Arsenal vs Leicester: Mikel Arteta must support Nicolas Pepe

In one of the best Arsenal performances of the season against Leicester on Sunday, Nicolas Pépé was at the heart of it all. With Bukayo Saka finally getting a rest, the Ivorian seized this opportunity to once again demonstrate his obvious quality and talent.

The Gunners won for the first time since 2015 at the King Power Stadium and it was richly deserved. There were a number of excellent individual performances, including a shockingly productive game from Willian, but Nicolas Pépé was Arsenal’s star man.

After falling behind early yet again, Arsenal dominated possession and got into decent attacking positions, particularly from the right flank. Pépé quickly pounced on the realization that 19 year-old Luke Thomas couldn’t contain him and Cedric did an excellent job of supplying him, something that Hector Bellerin hasn’t done consistently enough.

In fact, according to Premier League Panel on Twitter, Cedric and Pépé found each other 31 times in the game, compared to just seven passes between Pépé and Bellerin against Manchester City (granted, we had a lot less of the ball).

https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1366057980542738433

Arsenal vs Leicester: Mikel Arteta must support Nicolas Pepe after excellent performance in win over Foxes

After being millimeters away from winning a first penalty, Pépé won the free kick from which we equalized and then another penalty which Alexandre Lacazette slotted in to give Arsenal the lead. He then finished off a slick second-half counter attack to give us a two-goal cushion and ultimately cap off an impressive result.

But this isn’t the first time Pépé has proven his worth. It feels like ages ago but he was superb in Arsenal’s FA Cup final win over Chelsea back in July, but was quickly (and harshly) relegated to the bench this season once Willian arrived.

Since then, Bukayo Saka has made the right wing position his own, but Pépé has also impressed from the left, scoring recently against Wolves and Southampton and being a nuisance against Manchester United. Despite his sporadic opportunities, only Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Lacazette, and Saka have more goal involvements this season in all competitions.

Yet it seems that nearly every time he plays well, Mikel Arteta has him dropped for someone else. It’s time for the manager to give the player the support he needs; Pépé needs a show of confidence by Arteta and an arm around the shoulder. He hasn’t always been brilliant, but Arsenal have seldom made it easy for him to succeed.

Even if he never fully lives up to the price tag and hype surrounding his arrival from Lille, Pépé can still be a key contributor, from either flank. One can only wonder what more he can do to earn a consistent run in the starting XI.