Arsenal: The Nicolas Pepe problem does not have to be

Nicolas Pepe was very poor in Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United. But the problem he is posing right now does not have to be one, but to solve it, patience is vital.

Whether it is deserved or not, when a player is signed for a club-record fee that amounts to £72 million, which is two Mohamed Salahs or one-and-a-half Alexandre Lacazettes, there is a degree of expectation that comes with it. That player must deliver a product on the pitch that is worth the price paid, and when the price is £72 million, the product must be rather sublime.

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For Arsenal and Nicolas Pepe, the product could not be further from sublime. While the former Lille winger showed some bright touches in his first two substitute appearances and scored his first goal last weekend against Aston Villa, overall, he has disappointed in comparison to his price tag.

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This came to a head in Monday night’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United. Starting on the right-wing in a 4-3-3, Pepe was utterly outshone by an 18-year-old making only the second Premier League start of his career. The Ivorian was awful. That is the only way to describe his performance. He was dispossessed six times, more than any player on the pitch, attempted just two dribbles and completed only one of them, produced terrible cross after terrible cross, both from open play and set-pieces, and the only chance he created was due to Andreas Perreira slipping and was a horribly under-hit through ball.

To best summarise his night, when Arsenal were looking for a late winner and Unai Emery rolled the dice with his substitutes, it was not Saka that was withdrawn first but rather Pepe, Reiss Nelson introduced in his place. Nelson caused more problems in the 17 minutes that he was on than Pepe did in the previous 17 minutes, even if those openings were largely wasted by the 19-year-old.

This performance, however, is by no means a death knell for Pepe and his Arsenal career. He has played less than 500 minutes in the Premier League. It would be utterly foolish to draw any meaningful conclusions from such a small sample size. However, changes have to be made for the Pepe problem not to be one.

First and foremost, he must get closer to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. For the second time in the last three matches, Pepe did not connect with Aubameyang on a single pass. Given that Pepe is a winger and a more creative player whereas Aubameyang is the clinical, prolific goalscorer, that is extremely concerning.

Secondly, he must be braver when he has the ball. He has clearly lost all confidence. He turns back when he receives the ball, he does not drive at defenders with speed and skill, he is afraid to take risks and try things in the final third, playing conservatively and within himself. Arsenal signed Pepe to cause problems. Sometimes, his attempts will fail, but he must recognise that that is alright.

And finally, his movement off the ball must improve, especially when looking to get in behind the defence. Pepe is always looking to receive the ball to his feet before then dribbling at a defender. Rarely does he run off the ball, behind the opposition backline in search of a through pass from a teammate. This shrinks the pitch, allows the defence to press his first touch, and reduces the options that his teammates have when they look to pass and what he has when he eventually gets the ball.

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Pepe is not playing very well. He is not worth anywhere near the £72 million that Arsenal paid to acquire his services in the summer. But the problems he is causing do not have to persist. Nevertheless, to solve them, changes are required and patience is vital.

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