THREAD: MORE TO COME FROM PEPITO
We’ve seen glimpses of what he’s capable of but we have to ask ourselves the question ‘Has he really been given the tools to succeed? When you have a season like he did at Lille, scoring 22 goals and assisting 11, fans will demand the same level

of performance especially considering the amount of money invested in him. But I always like to look deeper into the issue as to why he’s not been able to replicate that form rather than simply placing the tag ‘he’s a flop’. Firstly, it doesn’t matter what the price tag is, it’s

not his fault! Players coming from abroad need time to adapt. In comparison to Ligue 1, the culture, pace and intensity of the premier league is far more aggressive. Some players adapt instantly and hit the ground running whilst others like Pepe need more time to adjust to the.

football. Bobby Pires, was no different and look how he turned out! On top of this, the management team across the season have to be accounted for and must take responsibility. The system and style of football implemented under Emery was far too negative (on many occasions..

starting three defensively more minded midfielders) for Pepe to flourish. If you put players of the calibre of Salah, Mane and Sterling under that system, they would also struggle to have a significant impact.Slow, lethargic, players taking far too many touches on the ball meant.

Pepe was continuously receiving the ball with his back to goal and always isolated with minimal support down the right. That’s not his preferred game. For Pepe to be at his explosive best, he needs the ball played in front of him in space for him to run into, creating 1 v 1..

which he thrives on as shown at his time in France. One of my problems with Freddie was that he didn’t give Pepe a consistent run of games to show what he’s capable of. Remember West Ham away. Pepe was a big reason we broke our winless run and collected the three points,

scoring a beauty and assisting Aubameyang for the third. The next game, against Manchester City at home, was one of his poorer displays in an Arsenal shirt but you tell me, apart from Leno, who really had a good game? He’s then taken out of the side for the next three games.

It’s very difficult for a player to provide consistency in his performance if he’s not given a run of games , especially for someone who’s new to the premier league and looking to prove to why we paid the money for him. But what we are seeing now is a lot more consistency from..

Pepe and a lot of credit goes to Mikel, who is utilising him a lot more correctly, and whether its AMN or Bellerin, we are starting to see a partnership develop. If we simply look at the stats in the league and compare it to other high profile premier league established wingers

in their first season, it’s not as bad as some people believe.
Pepe: 28 games, 5 goals and 6 assists (11G/A)
Son: 28 games, 4 goals and 1 assist (5 G/A)
Mahrez: 27 games (first season with Manchester city) 7 goals and 4 assists (11G/A)

Theres still plenty to work on but his ceiling is so high and with Arteta having good experience working with wide players, IM EXCITED!