Arsenal: Nicolas Pepe must put his foot down

Nicolas Pepe scored two terrific freekicks to rescue Arsenal against Vitoria SC on Thursday night. After a tough start to life in north London, he must now put his foot down and prove his worth.

Adapting to a new place is difficult for any person, in any walk of life. Simply having to learn a new culture, city, potentially language. Meet new people, adapt to a new job. These are not easy things to do. They take time and patience and resilience. Now imagine having to do all this but intensified tenfold by a £72 million price tag with millions of people watching your every move.

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For Nicolas Pepe, that is what his first three months at Arsenal have been like. It is no cakewalk. And he has struggled as a result. Just two assists and one goal — the assists were a simple pass and a corner while the goal was a penalty — in the Premier League, Pepe has provided little attacking inspiration and drive, bar a few flashes here and there. And his performances have deteriorated as the year has progressed. Worries were beginning to rise.

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But on Thursday night against Vitoria SC, Pepe produced the type of display that Arsenal have been waiting for all season. Introduced on the 75th minute at 2-1 down, Pepe scored twice, two brilliant freekicks, created several excellent chances, and skipped past defenders seemingly every time he touched the ball. This was the real Nicolas Pepe.

After the match, the winger discussed his adaptation process to the Premier League:

"“The manager trusts me. Even if I hadn’t been decisive for a while, I always had the manager’s trust. It is always important to have the manager’s faith. It has been hard to keep my confidence high. I knew it would be harder. It is a league totally different to Ligue 1. With a different intensity. For me, I had to adapt quickly because expectations were high. Unfortunately, it is not what I did at the beginning but I have always had the manager’s trust and the players have supported me. I keep working hard to perform well and adapt to the Premier League.”"

After this type of performance, and the injection of confidence that it should inspire, the time is now for Pepe to put his foot down and establish his impact on this Arsenal team. He certainly has the talent, but unlike other gifted players in the squad, can he now produce as his ability suggests he is capable of?

Arsenal have a run of matches in which they are likely to dominate possession and provide their attacking players with the foundation to explode off. These are the type of contests that Pepe has been brought in to win, to create those moments of magic against stubborn defences when inspiration and ingenuity are difficult to find.

As he proved on Thursday night, he undoubtedly has the ability to be that attacking presence. Even in between his rasping freekicks, Pepe was sharp in his brief cameo, dribbling with skill and accuracy, whipping crosses into the box and beginning to demand the ball from his teammates, taking the initiative as a £72 million signing should.

Pepe was superb against Vitoria. But the process of adaptation is a long one. Now, he must take advantage of his surge in confidence and put his foot down.