Arsenal: 3 major improvements Nicolas Pepe has made

1. Understand the situation, big and small

The point of the last improvement was that Pepe is learning to understand himself and his own capabilities better. But here, I want to draw attention to how he is learning to understand the team and its capabilities better. Both on a big and small scale.

Again, it used to be that no matter the situation, he’d fly like a whirling dervish into the defense. It led to a lot of possession loss and the rare moment of magic.

That isn’t always necessary. Pepe is learning to take a breath. He’s learning to step back, survey the situation, and make a call on what is most important for the team right then and there. Do they need him to create a chance from scratch? Do they need more support before he tries something? Do they need to reset and regroup?

He looks more intelligent now. Like he’s reading the game better, and reading his teammates better. His decision-making has improved all around and it’s making this pairing a hell of a lot more entertaining.

It’s only going to get better from here on out. Oh, and yes, he’s a much bigger success than Harry Maguire.