that blasted price tag.

It’s exhausting watching him kill counter attacks just do to body feints and either pass it backwards or lose it completely. You have to have some standards not all of us just rate him for the sake of it.

 

[Macho]

It’s exhausting watching him kill counter attacks just do to body feints and either pass it backwards or lose it completely. You have to have some standards not all of us just rate him for the sake of it.

I am not even talking about you when I type these posts tbh, you will never accept him and we came to that conclusion in our many back and forths.

The whole team is exhausting, who actually looks good?

 

[BigPoppaPump]

I am not even talking about you when I type these posts tbh, you will never accept him and we came to that conclusion in our many back and forths.

The whole team is exhausting, who actually looks good?

It’s why I’ve gained a lot of respect for Lacazette this season, he’s the only one that doesn’t look useless under Arteta.

And I know it wasn’t directed at me but I feel like only Xhaka gets defended this hard out of our players lol really I shouldn’t be mad this is how it’s been all season.

 

[Moah]

Everyone saw the flair get taken out of him by the manager, I don't get where the moaning is coming from. Arteta wanted a Willian and of course Pepe turned himself into Willian to get into the team. Its clear that he has been instructed not to dribble.

If you look closely enough you can see no one in the team dribbles anymore. If the first thing the manager takes from a player is his best quality why are you surprised by below par performances?

 

[Heavy Duty Rom]

Expected him to be a lot more direct tbh, he’s too hesitant, doesn’t take on the full backs nearly enough.

 

[Moah]

Lets take a look at his dribbling stat:
2019/2020 he had 133 dribble and this season he has got 51. The player with the most number of dribbles in our team is Saka and he has got 82. That stands at 22nd in the league.

What is the use of wingers if they aren't allowed to dribble past defenders?

 

[tap-in]

Pepe might have been one of our better players this seasons, but he’s also one of the reasons why our play is slow in general.

Completely agree. I wanted Martinelli to start on the left yesterday. Pepe gets the ball and keeps it far too long, by which time any break we had has disappeared. I dont think he's an intelligent player so I'm not sure he can change.

 

[HaffBR]

Sell for about 20ish or 30ish million. He is no better than Martinelli, than Willian, than Saka and I believe neither of Reiss Nelson and Nelson is not even playing. He was good at Lille perhaps, but he never showed it consistently in this Arsenal, so I guess he is at least a bad fit in the team.