Arsenal: 3 improvements Nicolas Pepe must make

1. Just chilling

Another thing that has got significantly better over the course of the season. When Nicolas Pepe first arrived, you could feel his eagerness to prove himself. His over-eagerness, I should say. Every time he had the ball, he felt like he had to change the world and it’s likely that a lot of that comes down to that last point as well—not having a rapport with his new teammates, not trusting them yet.

This was also the main contributing factor to the possession loss. The harder he tried, the heavier his touches, and the more he drilled himself into the ground. It wasn’t necessary, but as we’ve come to see, it’s gotten so much better the more he’s learned to just chill.

Now that Pepe has learned how to accept the ball and just sit on it, read his options, choose the best one, and act in a composed manner, he isn’t the risk with the ball that he once was.

So yes, this is still an area he can improve on, that comes with confidence, with understanding the situation and your own limitations and with the aforementioned building a rapport. It’s already well into the developmental stages.