Nicolas Pepe picked up the ball and jogged back to the halfway line with a steely look in his eye. He had just given Arsenal a lifeline in their Europa League semi-final with Villareal by dispatching a penalty and in doing so giving Arsenal a crucial away goal. Stood in the opposition dugout, the man who brought Pepe to Arsenal watched on. Unai Emery, now Head Coach of Villareal, brought the Ivorian to Arsenal yet never managed to get the best from him. Following his Arsenal sacking, he spoke openly about not wanting Pepe, instead preferring the club to have signed his Ivorian international teammate, Wilfried Zaha.
With this in mind, there is no doubt this tie means more for Pepe. He will want to first prove to Arsenal and himself that the club made the right decision in signing him. Secondly, he will want to make a point to the man who didn’t want him, by performing against him and in turn, knocking his new team out of the Europa League.
Life Under Emery
Nicolas Pepe arrived at the start of the 19/20 season as Arsenal’s club-record signing and one of Europe’s hottest properties. Arsenal had beaten Napoli, Manchester United, and other clubs to the Ivorian’s signature and Arsenal fans couldn’t be more excited by his arrival. After a couple of substitute appearances, Pepe finally got his first start. It came at Anfield in a central position rather than on the wing. Although Pepe failed to score and Arsenal lost, the performance was exciting. He created many problems for a Liverpool defence undoubtedly the best in the league. The first assist came in the North London Derby and the first goal from the penalty spot against Aston Villa.
In October, Vitoria Guimaraes travelled to the Emirates for a Europa League group stage game. Pepe’s start to Arsenal life had slowed down slightly, subbed off early in his last three games. Arsenal were losing 1-2 in the 79th min when Pepe stood over a free kick 30 yards out. The ball flew into the far corner and Pepe repeated the trick 11 minutes later to win Arsenal the game. The stadium went wild and this truly felt like the moment Pepe had arrived.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case. Of the seven games following, Pepe played the full 90 minutes twice, not even making it off the bench in three. By the time Emery was relieved of his duties, it’s fair to say Pepe’s confidence was shot.
Life Under Arteta
It wouldn’t be unfair to say life under Arteta hasn’t been dramatically better for Pepe, with game-time not being significantly different. However, Pepe has undoubtedly experienced the two best runs of his Arsenal career under Arteta. The first of which came at the end of the 19/20 season. Starts in the Semi-Final and Final of the FA Cup provided two brilliant Pepe performances for the Arsenal fans. In the Semi-Final Pepe assisted Aubameyang’s first goal and put in a hard-working performance in general, creating two chances and making three recoveries.
The final consisted of an even better Pepe performance. The Ivorian assisted the winning goal and was a constant threat for the Chelsea defence. He won seven duals, was fouled three times, and created two chances. He was a key part of the Arsenal side that won and would’ve been man of the match had Aubameyang not scored the goals.
The form Pepe is in now is the best he has shown in an Arsenal shirt and the most consistent. It started in January with a goal against Southampton and in the 20 appearances (12 starts) including that game, Pepe has registered eight goals/assists. Whether this form is due to the coaching of Mikel Arteta or not, Pepe has undoubtedly improved under the Spaniard.
Crunch Time
As Thursday night approaches, Pepe will be determined to make an impression. Arsenal have a chance to avenge their away loss to Villareal and make it to the Europa League final. The Europa League represents Champions League football if they can win it, and a massive trophy both for Pepe and Mikel Arteta. Now, it is time for Pepe to show his improvement since Unai Emery left the club. It’s crunch time.