Arsenal vs Sheffield United: 5 key players to see it through

3. Nicolas Pepe

Sometimes, a two week layoff from club play and a goal scored for one’s country is enough to spark the creativity and effectiveness of a player as blatantly talented as Nicolas Pepe. The Ivorian has been a bit of a problem in the early going, not because he isn’t talented enough, but because he’s just struggling to settle into his new digs.

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Now obviously he is going to come around and settle in (yes, it’s obvious), but in the meantime, he creates a bit of a lapse on his side of the pitch.

I keep circling back to this whole “Sheffield United are using wingbacks” thing, but I want to do it for the second-to-last time here. Pepe will have the overlap of Hector Bellerin and should be able to find plenty of space terrorizing that right-side flank. If he can click into gear opposite the Bukayo Saka/Kieran Tierney tandem, then it’s game over. This attack is deadly and unstoppable.

But that’s the big if. Pepe can drastically impact this game either negatively, by struggling and leaving Bellerin isolated, or positively, by finding his groove and working in tandem with the speedy Spaniard to own that right flank.

Let’s move on to No. 2.