Arsenal vs Burnley: 5 things learned in gross affair

3. Really, no Nicolas Pepe?

This was a really, really big deal for me. Leaving him out of the starting XI was worth a casual shrug. It’s been done before. Not like we couldn’t get on without him and bring him on later if inspiration was needed.

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But when inspiration was needed, and desperately, Pepe’s number was never called. Lucas Torreira came on first for an injured Bukayo Saka, then Joe Willock on for Mesut Ozil, and lastly Eddie Nketiah on for Alexandre Lacazette.

I love youth. Boy do I. But Pepe is our engine of individual inspiration. When you need to make something of nothing, he’s your guy. And to see him not even considered when the match needed his enthusiasm… I just don’t know what to make of it.

Mostly, I’m trying not to make too much of it. But it’s hard to think that something isn’t going wrong behind the scenes. After all, he has been getting better, and he’s quietly become our second most effective goal producer. So why the cold shoulder?

Anyway, enough of that. Let’s move on to No. 2.