Pepe vs Newcastle

In this blog, I will be analysing Nicolas Pepe’s performance against Newcastle as I believe it could be the turning point in his Arsenal career. Without a doubt it was the Ivorian’s best display of the season so far, seeing him contribute to three goals in a 4-0 win. The fact that I saw the game live will also help me to analyse the key parts of his game, as I noticed some aspects which I hadn’t seen when watching on television.

It was a much needed win on Sunday afternoon for Arsenal in their pursuit for European Football next season and after a shaky first half, record signing Nicolas Pepe really stepped up to the mark in the second 45 minutes. He was a threat throughout, creating chances at will, bagging two assists while taking his only real chance of the game to bring his Premier League goal tally to 4 for the season.

Pepe’s game in numbers vs Newcastle

Most recoveries (10)

Most touches in opposition box (8)

Most assists (2)

Joint most chances created (4)

Joint most shots on target (3)

Joint most goals (1)

Creative Ability

One aspect of the 24-year olds game which I have noticed throughout the season is his creative abilities, as he is always looking to set up a teammate before trying to score himself, which is an attribute I’m pleased to see. Many players who come to a new team with a massive price tag have a different mindset, with a massive ego, causing them to be greedy in games but I see the opposite in Pepe. This was shown on Sunday, with him setting up two goals, with two different types of assists. One pin point cross to the back post and the other simply squaring the ball across the box after an excellent run in behind. The fact he created four chances and got two assists shows the quality of his final ball, which is only going to improve with more game time. Not only this, but he probably should have had three assists as he put an opportunity for Nketiah on a plate, only for him to hit the crossbar. This aspect of his game really impressed me in the stands on Sunday as when he is running at the opposition, he always has his head up to find a teammate who may be in a better position.

One part of the teams game which I think would make him even more effective is if Bellerin makes some more overlapping runs as Pepe always has two defenders on him at all times. If Hector is able to draw one of the defenders off him then a 1v1 situation will give more time along with the space to run into, coupled with the fact he will only have to beat one man rather than two. Should this happen more often, much like in the second half against Newcastle we will really start to see the best of Nicolas Pepe.

Finishing and Movement

Although his finishing hasn’t been great this season, Pepe showed to the Arsenal fans that he does have it in his game to get on the scoresheet and win us games. In recent weeks, he is making more effective runs when the ball is being crossed in, by peeling off his man and hanging back around the six yard box. This means when receiving the ball, Nico is in a position where he doesn’t have to take a touch before shooting or adjust his body, therefore getting his efforts off before it can be blocked. As a result he is scoring more goals and making it easier for himself to get his shots off. Earlier on in the season, probably down to his confidence, I noticed that he didn’t seem to have that urge to hit the box and score goals. I’m excited to see this aspect of his game develop, with Arteta no doubt having a massive impact in getting Nico to make clever runs in and around the box. Without a doubt this will improve his goal scoring record and hopefully boost his belief by getting opportunities in front of goal more regularly.

In my opinion, the game against Newcastle is only the start for Pepe’s goal scoring in the Premier League as his confidence only seems to be going up which was supported by his stat of having the joint most shots on target. As long as his movement continues to improve at the rate it is, I could see him bagging a lot more goals from now until the end of the season.

Work Rate

The most impressive stat from Nico which has come on leaps and bounds in the last month or so, is the wingers work rate. This is shown by the fact he made 10 recoveries during the game and proves Arteta’s high pressing philosophy is getting through to him. In the first half, he put in an excellent shift, stopping Newcastle from breaking with the quick Saint-Maxim then driving the team forward with attacks of our own once he had won possession back. It was vital that Bellerin was given that protection as his marker was giving him a very tough afternoon and looked to have the beating of the Spanish right back. This just goes to show the extent of which his game has developed since Arteta took over, with our new head coach not only improving his attacking output, but his defensive output as

Summary

All in all, a performance such as the one on Sunday should be much more regular for a player of Pepe’s calibre, however considering the circumstances of this season along with it being the wingers first season in the Premier League it hasn’t been a bad one, with him showing glimpses of the player we saw at Lille. Towards the end of the campaign, I expect to see the 24-year old affect more and more games in our push for European Football, then next season when he is fully settled and adapted to our playing style we will see his true ability.

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James Humphreys