Nicolas Pepe’s Arsenal career was in tatters the last time the Gunners faced Leeds.
The Ivorian winger’s careless red card for a headbutt on defender Ezgjan Alioski last November appeared to be the final straw in what has so far been a mixed spell in north London.
A furious Mikel Arteta branded the player’s actions as ‘unacceptable’ and those familiar with the Arsenal manager’s ruthless streak feared the end of the £72million man’s hopes of proving himself at the Emirates Stadium.
Nicolas Pepe’s (right) Arsenal career was in tatters the last time Arsenal played Leeds
The Ivorian (far right) was sent off for headbutting Leeds’ Ezgjan Alioski (second left)
Though with Arsenal hosting Leeds in the return league fixture this Sunday and Alioski revealing he can’t wait to come up against his ‘mate’ Pepe – the Leeds defender is set find a more mature and resurgent player up against him.
The 25-year-old has now started each of Arsenal’s last four Premier League games, scoring in two of them, as he looks to finally justify his hefty price tag two summers ago.
Pepe’s Elland Road sending off, which came during the Gunners’ frustrating 0-0 draw in West Yorkshire, arrived at a time when several pundits and Arsenal supporters questioned the success of the club’s record signing.
The sending off looked to be the final straw for the £72million man in his Arsenal career
The winger’s debut campaign in north London was overshadowed by the rise of fellow newcomer Gabriel Martinelli in the Gunners attack and while Pepe played a key role in Arsenal’s FA Cup triumph last season – the signing of winger Willian implied Arteta may have had different ideas for his frontline.
It was, of course, temperament issues that signalled the end of Matteo Guendouzi’s time in north London. A similar violent incident on Brighton’s Neal Maupay in June was the French midfielder’s last action in a Gunners shirt before his summer exile and subsequent season-long loan move to Hertha Berlin in the autumn.
Furthermore, Mesut Ozil’s inability to justify why Arteta selecting him was pivotal in the German midfielder’s dramatic and ruthless final few months at the club.
Yet instead of being cast away by Arteta following his Elland Road nightmare, Pepe was brought straight back into play by the Gunners boss and his first game back against Rapid Vienna signalled a tactical tweak to the 25-year-old’s game.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta (left) has led a resurgence in Pepe’s (right) recent Gunners form
Pepe (left) starred in his first game back after his red card – a 4-1 victory over Rapid Vienna
NICOLAS PEPE’S ARSENAL STATS 20/21
Pepe on the right (Premier League):
Appearances: 12
Starts: 5
Goals from open play: 1
Successful dribbles per game: 0.83
Pepe on the left (Premier League):
Appearances: 4
Starts: 3
Goals from open play: 2
Successful dribbles per game: 1.75
(Stats from whoscored.com)
After spending his entire Arsenal career operating from the right-hand side, Arteta deployed Pepe on the left for the Europa League tie and the Ivorian responded by putting in arguably his best display in a Gunners shirt.
The winger marauded down his new side on the pitch, playing key roles in goals for Eddie Nketiah and Emile Smith Rowe as Arsenal romped to a 4-1 win. He could have added two more assists on the night were it not for better finishing from his team-mates.
It was the kind of performance that reminded Arsenal’s critics that Arteta can bring the best out of wide players, in the same way he developed the likes of Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane as Manchester City’s assistant manager.
Yet the use of club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on the left meant that Arteta’s tactical shift was only a blueprint – Pepe returned to the right-hand side for the Gunners’ pre-Christmas matches but found himself dropped due to the rise in form of Bukayo Saka.
Personal problems for Aubameyang gave Pepe another chance from the left in back-to-back matches against Southampton in January.
The winger impressed in the first match and bettered his display in the second – scoring Arsenal’s opening goal in a 3-1 victory to secure their fifth win in six games.
The next match saw him score a superb solo goal away at Wolves which justified Arteta selecting Pepe over the returning Aubameyang – who had to settle for a spot on the bench for both the match at Molineux and last weekend’s trip to Aston Villa.
The Gunners manager believes the player has ‘clicked’ into gear under recent weeks and praised the winger’s attitude which has improved dramatically.
The normally ruthless Arteta (right) hailed Pepe (left) for his recent improvement in attitude
Arteta told Friday’s pre-match press conference ahead of the Leeds game: ‘I think he’s done much much better. I think there has been a click with him, even in his mentality, how he’s approaching every training session, the importance of every action in the game and how he can sustain his focus and his determination during games.
‘I really like his attitude. What’s he’s done in the last few weeks I think it’s been much better. He still has a lot of room to improve and grow and he’s willing to do that so I’m expecting him to go to the next level very soon.’
Pepe’s recent form is the kind of consistency Arteta has been searching for ever since the Spaniard took over in north London. The Arsenal manager is wary of the Ivorian’s talent on his day, but his eye-catching displays are often sporadic at best.
The 25-year-old now has two goals in his last four games after a shift to the left-hand side
Pepe’s superb solo goal away at Wolves shows the player is finally facing some confidence
When asked what he is looking for from Pepe this season, Arteta told the media back in September: ‘Consistency throughout the game, throughout 90 minutes in every ball, in every action and every time he is on the ball in the final third to make a difference and do it more and more and more.
‘The final product has to be better, not just from him, if we want to become a top, top team and score many more goals it’s something we have to put higher demands on at the moment.’
Pepe is starting to know that form and Sunday’s clash with Leeds is the perfect chance to show Arteta, Arsenal fans and the awaiting Alioski that his run in the side deserves to carry on.
