Nicolas Pepe’s form is no coincidence- here’s what changed

By Ben Browning


Published: May 19, 2021 9:56 pm

Last Updated: May 19, 2021 9:56 pm

Ivorian match winner

Nicolas Pepe has been in good form for Arsenal in the second half of the 2020-21 campaign. Two vital strikes against Crystal Palace has taken the Ivorian winger to 10 Premier League goals for the season, his first double figures return since his £72 million move from Lille in the summer of 2019. Though he has flattered to deceive for much of that time, he is beginning to show why Arsenal decided to invest such a hefty sum in him.

PEPE! What a move from Arsenal! ?

Swift sweeping move with Tierney and Saka down the left, and Pepe comes in late to bury the chance ?

That backheel from Saka ? pic.twitter.com/b9zcOaaduV

— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 19, 2021

That is no coincidence. Playing on either the left or the right flank, Pepe has been a threat whenever he is on the pitch, interchanging well with young prodigy Bukayo Saka. When asked about what had changed with the Ivorian in recent months, Mikel Arteta said:

“He’s come a long way in terms of consistency and the games he’s producing. It’s in his mindset. He wants to look at every action, every post-match reflection we do with him. When he has the talent he has it’s a really good mixture.”

Nobody has ever doubted Pepe’s ability on his day, but what will encourage Arsenal fans is that it appears that his day is becoming more and more regular. Whereas before he may have drifted through games, Pepe no longer shies away from responsibility, a welcome bonus of the change in mindset that Arteta touched upon after his latest good performance.

What. A. Run. Pepe! ? pic.twitter.com/jV4EFHqfhS

— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 19, 2021

Last chance saloon for Arsenal

Despite Pepe’s good form, Arsenal are likely to lose out on European football thanks to a truly woeful pre-christmas period. Sitting in fifteenth place before a 3-1 win against Chelsea on boxing day, Arsenal have since lost just five of their 23 league games, a record that would be good enough for second place if extended to cover a season.

Like Nicolas Pepe, Arsenal are a side that run hot and cold. Like Pepe, they need to be more consistent. Like Pepe, they have the potential to be great.

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Premier League table

#	Team	MP	D	P
1	Manchester City FC	37	46	83
2	Manchester United FC	37	28	71
3	Chelsea FC	37	23	67
4	Leicester City FC	37	20	66
5	Liverpool FC	36	21	63
6	Tottenham Hotspur FC	36	22	59
7	West Ham United FC	36	10	59
8	Leeds United	37	6	56
9	Everton FC	36	3	56
10	Arsenal FC	36	12	55
11	Aston Villa FC	36	7	49
12	Wolverhampton Wanderers FC	36	-14	45
13	Crystal Palace FC	36	-21	44
14	Southampton FC	37	-18	43
15	Brighton & Hove Albion FC	37	-4	41
16	Burnley FC	36	-18	39
17	Newcastle United FC	36	-19	39
18	Fulham FC	37	-24	28
19	West Bromwich Albion	36	-37	26
20	Sheffield United FC	36	-43	20

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Player	Team	Goals
Kane, Harry	Tottenham Hotspur FC	22
Salah, Mohamed	Liverpool FC	22
Fernandes, Bruno	Manchester United FC	17
Son, Heung Min	Tottenham Hotspur FC	17
Bamford, Patrick	Leeds United	16
Calvert-Lewin, Dominic	Everton FC	16
Watkins, Ollie	Aston Villa FC	14
Vardy, Jamie	Leicester City FC	13
Gundogan, Ilkay	Manchester City FC	13
Lacazette, Alexandre	Arsenal FC	13
Wilson, Callum	Newcastle United FC	12
Ings, Danny	Southampton FC	12
Wood, Chris	Burnley FC	12
Iheanacho, Kelechi	Leicester City FC	12
Rashford, Marcus	Manchester United FC	11
Zaha, Wilfried	Crystal Palace FC	11
Pereira, Matheus	West Bromwich Albion	10
Sterling, Raheem	Manchester City FC	10
Cavani, Edinson	Manchester United FC	10
Aubameyang, Pierre-Emerick	Arsenal FC	10

Player	Team	Red Cards	Yellow Cards
McGinn, John	Aston Villa FC	0	11
Maguire, Harry	Manchester United FC	0	11
Gallagher, Conor	West Bromwich Albion	0	10
Hojbjerg, Pierre	Tottenham Hotspur FC	0	9
Milivojevic, Luka	Crystal Palace FC	1	8
Lundstram, John	Sheffield United FC	1	8
Phillips, Kalvin	Leeds United	0	9
Luiz, Douglas	Aston Villa FC	0	8
Bissouma, Yves	Brighton & Hove Albion FC	1	8
Soucek, Tomas	West Ham United FC	1	7
Shaw, Luke	Manchester United FC	0	8
Xhaka, Granit	Arsenal FC	1	7
Bellerin, Hector	Arsenal FC	0	8
Andersen, Joachim	Fulham FC	1	7
Egan, John	Sheffield United FC	1	7
Holgate, Mason	Everton FC	0	8
Hayden, Isaac	Newcastle United FC	0	8
Dallas, Stuart	Leeds United	0	7
McGoldrick, David	Sheffield United FC	0	7
Reid, Bobby	Fulham FC	0	7

Player	Team	Assists
Kane, Harry	Tottenham Hotspur FC	13
Fernandes, Bruno	Manchester United FC	12
Son, Heung Min	Tottenham Hotspur FC	10
Grealish, Jack	Aston Villa FC	10
De Bruyne, Kevin	Manchester City FC	10
Rashford, Marcus	Manchester United FC	9
Vardy, Jamie	Leicester City FC	8
Harrison, Jack	Leeds United	8
Werner, Timo	Chelsea FC	8
Raphinha	Leeds United	8
Gross, Pascal	Brighton & Hove Albion FC	8
Pereira, Matheus	West Bromwich Albion	7
Mane, Sadio	Liverpool FC	7
Ward-Prowse, James	Southampton FC	7
Eze, Eberechi	Crystal Palace FC	7
Alexander-Arnold, Trent	Liverpool FC	7
Cresswell, Aaron	West Ham United FC	7
Digne, Lucas	Everton FC	7
Bamford, Patrick	Leeds United	6
Sterling, Raheem	Manchester City FC	6

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