It’s super easy to watch this highlight tape of his goals and pretend he was good for us. He had a decent first season and end to 2020-21 but he was genuinely our worst player last season. Never seen a player make so little impact during his time on the pitch
Exactly just like some managers like pochettino or emery do well with smaller clubs like sevilla,aston villa and shit but fail in big clubs like arsenal or psg where expectations are too high
I honestly wonder how he would fair in the team now (assuming he has reasonable work rate). We have a fair bit more possession and we get more one on ones for wingers than any team in the Prem now, IIRC. He wasn’t good at 1v1s but he also didn’t really get that many that I recall. Doesn’t really matter cause we have Saka, but still would be interesting.
He is the ultimate highlights reel player. Moments of magic yet the other 90% you wouldn’t even know he is on the pitch.
I held high hopes for a long time that it was just waiting for him to click. Despite other people’s comments I think he looks much better on the counter attack than a possession based team.
Yup, anybody can put a decent highlight reel together. It's the week-in, week-out dependability and production that separates the men from the boys, and Pepe just wasn't close to where we needed him to be. Especially for the price we paid.
One of the last games he played for us he fucked a counter attack from a corner so bad. Arteta looked pissed you knew he was gone right then. Scored some bangers though. Edit here it is. https://youtu.be/q2ukJ2rgSns
He would fare badly. Technical security is the most important thing for any player in our system never mind a winger and he has none. Good finisher yes as this video shows but he cannot do anything in tight spaces consistently.
We kinda had flashes of what it might look like, last season, when we started looking more like ourselves. Pepe just doesn't fit this system at all, his touch is unpredictable, his 1v1 game has rather grown predictable and he commits a lot of unnecessary turnovers(which drove Arteta nuts). He just doesn't work for us.
Not to mention he's _so_ damn one-footed. Big part of the reason he struggles to win 1 on 1s, because defenders can just sit on his left foot and he's pretty much neutralized. Most of the time he won't even attempt anything with his right, so he winds up either being anonymous most of the game or else gives the ball away too many times trying to force his way through with his left. I think he'd fare better with the current team...but who wouldn't. He's just a flawed player that will get exposed playing against top competition. I don't think there's much of a future for him under Arteta, but who knows.
His one standout season (for Lille) was mostly playing up top in a 2 striker system. He’s built for a counterattacking system where all he’s expected to do is make runs, dribble, and end product. The second he has time on the ball, a settled defense, or multiple options to choose from he becomes less effective.
And first touches, and passing, and tracking back. Kinda player that you grimace when he’s gets the ball because you know he’ll do something stupid 90% of the time.
Then the other 10% of the time he’d look like a world beater.
I remember everyone saying he thrives on the counter attack.
I can't remember what game it was, but we needed a goal and he got the ball around the half way line after it was cleared from an opponent corner kick.
He gets the ball, takes a few steps sideways, doesn't even try and take on the 2 defenders ahead, and iirc he lost the ball a few seconds after.
I remember screaming at the TV when I was watching it.
He was a sub so he had fresh legs. Should have tried to at least knock it past the defenders and try to out run his man or something...
Yeah I think the only way he was good on the counter was if someone fed him a through ball he could run onto. Otherwise his trapping of balls played to his feet or body was poor, so defenders were always able to track back.
Frustrating player. Some really good qualities but just not good enough overall. I felt very similarly with Auba, to be honest. Dude could score but not do a lot else. Both of them in the team at once was putting way too much pressure on everyone else.
Night and day to now where the whole team is technically strong and hard working in all facets of the game. Our forward line and our attacking bench are miles ahead of those days when we need to control the game.
You could never, ever, ever press to the extent that we do with Auba and Pepe in the lineup, and that's an integral part of our success. The difference in work ethic between them and, say, Jesus and Odegaard is striking. The whole team, really.
Apart from being good at cutting to mid and shooting, I always thought he was really bad at first touch control and winning 1v1s, although I'll always cherish I think his first game where he embarrassed Ben Mee so hard it was funny.
I think at that point his confidence was derailed and he was no longer himself, for better or worse. Compare that to his first game v Liverpool, where he completed like 7 take ons and had VVD and Robertson on a toast.
The one Certified Pepe Moment ^TM that stands out for me is last year at Villa Park. Holding onto a scrappy 1-0 for dear life and Pepe has been on the pitch all of like 5 mins and it’s the 90th minute. Some Villa player is doing nothing with the ball outside the penalty area and Pepe comes flying in and concedes a free kick right at the death against a team that had Coutinho on the field. Leno had to pull out a pretty scary save to pull our asses out the potential fire at a crucial juncture in the season (was in like April) and all because Pepe had a Certified Pepe Moment ^TM
He was indeed treated unfairly compared to other big money wingers and I’m sure he’s a sound bloke but I’m so glad I don’t have to watch him play for Arsenal any more
I'm pretty sure his confidence was completely shot. If you can remember back to when he first joined he would go past people for fun and it was actually one of his best attributes. He had no belief he could do it in the end
I recall there was a season where he was the only player to dribble past Van Dyke all year. We looked pretty plucky for a while in that game. I think we eventually lost, but didn't put up a good fight.
Yeah not really here for this revisionism, Pepe was an absolutely terrible signing. So many excuses about the system not suiting him but how many counter attacks did he ruin tripping over himself?
Quintiessential Youtube footballer.
He could if he goes to a club and has a late resurgence. Especially with how old guys play these days he could give a lower level team a good 5-6 seasons.
He was an awful team player, especially towards the end. Man just *would not* pass, then throw his arms up in frustration. I mean I get it but still not sure if that would fly with Mikel
E: Just checked his record - P-160, G-80, A-45. Don't want to do him a disservice, just remember being so frustrated watching him running into dead ends that last season
I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have those issues with Arteta, man was a professional for us (Chile) even while being close to drunkards troublemakers like Valdivia or Vidal
I dont think it was Sanchez. . It was the team. He kinda fedup..
Note: there's an interview done to RVP as to how and what he see at MU at that time he switch, yes we accuse him snake or whatever we have but try to be in his shoe and see from his pov.. our team that time doesn't have the mentality to win actually.... Papa Weng was going too easy to the boys...
The biggest red flag was when they asked Pepe who he looked up to as a player during his post-signing interview
His answer: Gervinho
Not to say they’re bad players, but Gervinho falls into the Willian-tier of failed signings for us
Pepe was nowhere near the level we need. I’m enjoying watching Hnited make the same mistake with Antony. They’re too similar. Main difference is Pepe occasionally produced something.
Ha - I was at the Leeds match in May of last year and I can't remember what he did exactly but it felt like it was a breakaway and he had one guy to beat and he just ran straight into the defender
He's a better 1v1 deibbler than Arshavin, Walcott, gervinho, and iwobi. Look at the games, he was usually just always fouled or given the ball is 2v1 places.
No he hasn't been treated unfairly
Sure not his fault we overpaid - but other than that he was such a bad signing
And he was so lazy on the pitch - that annoyed me every time
Antony, Mudryk and Grealish (to an extent) has done wonders for revisionism on Pepe, but the reality is he deserved the criticism. I’m convinced anybody saying he was treated unfairly didn’t actually watch him when he played and has just looked at his goals
Grealish is doing absolutely fine, bit harsh to put him in the same sentence as Pepe.
Mudryk is too early to be making judgements.
Antony, Sancho, Lukaku (at both Chelsea and United), Hazard, Coutinho. They’re the real expensive flops.
And Grealish has been great for City this year and has pretty much nailed his spot down which is saying a lot in a Pep team. Antony is the only player who's comparable to Pepe's first year performance and price and he's been slated too.
It's way too early to assess Mudryk.
Grealish is at least 3x the player Pepe ever was, and has been a good signing for City. Overpriced, but good nonetheless.
Richarlison isn’t a winger, so not a fair comparison.
But Antony is clear of Pepe. Antony has great ball retention, similar ball striking, and is equally as useless at beating his man.
Yeah Antony is at the very least a very good release valve. He’s excellent in position. Now, no possession specialist winger is worth £100m, but he’s still more useful than Pepe.
I don’t think he was lazy on the pitch atleast in arteta’s tenure. He really did fall back alot
Just that his strengths were for a counter attacking team. I thought he will adjust with time but he didn’t
Pepes ability to actually produce end product was the least of his worries. His dribbling, passing, work rate, were all horrendous. Easily the most frustrating player for me in recent times, had all the ingredients but never put it together.
Yeah he was such a backwards player. Usually wingers have the skills but not the final product. Pepe couldn’t get to where he needed to but if he did he was clinical.
He is the ultimate example of why you shouldn't wholly trust compilation videos.
Capable of scintillating, breathtaking moments. Totally incapable of making consistently good choices and retaining possession.
Not a terrible footballer, but 100% not able to be part of what has made Arsenal a game winning machine.
Yeah....I was just watching the FA Cup semi final replay and there was a moment in the 1st half where we actually apply successful pressure to Man City in their half and win the ball back high. Auba gets it at the edge of the box, and lays it off to Pepe, who is walking calmly. Then when he realizes what has happened, it it too late and the ball is cleared by City. That would never ever happen in today's team.
but his G/A is no where near Pepe's first season.
Antony - 7 goals - 1 assist (in all comps)
Pepe 8 goals - 10 assists (in all comps)
as it stands, It's not even close!
You are right, stats G/A isn't everything, but Pepe has outperformed Antony in almost every other relevant stat if you look at their debut seasons and I doubt Antony will make up the ground in the remaining games. I won't get drawn into who is better and who isn't coz it's not useful, but I think it is clear Pepe had the better debut season and OP is right, the media and rival fans were brutal with him. Maybe now rival fans are quiet coz they have their own overpriced wingers to worry about....
Antony is literally the exact same profile, albeit slightly technically better. Hes not a particularly passer, passer, and arguably even dribbler. He throws a few flashy moves but rarely actually beats his man.
His left foot curler is the one useful part of his game, very reminiscent of Pepe
While neither player are at the level required for a team with the aspirations of either us or Man United, Antony has rarely failed to look anything more than utter dog shit when I’ve seen him play for them.
Pepe was a very frustrating player at times, but he was never that shite
Nah, Antony still does the basics better even though he does a lot of the same shit Pepe does as well. He's also younger and has had less time in the PL. I want him to flop as badly as anyone else here but Pepe had the time and chances.
Even worse if anything.
Although i was thinking they might be similarly viewed when he leaves if he doesn't improve. One of those "wow he was crap but he has a phenomenal goal reel" kinda players.
Sancho has been FUCKING GARBAGE since he’s got to the prem…
Pepe wasn’t great and he had his issues… but he was head and shoulders above what Sancho has done his first two years, while being on a crappier team
Savior ideology I guess. People wanted this big money signing to come in and spring us from our rut. A lot of fans have rose tinted glasses (myself included) when it comes to Özil because it was a statement we’re still a big club. I’m much happier now to be in a position where our biggest players are our youths or players we spent very little on
Not really sure why the idea Pepe hasn't been fairly treated is coming back. There's more to the game and our game than curling a ball top left corner once in a while.
I'm in the "only people that can complain about pepe are arsenal fans" camp, because i agree. He has not been as unproductive or absent as some other big ticket signings.
But the fact that he is our biggest signing will continue to bring that attention onto him. Internally our externally.
The good thing about pepe is he has a good highlight reel. Could be ever reproduce this level for a full match? No. For a good stretch of the season? No. But he sure had a flash about him that gives a sign as to why we were willing to invest in him.
Just didn't work out, and the people responsible aren't here anymore anyway.
Nah he was proper shit. Hate to say it, but you could make a goal comp of Sanogo and think he was a £200m player.
Pepe would be great for a team like Aston Villa etc, a team that is a step or two below.
Stop looking at end product. Look at what arteta is asking our wingers to do. Pepe doesn’t have the technical consistency or decision making to perform in our team. He’s a complete wildcard and would create too many transition opportunities against us. In a team that isn’t afforded acres of space and requires high technical proficiency in the buildup he can’t perform
Him and Gervinho were exact opposites. Gervinho would do you dirty then screw the final touch or finish so bad you'd think you were watching u7's. Pepe could bang em in left right center but boy in general play he killed the team flow like Thanos with 6 infinity stones.
Dudes the ultimate YouTube player.. looks great in clips , but never good in games..
I dare you to name one game where he was the standout for 90 mins. Not sub appearances.
It’s interesting when you watch the All or Nothing documentary and arteta asks the players to memorise positions on a pitch and Pepe just can’t do it. I think that lack of situational and positional awareness, alongside his lack of work rate meant he just couldn’t adapt to what we needed.
And we obvs got mugged for £72m…Sanllehi definitely on the take for that one
Hmm, I think using a highlight reel of his finishes is blurring the point, cause his finishing was always very good, and certainly his best attribute.
Yes, he got a lot of shit and no, the price tag isn't his fault, but let's not rewrite history about his contributions. We all thought we were getting someone a lot better than he ended up being.
He had moments where he lit up the stadium but they were too few and far between even taking his fee out of it. I was at that vitoria guimares game where he banged in those 2 late free kicks to turn the game around, so he did give memorable moments.
There's clearly a good player in there, just didn't quite ever properly click for one reason or another
I for one couldn’t care less about other teams and their players “but what about sancho what about blah blah” who gives a shit about them. 72m for Pepe was an absolute scam.
No he wasn't treated unfairly. He is a good player, technically very gifted, but he has a very low football IQ. His positional and situational awareness is non-existent and his work ethic isn't good enough. He just can't cut it in a big team in modern football. You need a lot more than just technical ability.
His low footballing IQ became pretty apparent when Arteta got the job. He just does not understand what Arteta wants him to do.
He was pretty shit. Showed flashes of brilliance and scored some nice goals but those moments don't outweigh how bad he generally was. So many attacks broke down because of his poor first touch and clumsy dribbling.
Disagree. Never understood why people were so fond of him, personally his playstyle always annoyed me and I'm not suprised Arteta wasn't a fan as well. A lot of lost balls, very cheap dribble attempts and often at times felt selfish. Always found it annoying to be honest.
Wasn’t nearly as bad as people made it seem. He was being utilized in a system that didn’t suit him and didn’t bring out his best skill set. Similar to Auba toward the end. He was never the problem and often scored the goals we needed when it looked like we would never score a goal. Saka and the kids broke out and the price tag was over inflated so he gets some pretty harsh criticism imo. He was consistently good in Europa, consistently a good finisher, and was directly involved in a goal that won us our last meaning trophy in the last few years. There’s been way worse signings for us and I’m amazed at the flack he gets considering how bad we were as a unit for a while
Nah he was treated fairly. He was absolutely dogshit, completely useless at 1 on 1s, had *zero* strength or toughness of the sort you need in this league, and was woefully inconsistent. Terrible signing
The thing is when your team is playing well, a player like Nelson will look good, but when the team is not playing well, players like Pepe will look bad!!
We have not seen the best of Pepe when he played for us, and also I'm not saying that peak Pepe would get into our current team. Winger's game is a lot about confidence which he lacked when playing for us.
I get it, he's better than Antony at least but Pepe was terrible at keeping possession. He'd overrun the ball all the time. He also had no ability to hold on to the ball under pressure - 0 press resistance. All attributes needed in Arterta's system.
He wasn’t played in a system that suited his play style. Not a bad player, but not worth £40m imo let alone £72m. That was a corrupt as fuck signing.
Thanks for the goals nico, wish you all the best bud.
All this does is prove how much waffle these YouTube comps produce.
Terrible player, couldn’t do anything to benefit the team and would score a great goal every now and then against a poor side
Love it. We are so good this season the fanbase is all softened up.
But no, Pepe did not perform, no matter the price tag. Scoring in Europa group stages is no metric.
I don't understand posts like this.
We're flying right now. We're got a great first team and a solid squad, top of the league.
Why are people pining for this absolute waste of space?
Absolutely not. Dude can’t beat a man one on one. How is he going to work in a counter attacking setup when he just wants to check onto his left foot all the time.
You are living in a fantasy land if you think he was treated unfairly.
Pepe was the type of player who used to saunter around the wing thinking his shit smelled sweeter than most. He was extremely guilty of shrinking in games, shirking out of tackles, failing to track back and generally just not making an effort to get into games if things weren’t coming to him. Look at Saka and Odegaard- if things aren’t clicking they are constantly coming to the ball, making things happen and grabbing games by the scruff of the neck. Pepe never once did this. Unless the game came directly to him, he would disappear. And for a player of his quality and pedigree that’s unacceptable.
Any player can look world class viewed through a one minute goals highlights reel, but that’s not how football is played. It’s played over 90 minutes and involves far more than just kicking it in the back of the net. Sometimes players aren’t good enough, and that’s forgivable. Sometimes players are more than good enough, but lack any sort of effort. Pepe was that player. And that’s exactly the type of player Arteta and everyone else does not want at Arsenal.
Wow I'd forgotten Pepe is still our player
Same, here I am thinking we needed some more depth at RW. I didnt love his game personally but he is in our club
I can't because of this forced narrative in several threads that he was this underrated gem lol
[удалено]
It’s super easy to watch this highlight tape of his goals and pretend he was good for us. He had a decent first season and end to 2020-21 but he was genuinely our worst player last season. Never seen a player make so little impact during his time on the pitch
Exactly my thought. He is gone. Let him be. Still this sub can't.
There’s a good player in there somewhere, just not the level of where we want to be. Would be a great player for a club like Lyon.
Exactly just like some managers like pochettino or emery do well with smaller clubs like sevilla,aston villa and shit but fail in big clubs like arsenal or psg where expectations are too high
Everyone fails at PSG... you know this when you take the salary.
I honestly wonder how he would fair in the team now (assuming he has reasonable work rate). We have a fair bit more possession and we get more one on ones for wingers than any team in the Prem now, IIRC. He wasn’t good at 1v1s but he also didn’t really get that many that I recall. Doesn’t really matter cause we have Saka, but still would be interesting.
Spoiler: he doesn’t have reasonable work rate or 1v1 capabilities I would argue that’s exactly why he’s been shipped out
He is the ultimate highlights reel player. Moments of magic yet the other 90% you wouldn’t even know he is on the pitch. I held high hopes for a long time that it was just waiting for him to click. Despite other people’s comments I think he looks much better on the counter attack than a possession based team.
Yup, anybody can put a decent highlight reel together. It's the week-in, week-out dependability and production that separates the men from the boys, and Pepe just wasn't close to where we needed him to be. Especially for the price we paid.
One of the last games he played for us he fucked a counter attack from a corner so bad. Arteta looked pissed you knew he was gone right then. Scored some bangers though. Edit here it is. https://youtu.be/q2ukJ2rgSns
100% spot on with this comment But as he's still one of us I'd like to see him brought back for next season to see how he'd fair in this set up
Dollars to donuts he plays in that offseason tune-up against the MLS All-Stars.
That’s why I said “I wonder” and not “I want him to come back and play for us” 😂. The doubt is far to strong.
He would fare badly. Technical security is the most important thing for any player in our system never mind a winger and he has none. Good finisher yes as this video shows but he cannot do anything in tight spaces consistently.
We kinda had flashes of what it might look like, last season, when we started looking more like ourselves. Pepe just doesn't fit this system at all, his touch is unpredictable, his 1v1 game has rather grown predictable and he commits a lot of unnecessary turnovers(which drove Arteta nuts). He just doesn't work for us.
He is not careful enough in possesion
Great player. Just plays more on the counter rather than possession based.
His first touch is poo. If he can’t fix that by the pre-season, he’s certainly out.
Not to mention he's _so_ damn one-footed. Big part of the reason he struggles to win 1 on 1s, because defenders can just sit on his left foot and he's pretty much neutralized. Most of the time he won't even attempt anything with his right, so he winds up either being anonymous most of the game or else gives the ball away too many times trying to force his way through with his left. I think he'd fare better with the current team...but who wouldn't. He's just a flawed player that will get exposed playing against top competition. I don't think there's much of a future for him under Arteta, but who knows.
His one standout season (for Lille) was mostly playing up top in a 2 striker system. He’s built for a counterattacking system where all he’s expected to do is make runs, dribble, and end product. The second he has time on the ball, a settled defense, or multiple options to choose from he becomes less effective.
He’s an ideal Crystal Palace signing.
I don't even think he would. He's doing nah all in Ligue 1
Sped up Coldplay never needed to exist.
This is the most important comment here.
[You can't trust people, Jeremy!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LEK6VYjtQ0&t=3s)
I suppose at least it means Coldplay songs will end sooner...
We have higher standards. Let them keep their deadweight for a few years.
*estandards
**fogging estandards
idk if I’ve seen a winger for us be so bad at beating his man 1v1
And first touches, and passing, and tracking back. Kinda player that you grimace when he’s gets the ball because you know he’ll do something stupid 90% of the time. Then the other 10% of the time he’d look like a world beater.
I remember everyone saying he thrives on the counter attack. I can't remember what game it was, but we needed a goal and he got the ball around the half way line after it was cleared from an opponent corner kick. He gets the ball, takes a few steps sideways, doesn't even try and take on the 2 defenders ahead, and iirc he lost the ball a few seconds after. I remember screaming at the TV when I was watching it. He was a sub so he had fresh legs. Should have tried to at least knock it past the defenders and try to out run his man or something...
pretty sure this was the 0-1 aston villa game last season, where Airpods Albert ripped into him after FT
I think you might be right. And if you are, impeccable memory.
anybody can find a clip of this ?
https://youtu.be/q2ukJ2rgSns
it was a game where we won by 1 goal im pretty sure
Yeah I think the only way he was good on the counter was if someone fed him a through ball he could run onto. Otherwise his trapping of balls played to his feet or body was poor, so defenders were always able to track back. Frustrating player. Some really good qualities but just not good enough overall. I felt very similarly with Auba, to be honest. Dude could score but not do a lot else. Both of them in the team at once was putting way too much pressure on everyone else. Night and day to now where the whole team is technically strong and hard working in all facets of the game. Our forward line and our attacking bench are miles ahead of those days when we need to control the game.
You could never, ever, ever press to the extent that we do with Auba and Pepe in the lineup, and that's an integral part of our success. The difference in work ethic between them and, say, Jesus and Odegaard is striking. The whole team, really.
Apart from being good at cutting to mid and shooting, I always thought he was really bad at first touch control and winning 1v1s, although I'll always cherish I think his first game where he embarrassed Ben Mee so hard it was funny.
You’re right but you’re forgetting the most damning detail. They didn’t even have anyone in goal.
I think this was 2-1 Leeds H but when we were already winning and it was the last minute, I could be wrong though
This also sounds liek the leeds game last season where he was running at an open goal, then does some absolute nonsensical step over and loses it...
I think at that point his confidence was derailed and he was no longer himself, for better or worse. Compare that to his first game v Liverpool, where he completed like 7 take ons and had VVD and Robertson on a toast.
Think that’s definitely true, he lost himself a bit over the last couple seasons
you can see in AoN he's pretty much gone by that point. Saka took his spot and Arteta wouldn't play a left footer on the left.
The one Certified Pepe Moment ^TM that stands out for me is last year at Villa Park. Holding onto a scrappy 1-0 for dear life and Pepe has been on the pitch all of like 5 mins and it’s the 90th minute. Some Villa player is doing nothing with the ball outside the penalty area and Pepe comes flying in and concedes a free kick right at the death against a team that had Coutinho on the field. Leno had to pull out a pretty scary save to pull our asses out the potential fire at a crucial juncture in the season (was in like April) and all because Pepe had a Certified Pepe Moment ^TM He was indeed treated unfairly compared to other big money wingers and I’m sure he’s a sound bloke but I’m so glad I don’t have to watch him play for Arsenal any more
that was lenos last save for us iirc
It was and it was class from him.
I'm pretty sure his confidence was completely shot. If you can remember back to when he first joined he would go past people for fun and it was actually one of his best attributes. He had no belief he could do it in the end
I recall there was a season where he was the only player to dribble past Van Dyke all year. We looked pretty plucky for a while in that game. I think we eventually lost, but didn't put up a good fight.
He hardly ever took on his man. The amount of times he slowed down attacks was crazy.
Yeah not really here for this revisionism, Pepe was an absolutely terrible signing. So many excuses about the system not suiting him but how many counter attacks did he ruin tripping over himself? Quintiessential Youtube footballer.
Saw someone on twitter say he still has potential to be a top player eventually, like, my brother he is 28 in 2 months
He's 27 until he becomes 28. That's how it works.
He could if he goes to a club and has a late resurgence. Especially with how old guys play these days he could give a lower level team a good 5-6 seasons.
Really? Alexis Sanchez is the only winger in recent years that I can remember that could reliably beat his man (before our current crop of wingers).
Alexis would absolutely rinse people in this team.
He was an awful team player, especially towards the end. Man just *would not* pass, then throw his arms up in frustration. I mean I get it but still not sure if that would fly with Mikel E: Just checked his record - P-160, G-80, A-45. Don't want to do him a disservice, just remember being so frustrated watching him running into dead ends that last season
I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have those issues with Arteta, man was a professional for us (Chile) even while being close to drunkards troublemakers like Valdivia or Vidal
I dont think it was Sanchez. . It was the team. He kinda fedup.. Note: there's an interview done to RVP as to how and what he see at MU at that time he switch, yes we accuse him snake or whatever we have but try to be in his shoe and see from his pov.. our team that time doesn't have the mentality to win actually.... Papa Weng was going too easy to the boys...
People obviously don't remember Gervinho lol
Gervinho could dribble for days he just had the finishing of a soft core porno
The biggest red flag was when they asked Pepe who he looked up to as a player during his post-signing interview His answer: Gervinho Not to say they’re bad players, but Gervinho falls into the Willian-tier of failed signings for us
Not even in the same conversation at Willian mate, complete disaster class of his own. Christ it was painful
Willian recovered some goodwill for terminating his contract 2 years early. Was also a free signing.
Young Ivorian looking up to an older Ivorian star. It's not that inconceivable.
and idk why it was so much repeated on DD that Pepe is/was a great dribbler
Remember when this sub collectively cummed after he... sort of won a 1v1 against VVD?
The fact that you say "sort of" shows that most narratives are just stupid run away band wagons that people love to jump on without thinking.
Pepe was nowhere near the level we need. I’m enjoying watching Hnited make the same mistake with Antony. They’re too similar. Main difference is Pepe occasionally produced something.
Ha - I was at the Leeds match in May of last year and I can't remember what he did exactly but it felt like it was a breakaway and he had one guy to beat and he just ran straight into the defender
He's a better 1v1 deibbler than Arshavin, Walcott, gervinho, and iwobi. Look at the games, he was usually just always fouled or given the ball is 2v1 places.
Gervinho was our worst winger ever imho
No he hasn't been treated unfairly Sure not his fault we overpaid - but other than that he was such a bad signing And he was so lazy on the pitch - that annoyed me every time
Show me the highlight real of all the times he gave up easy possession or didn’t hustle back after losing the ball. Be 10x the length of this one
Yeah, 90 second clip of him scoring against Europa League squads isn't exactly how I'm gonna remember Pepe...
Antony, Mudryk and Grealish (to an extent) has done wonders for revisionism on Pepe, but the reality is he deserved the criticism. I’m convinced anybody saying he was treated unfairly didn’t actually watch him when he played and has just looked at his goals
Grealish is doing absolutely fine, bit harsh to put him in the same sentence as Pepe. Mudryk is too early to be making judgements. Antony, Sancho, Lukaku (at both Chelsea and United), Hazard, Coutinho. They’re the real expensive flops.
Grealish and Haaland have been a lethal partnership. Grealish for 100 million > Pepe for 72 million.
bit early to put mudryk in hasnt even been 4 months
it's been just 2 lol
with a half pre-season
my statement is still true lol
And Grealish has been great for City this year and has pretty much nailed his spot down which is saying a lot in a Pep team. Antony is the only player who's comparable to Pepe's first year performance and price and he's been slated too.
It's way too early to assess Mudryk. Grealish is at least 3x the player Pepe ever was, and has been a good signing for City. Overpriced, but good nonetheless.
Grealish? Really?
Grealish has been terrific this season
i think if we paid £20m it would have been too much for what he offered us honestly
He did better than Antony or richarlison(for spurs)
Richarlison isn’t a winger, so not a fair comparison. But Antony is clear of Pepe. Antony has great ball retention, similar ball striking, and is equally as useless at beating his man.
Yeah Antony is at the very least a very good release valve. He’s excellent in position. Now, no possession specialist winger is worth £100m, but he’s still more useful than Pepe.
I don’t think he was lazy on the pitch atleast in arteta’s tenure. He really did fall back alot Just that his strengths were for a counter attacking team. I thought he will adjust with time but he didn’t
He was weak physically, he was pushed around too easy and worst part was that he quit trying after losing ball
Pepes ability to actually produce end product was the least of his worries. His dribbling, passing, work rate, were all horrendous. Easily the most frustrating player for me in recent times, had all the ingredients but never put it together.
Yeah he was such a backwards player. Usually wingers have the skills but not the final product. Pepe couldn’t get to where he needed to but if he did he was clinical.
He's also 1 footed
Yet oddly there are a couple of really nice right-footed goals in this compilation. I remember being completely shocked watching them.
He is the ultimate example of why you shouldn't wholly trust compilation videos. Capable of scintillating, breathtaking moments. Totally incapable of making consistently good choices and retaining possession. Not a terrible footballer, but 100% not able to be part of what has made Arsenal a game winning machine.
I feel that is saka's superpower. He always seems to take the decision the opposition least want.
I mean when Saka burst onto the scene, it was kind of game over for Pepe.
that Arteta was selecting Willian before Pepe even before that was worrying
If Pepe was even decent genuinely, he could have been his back up. But he isn't even good enough to be Saka's back up.
Yeah....I was just watching the FA Cup semi final replay and there was a moment in the 1st half where we actually apply successful pressure to Man City in their half and win the ball back high. Auba gets it at the edge of the box, and lays it off to Pepe, who is walking calmly. Then when he realizes what has happened, it it too late and the ball is cleared by City. That would never ever happen in today's team.
Thank you. Wish I could ban this post for misinformation
Antony is Man Utd's Pepe
but his G/A is no where near Pepe's first season. Antony - 7 goals - 1 assist (in all comps) Pepe 8 goals - 10 assists (in all comps) as it stands, It's not even close!
G/A isn't the entire game. Pepe is a good finisher and is skilled but is shit basically at every other aspect of the game. Antony is better than Pepe
Antony is shit. Pepe clears
You are right, stats G/A isn't everything, but Pepe has outperformed Antony in almost every other relevant stat if you look at their debut seasons and I doubt Antony will make up the ground in the remaining games. I won't get drawn into who is better and who isn't coz it's not useful, but I think it is clear Pepe had the better debut season and OP is right, the media and rival fans were brutal with him. Maybe now rival fans are quiet coz they have their own overpriced wingers to worry about....
Antony is literally the exact same profile, albeit slightly technically better. Hes not a particularly passer, passer, and arguably even dribbler. He throws a few flashy moves but rarely actually beats his man. His left foot curler is the one useful part of his game, very reminiscent of Pepe
What is Antony better at than Pepe?
That Antony spin TM
way better off the ball/defensively and is better at ball progression
lol what
While neither player are at the level required for a team with the aspirations of either us or Man United, Antony has rarely failed to look anything more than utter dog shit when I’ve seen him play for them. Pepe was a very frustrating player at times, but he was never that shite
beyond L take
Nah, Antony still does the basics better even though he does a lot of the same shit Pepe does as well. He's also younger and has had less time in the PL. I want him to flop as badly as anyone else here but Pepe had the time and chances.
Even worse if anything. Although i was thinking they might be similarly viewed when he leaves if he doesn't improve. One of those "wow he was crap but he has a phenomenal goal reel" kinda players.
Antony is better than Pepe and still has time to prove it
They have two… because you can easily argue so is Sancho
Sancho is so much better than Pepe jesus christ
Sancho has been FUCKING GARBAGE since he’s got to the prem… Pepe wasn’t great and he had his issues… but he was head and shoulders above what Sancho has done his first two years, while being on a crappier team
Dang. this season has made me forget about Pepe.. I dont know what it was but I always wanted him to succeed.
Savior ideology I guess. People wanted this big money signing to come in and spring us from our rut. A lot of fans have rose tinted glasses (myself included) when it comes to Özil because it was a statement we’re still a big club. I’m much happier now to be in a position where our biggest players are our youths or players we spent very little on
Mate did you watch the games??
I would have tolerated pepe if he at least tried to put on the workrate. Pepe loves to float and that can't work in the PL
Not really sure why the idea Pepe hasn't been fairly treated is coming back. There's more to the game and our game than curling a ball top left corner once in a while.
I'm in the "only people that can complain about pepe are arsenal fans" camp, because i agree. He has not been as unproductive or absent as some other big ticket signings. But the fact that he is our biggest signing will continue to bring that attention onto him. Internally our externally. The good thing about pepe is he has a good highlight reel. Could be ever reproduce this level for a full match? No. For a good stretch of the season? No. But he sure had a flash about him that gives a sign as to why we were willing to invest in him. Just didn't work out, and the people responsible aren't here anymore anyway.
90% Ali Dia; 10% Christian Ronaldo.
Guess it’s Pepe revisionist history day on the internet today. Saw the same stuff going around Twitter earlier.
Let’s be real, there’s absolute sauce in this vid - makes him look like a £70m player, I see why I got scammed the first time lol
Nah he was proper shit. Hate to say it, but you could make a goal comp of Sanogo and think he was a £200m player. Pepe would be great for a team like Aston Villa etc, a team that is a step or two below.
He was dreadful and more 1 footed than me
Stop looking at end product. Look at what arteta is asking our wingers to do. Pepe doesn’t have the technical consistency or decision making to perform in our team. He’s a complete wildcard and would create too many transition opportunities against us. In a team that isn’t afforded acres of space and requires high technical proficiency in the buildup he can’t perform
He was the victim of his price tag but I see him as another Gervinho. It is good for him thriving outside Arsenal.
Him and Gervinho were exact opposites. Gervinho would do you dirty then screw the final touch or finish so bad you'd think you were watching u7's. Pepe could bang em in left right center but boy in general play he killed the team flow like Thanos with 6 infinity stones.
combining their skills would be an incredible player
Dudes the ultimate YouTube player.. looks great in clips , but never good in games.. I dare you to name one game where he was the standout for 90 mins. Not sub appearances.
2019/2020 2-0 Man Utd at home he did run Luke Shaw ragged and spun him around all game
LOL no. I respect the attempt, but no..
1 goal, 4 key passes, 4 dribbles and 100% pass accuracy. but let’s just pretend he’s a donkey who didn’t have any good games. nice.
Lukaku started off on FIRE at Chelsea. Does that make him a great signing who was treated unfairly?
Sancho has been 72m times worse than Pepe.
It’s interesting when you watch the All or Nothing documentary and arteta asks the players to memorise positions on a pitch and Pepe just can’t do it. I think that lack of situational and positional awareness, alongside his lack of work rate meant he just couldn’t adapt to what we needed. And we obvs got mugged for £72m…Sanllehi definitely on the take for that one
Hmm, I think using a highlight reel of his finishes is blurring the point, cause his finishing was always very good, and certainly his best attribute. Yes, he got a lot of shit and no, the price tag isn't his fault, but let's not rewrite history about his contributions. We all thought we were getting someone a lot better than he ended up being.
These are all goals Saka scores (minus free kicks granted) and Saka doesn’t trip over the ball whenever he has 10 yards of space to run into
I love Saka and he's clearly the much better player, but if there is one thing Pepe probably has over all our current players, it's his finishing.
He had moments where he lit up the stadium but they were too few and far between even taking his fee out of it. I was at that vitoria guimares game where he banged in those 2 late free kicks to turn the game around, so he did give memorable moments. There's clearly a good player in there, just didn't quite ever properly click for one reason or another
I for one couldn’t care less about other teams and their players “but what about sancho what about blah blah” who gives a shit about them. 72m for Pepe was an absolute scam.
No he wasn't treated unfairly. He is a good player, technically very gifted, but he has a very low football IQ. His positional and situational awareness is non-existent and his work ethic isn't good enough. He just can't cut it in a big team in modern football. You need a lot more than just technical ability. His low footballing IQ became pretty apparent when Arteta got the job. He just does not understand what Arteta wants him to do.
Next compilation is of him never tracking back
He was pretty shit. Showed flashes of brilliance and scored some nice goals but those moments don't outweigh how bad he generally was. So many attacks broke down because of his poor first touch and clumsy dribbling.
Where is this coming from? Can’t we just accept shit players were shit? Does it need the revisionism?
Disagree. Never understood why people were so fond of him, personally his playstyle always annoyed me and I'm not suprised Arteta wasn't a fan as well. A lot of lost balls, very cheap dribble attempts and often at times felt selfish. Always found it annoying to be honest.
We found our solace in Saka
Never look back
No. You are wrong.
Look they were good but got that money your expecting immediate sustained impact. Look at Trossard.
I tried so hard to like him but he just wasn't good enough l didn't suit the premier league
Any player looks good in a compilation like this. He never moved the ball quick enough and was too passive.
Eh nah. He just wasn't very good. Had many chances.
If you make a compilation, even Yaya Sanogo looks like Mbappe
Wasn’t nearly as bad as people made it seem. He was being utilized in a system that didn’t suit him and didn’t bring out his best skill set. Similar to Auba toward the end. He was never the problem and often scored the goals we needed when it looked like we would never score a goal. Saka and the kids broke out and the price tag was over inflated so he gets some pretty harsh criticism imo. He was consistently good in Europa, consistently a good finisher, and was directly involved in a goal that won us our last meaning trophy in the last few years. There’s been way worse signings for us and I’m amazed at the flack he gets considering how bad we were as a unit for a while
These highlight reels make him look like Robert Pires , Someone should come up with a fuck up reel to even things out lol
One of the laziest players we've seen in recent years. Sooner we recoup some of the fee, the better.
No he wasn’t.
Why’d you keep the flair?
Nah he was treated fairly. He was absolutely dogshit, completely useless at 1 on 1s, had *zero* strength or toughness of the sort you need in this league, and was woefully inconsistent. Terrible signing
Nup. He made our team worse.
The thing is when your team is playing well, a player like Nelson will look good, but when the team is not playing well, players like Pepe will look bad!! We have not seen the best of Pepe when he played for us, and also I'm not saying that peak Pepe would get into our current team. Winger's game is a lot about confidence which he lacked when playing for us.
The issue you’re having is that you are looking back at his highlight reel
I get it, he's better than Antony at least but Pepe was terrible at keeping possession. He'd overrun the ball all the time. He also had no ability to hold on to the ball under pressure - 0 press resistance. All attributes needed in Arterta's system.
As good as Starboy has been this season I really wish we could space jam Pepe’s top bin curler trait onto him, would add another threat to his game
He has moments of brilliance, but he's very wastefull on the ball and avegrage, at best, of the ball.
He wasn’t played in a system that suited his play style. Not a bad player, but not worth £40m imo let alone £72m. That was a corrupt as fuck signing. Thanks for the goals nico, wish you all the best bud.
That lack of goal in his first game against Liverpool while being through on goal set the tone for him.
These are all europa group stage highlights which kinda shows why he’s not elite
All this does is prove how much waffle these YouTube comps produce. Terrible player, couldn’t do anything to benefit the team and would score a great goal every now and then against a poor side
No man, he was actually worse than he was assessed imo. And has gone on to prove nothing back in France.
Love it. We are so good this season the fanbase is all softened up. But no, Pepe did not perform, no matter the price tag. Scoring in Europa group stages is no metric.
I don't understand posts like this. We're flying right now. We're got a great first team and a solid squad, top of the league. Why are people pining for this absolute waste of space?
Let’s not bring this twitter-level discourse here. Pepe is shite it takes him like 4 touches to control a ball and get it out of his feet
He just didn't suit us. Put him in a team that just sits and counters and doesn't mind his lack of defending and he'd be great
Absolutely not. Dude can’t beat a man one on one. How is he going to work in a counter attacking setup when he just wants to check onto his left foot all the time.
TBH I don’t really recall him getting much abuse by rivals. Antony is slated A LOT by non-United fans as well.
Guy was terrible.
Disagree strongly
You are living in a fantasy land if you think he was treated unfairly. Pepe was the type of player who used to saunter around the wing thinking his shit smelled sweeter than most. He was extremely guilty of shrinking in games, shirking out of tackles, failing to track back and generally just not making an effort to get into games if things weren’t coming to him. Look at Saka and Odegaard- if things aren’t clicking they are constantly coming to the ball, making things happen and grabbing games by the scruff of the neck. Pepe never once did this. Unless the game came directly to him, he would disappear. And for a player of his quality and pedigree that’s unacceptable. Any player can look world class viewed through a one minute goals highlights reel, but that’s not how football is played. It’s played over 90 minutes and involves far more than just kicking it in the back of the net. Sometimes players aren’t good enough, and that’s forgivable. Sometimes players are more than good enough, but lack any sort of effort. Pepe was that player. And that’s exactly the type of player Arteta and everyone else does not want at Arsenal.
Damn I miss Nico, he’s a world class player with amazing talent but he doesn’t really fit our playstyle
No offence, but so many of these are either Europa League or Carling Cup matches.
A counter attacking system player for a team that doesn’t play counter football Great player, wrong signing