He had a chance vs Liverpool where he was one on one vs the keeper
Nicolas Pépé
- Thread starter LazyRed-Ninja
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It was a good chance but not a sitter. Many top strikers have missed those. His chance at Sheffield was definitely a sitter. Sterling, Kane, Aguero and Salah have missed similar one-on-ones.
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This is an example of why I largely ignore all non-United player opinions on the Caf. They are usually based on observations from a player's best or worst matches, transfer rumors, or Youtube highlights.
Will be class player once he settles and get used to the league. Also Emery won't be there for long and he will need a proper manager to reach his potential. No attacking player can thrive under emery
Scored 2 great free kicks yesterday but I still thought he was poor. Looks very loose on the ball, lost the ball a couple of times and made bad passes again.
I think the Europa league is more his level than the premier league.
I think the Europa league is more his level than the premier league.
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He was on the pitch for 20 mins and changed the game. You clearly didn't watch.
If he was their best, the bar is very low. Didn’t think he was good at all, even aside from the miss.
Looks like the newbies is more your level than the main forum
Not sure I understand this comment? Is this supposed to be an insult?
Rather than trying to insult me why not discuss what I said. Explain why you disagree? Do you not find it weird how only Arsenal fans currently rate the guy?
They don't. Ex Pro's all over Twitter comment that he's talented and just needs time (Gary Lineker for example). You said he was poor yesterday which was incorrect. He was on the pitch for 20 mins and turned the game. That is why I imagine you got called out.
Clearly is technically very good when given time and space, it's whether he can up his game in the PL where you don't get time and space. Time will tell. Great free kicks to be fair.
Can only score when everyone else is standing still 
Made me laugh how much BT were trying desperately to hype him up last night.
Yes the 2 free kicks were very good, but they're talking like "he's arrived", I bet he will go back to being exactly the same
He's pacey and has quick feet so turns very fast, but it seems he makes it up as he goes along and doesn't have any idea of what he's actually trying to do.
It's interesting that for Lille he used to cut inside a lot more often, but for Arsenal he sticks to the right wing more. Wonder if that tactical change isn't helping him.
Yes the 2 free kicks were very good, but they're talking like "he's arrived", I bet he will go back to being exactly the same
He's pacey and has quick feet so turns very fast, but it seems he makes it up as he goes along and doesn't have any idea of what he's actually trying to do.
It's interesting that for Lille he used to cut inside a lot more often, but for Arsenal he sticks to the right wing more. Wonder if that tactical change isn't helping him.
Shades of Depay for United so far. Mkhitaryan to lesser extent also.Made me laugh how much BT were trying desperately to hype him up last night.
Yes the 2 free kicks were very good, but they're talking like "he's arrived", I bet he will go back to being exactly the same
What's there to discuss? You've made your mind up that he's more suited to the EL after less than three months
In his first season at Spurs, Son scored 4 PL goals all year and now he's one of the better players in the league. Yet judging by the opinions on show here, Spurs should have written him off and sold him immediately.
Anyone who makes their mind up about any player so soon is either on the wind up, hasn't been watching football for very long, or doesn't know what they're talking about.
I havent "made my mind up" about him. I can only comment on what I have seen. So far he looks average.What's there to discuss? You've made your mind up that he's more suited to the EL after less than three months
In his first season at Spurs, Son scored 4 PL goals all year and now he's one of the better players in the league. Yet judging by the opinions on show here, Spurs should have written him off and sold him immediately.
Anyone who makes their mind up about any player so soon is either on the wind up, hasn't been watching football for very long, or doesn't know what they're talking about.
The comparison to Son also doesnt work, Son look more in control of the ball and had better overall play than Pepe. It's not just about scoring goals.
I have been wrong about players before and I will probably be wrong again in the future. But there is a reason why no one is envious that Arsenal signed Pepe.
He does now, how great did he look in his first season?
No one is envious of any Chelsea players or your manager yet you look comfortably better than any of Spurs, Arsenal or United so far. Using envy of opposition players as a barometer is a ridiculous way of judging players.
Mo Salah and de Bruijn scored a total of 5 goals in their years at Chelsea and they got absolutely slaughtered even by Chelsea fans and the club got rid of them. But now they are among the best players in the PL. Less than 3 months into the season and Pepe is getting trashed already. Deary me.
There are many, many more big flops in England than Salah like successes.
Its a strange comparison to make. You can only judge him on what we have seen so far.
I think everybody needs to calm down. This wouldn't be the first example of a signing looking poor early doors but then turning it around.
Robert Pires was poor for 6 months before becoming a great player for the club.
His price tag unfortunately means that people will demand instant end product. Some people of course willing him to fail (opposition fans) because Arsenal finally spent big money.
The reality is that he'll need time to settle, so calling him a flop in October is premature. He's shown some good things and is one of the only players in the squad who I trust to pick up the ball from deep and beat several players (Guendouzi is another), gaining yards by making penetrative dribbles.
The chance he missed at Sheffield United was from a move that he started.
Question, did every Man Utd or Chelsea signing that went on to be successful hit the ground running? Maybe supporters of those teams don't understand what it means to be patient with a signing because they've never had to (or at least that's the image that's projected).
Robert Pires was poor for 6 months before becoming a great player for the club.
His price tag unfortunately means that people will demand instant end product. Some people of course willing him to fail (opposition fans) because Arsenal finally spent big money.
The reality is that he'll need time to settle, so calling him a flop in October is premature. He's shown some good things and is one of the only players in the squad who I trust to pick up the ball from deep and beat several players (Guendouzi is another), gaining yards by making penetrative dribbles.
The chance he missed at Sheffield United was from a move that he started.
Question, did every Man Utd or Chelsea signing that went on to be successful hit the ground running? Maybe supporters of those teams don't understand what it means to be patient with a signing because they've never had to (or at least that's the image that's projected).
It’s weird how Arsenal fans are struggling to understand the difference between players signed for 20-40m and a 72m record breaking investment on a 24 year old player.
These kind of players don’t get the same time or patience. Nor should they. You spend that much on someone who isn’t clearly marked ‘for the future’ and you obviously want him to deliver, he doesn’t get seasons to adapt.
These kind of players don’t get the same time or patience. Nor should they. You spend that much on someone who isn’t clearly marked ‘for the future’ and you obviously want him to deliver, he doesn’t get seasons to adapt.
So what exactly have we seen from Lo Celso and Ndombele so far this season? They haven't won games single handedly for Spurs so are they flops too? They were signed for around 60m each weren't they?
I saw a post where you were saying Ndombele looks promising but needs to work on his defensive discipline. Why? Why isn't he already the finished product when he was signed for such big money?
Sounds like he'd fit in with usCan only score when everyone else is standing still
Ndombele has had a mixed start. I’ve criticised him and he deserves that, but he’s shown a hell of a lot more than Pepe so far, cost less money and is 2 years younger. He has 2 goals and an assist from open play in the league, and 2 assists in the CL.
Lo Celso has been injured .. nobody would be criticising Pepe if he had been injured, that would be stupid.
Pepe is a 24 year old attacker signed for over 70 mill who hasn’t got a single goal from open play in the league. That’s .. not good, even for a player who is settling in.
It's too early to judge any of them. Even.end of the season is really too early to have clear picture of these players. But it's boring way to look at it. We judge players game by game.
Oh please.
Bergkamp and Henry were both signed for what was big money at the time and both famously took a while to settle. Both have unquestionably ended up in our top 5 players of all time (some would argue that they are numbers 1 & 2 actually).
So if we go by your logic both should have been bombed out of the club early doors...
Poor attempt at trolling.
No, my point is that a record signing is going to get criticised and not babies. Maybe he turns it round, maybe he doesnt, but right now the only truth is that he’s been an absolute bag of shite.
Sure. And I’m sure any day now he will start tearing up the league as Arsenal fans predicted.
Theres a good player in there, whether he shows it is another.
Pressure on the ball in England is different than anywhere else. He just might not he suited to this league, let's see how he adapts.
Pressure on the ball in England is different than anywhere else. He just might not he suited to this league, let's see how he adapts.
There is no difference between 20 million or 70 million player actually. No one says he is a great player for 20 million, but 70 is too much. You get judged on what you produce. Not your players point per pound performance. Either Pepe will be good enough or not good enough. No fans care what a player cost if he performs
Well that's rubbish, as that's exactly the stick that Pogba gets beaten with every day.
Naive nonsense. Of course a price tag matters. Clubs invest what they think a player is worth to them, and expect a certain return on that.
If a club spent 200m on a player Neymar style, do you really think the price wouldn’t matter if he performed like a 50m one? Of course it would.
Pepe needs to start performing like a player bought for 70 mill. He isn’t even close at the moment. Maybe he will get there but that’s just speculation.
Asserting that he won't get there is also speculation, lets see him for 6 months before commenting on him. I mean he's got 3 goals 3 assists in his first 8 games in a new league, to say that he isn't close is just expressing your hope that Arsenal haven't got a good player. He's the only player in Emery's system actually making things happen.
Actually sometimes it can be quite easy to make a sharp decision on a player.What's there to discuss? You've made your mind up that he's more suited to the EL after less than three months
In his first season at Spurs, Son scored 4 PL goals all year and now he's one of the better players in the league. Yet judging by the opinions on show here, Spurs should have written him off and sold him immediately.
Anyone who makes their mind up about any player so soon is either on the wind up, hasn't been watching football for very long, or doesn't know what they're talking about.
For example, I ruled out Lukaku's chances of being an elite striker after his Chelsea debut, why? Because a footballer can improve on many things but natural talent isn't one of them.
His second free kick was good but his first one was a really poor goalkeeping error. Ball travelled a long way yet he couldn’t got there in time. Still not convinced though, abit like Depay when he was here
He hasn’t got 3 goals in a new league. He has 1. Because he got given a penalty to take.
He hasn’t scored a single Arsenal goal from open play. Both his non-penalty goals were free kicks against Vitoria. And you can say it’s just ‘my hope’ when pretty much anyone aside from grasping at straws Arsenal fans can see he’s been not good at all in the Prem.
I mean Pepe can be crap, miss a sitter, but as long as he beats his man a few times all you’re gunna hear about from Arsenal fans is how the ‘ability is clear’ and ‘give him time.
He has 2 PL assists but like .. he takes set pieces. He’s going to get some. From open play in the Prem he has one assist and that’s all. And that assist wasn’t a defence splitting pass either, it was one where Lacazette did all the work.
Dont want to squabble, but its funny how people keep moving the goal posts as and when milestones are crossed. It starts with no contribution, then no goals, now its no goals from open play. Then it'll be no goals against top 6, then no goals in the CL. We get it, you've made your mind up. If he proves to be a good player which is more likely than not, we'll come back to take your case.
You just said he scored 3 in a new league when he hasn't, in order to try and portray him as being more successful than he actually has been.
But yeah, open play does kinda matter when you're on corners. It's a different thing entirely to be capable of being creative from open play than it is to do it in a dead ball scenario. If you wanna act like the context behind his goal from the spot and an assist from a corner are irrelevant, then go ahead.
And if he starts scoring/assisting from open play in the Prem, then it won't matter who it is against. But yeah, I'd want more from a 72 mill signing than someone who can put away a pen and take a corner.
You made some valid points about Pepe neeeding to do it in the PL instead of EL.
The two things you keep coming back to as why we should expect a lot more from Pepe is his price tag and that he is 24 years old. Again fair enough. However as has been pointed out Those suddenly don't matter when Ndombele is being judged. He is in the same category as Pepe. We can't really treat Ndombele as a youngster or wait for his potential while treating Pepe as a finished product. Pepe is only 1 year and 5 months older. (Perhaps not insignificant but hardly huge age gap to put them on seperate age categories).
As for the price tags, again quite similar. Both signed for club record fees. So both under similar pressures to live up to that fee. Ndombele's fee can rise to 70m Euros with add ons while Pepe's final figure is 80m Euros. Again too close to put it in separate categories.
What this shows to me is you will be defending your player and giving him the benefit of doubt as long as possible, and we will be defending our player to what we perceive as unfair criticism.