Arsenal: Nicolas Pepe is too talented to be on the bench

Arsenal played Sheffield United off the park. Every single player in red and white seemed to ooze confidence, besides the few scares customary of every Arsenal match. The defense was untroubled and the midfield was secure and progressive, but the real revelation was in attack.

The Arsenal attack has been wildly inconsistent this season. Chances were rarely created at the beginning of the season and good performances have been undermined by flat showings against Liverpool and tricky European opponents. Bukayo Saka was the star of the front players, Alexandre Lacazette was crucial in build-up play and Gabriel Martinelli was energetic and efficient as usual.

Nicolas Pepe‘s performance, however, should not be overlooked.

Pepe and Saka combined brilliantly throughout, with the two electric wingers causing mayhem for a poor Sheffield United defense. Pepe often swapped places with Saka, adding to the fluidity of the Arsenal attack.

Nicolas Pepe is too talented to be left on the bench by Mikel Arteta at Arsenal

The Ivorian has often been criticized for drifting through games without getting involved as much as fans would like. Against Sheffield United, he was anything but anonymous. His dribbling and pace is always a threat as shown by the build up to the second goal and the chance he created for Lacazette.

Even when it felt like he may have been fading in the second half he turned up with the ‘assist’, an indication that talent must be trusted. When it is, it pays off.

Arsenal’s record signing has done everything that has been asked of him. He’s stepped up his work rate, tracking back and helping out his defense. He’s put work in on the training pitch to become less dependent on his left, although he can admittedly still improve in that respect. Equally the 25-year-old has become more involved in matches, developing greater consistency from the left and the right hand sides.

What else does he have to do to start? Add in the inefficacy of Willian and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Pepe’s own incredible improvements and there is no reason Pepe should be left rotting on the bench. Even if Arteta doesn’t rate him and may be looking to move him on in the summer, playing him would be the best way to inflate his value.

It is up to Arteta to get the best out of the players he has and Pepe still has an important role to play in the crucial games coming up this season. It’s clear that Arteta prefers order and structure. But having a wildly talented individualist to unlock defenses may be just what the team needs to drive them to European success.