Watch video highlights -Nicolas Pepe double saves Unai Emery skin.
It has to be said that overall it was not the best performance from Arsenal but a win is a win.
There are negatives to take from the game for sure. However, there were also positives and you don’t get a bigger positive than Pepe.
The Ivory Coast international was simply irresistible when he came on and I can watch his free-kicks time and again. Not because they were the greatest free-kicks ever, though they were good but because this was the moment he came good.
Enjoy the video from the official BT Sports Youtube channel.
The second free kick was harder..
Everyone who played football on a pitch understands what I’m talking about. The angle from which he took it was actually meant for a right footer, and that’s what makes some footballers deadball specialists, because they can take it from any angle with their strong foot.
We don’t have any deadball specialist in our team, yes some of guys do score free kicks once a while but it’s not often. If Pepe keeps practicing it like ESR said he does. He’ll end up becoming our very own deadball specialist both inside and outside the box, then teams will be afraid to give out free kicks outside their box to us because it spells danger
Ozil was a deadball specialist, before Xhaka took his role
Then Pepe took Xhaka’s job
Ozil used to be a deadball specialist, you could count on him to create something from set pieces… Xhaka though, Xhaka was never one.. Just because you’re allowed to take free kicks doesn’t make you a deadball specialist.. Anyone can take free kicks, Xhaka’s crosses were too poor that’s why at a point Torreira was the one taking the corner kicks and crossing free kicks..Xhaka only scored a few free kicks
Only for passes…i have seen very few ozil goals from free kicks…our specialist was alexis…xhaka did make some goals but he is not specialist in nothing but in his hearcut
Superb!!
which is more brilliant?should i say the first or the second?
fans need to have patience
this is not Fifa20
players and manager need time
Admin Martin, what exactly is your problem with guendouzi, I just saw your ratings and it’s not only embarrassing it’s insulting, how can you say he did nothing spectacular, and to cap it all you said Ceballos also did nothing special? Am getting sick of your biased ratings, Ceballos and guendouzi changed the match.I think I will start ignoring your players ratings.
Sick of my rating? Don’t read them then. No one is forcing you. If you want false biased ratings go somewhere else. On here, you will get the brutal truth and Guendouzi was average and Ceballos poor. I will never lie to make you or anyone else feel good. I will also not kid myself thinking we have quality players in certain areas when we dont and the results vindicate my opinion of both players.
This is not about having quality players, ratings should be about a player performance in a particular match not his overall quality, if you watch the match which I don’t think you do, you will see that if not because of those 2 free kicks guendouzi would have been man of the match, lol calling his performance average is ridiculous.
You may think I did not watch the match because you disagree with my ratings that is your problem, not mine. Shame you could not stick to the debate and instead basically call me a liar.
BTW AdMartin in response to your reply in the previous article.. I think you’re wrong to label Guendouzi ineffective. I don’t know what your own definition of ineffective is but everyone else knows the only ineffective and completely useless midfielder we have on the pitch every time is Granit Xhaka. I’ll really like you to point out a game this season where Xhaka, Willock, Torreira and Ceballos all had a better game and performance than Guendouzi, I give Ceballos the ratings on in the Burnley game.
But everyone else on the planet knows Guendouzi has been our best midfielder throughout this season and everyone disagrees with you that’s Guendouzi was POTM and not PEA.
Also in one of the previous articles, I asked what else you want from the boy seeing how he’s always paired with the most useless midfielder in our club.
Xhaka is of no use to anybody, that’s why every pundits, including every of our legends and legnds in other football clubs keep asking “WTF does Xhaka brings to this team?”
Somehow every time, I’ve seen you rate Xhaka higher than Guendouzi.
Come on, if the rest of the world say so about the about the boy every time don’t you for once think maybe you’re the wrong person here?
OK, Eddie, next time before you comment get your facts right. This season I have rated eight EPL games, I did not rate the Burnley game for some reason. Guendouzi and Xhaka have both been rated in the other eight games. My average rating for Guendouzi has been 5.75 and for Xhaka 5.125. I could easily pull each of your other points to pieces but what is the point when the whole premise of your response is based on false data. Fact is that I aahev consistently rated Guendouzi higher than Xhaka.
Nah, I still stand on my words. I’m sure I’m not the only one here, many fans on here on more than two occasions complained and pointed out unfairly and poorly you’ve rated Guendouzi and in the process, Xhaka is always having higher points than Guendouzi. It’s impossible for me to start going through your psst ratings but the readers on here are witnesses to it.
So many times we’ve complained how your ratings were biased because you always rated Guendouzi lower than Xhaka.
I wish people would join the debate and remind you
Why would anyone join the debate when you are factually wrong? Why would anyone want to be proven so utterly wrong? The facts are on this site, you may not like it but facts are facts and the fact is I have rated Guendouzi consistently higher this season than Xhaka. If you want to argue that point then there is absolutely nothing I can do other than point out the ratings on this site are available for you to analyse. I am also not sure what is your fixation with Xhaka, he never played last night. Also, Football London and The Mirror both rated Guendouzi 5. I suppose when you say everyone in the world you did not mean them as well.
TBF I don’t rate Guendouzi ..
I know some people think he’s something special but for me he’s a workhorse and not much more ..if we are talking of star quality then Martinelli as that in abundance..
I wouldn’t even have Guendouzi in my starting 11 in midfield .but each to their own I suppose .
Wise words
Guendouzi is a young man he never stops working if he loses the ball he will fight to get it straight back this man I swear has 4 lungs I would take him over Xhaka every time
Both Pepe goals were great
Actually Guendouzi set up the second by stealing the ball and dribbling back near the 18 yard line area where he got fouled. Not sure why he got such a low rating
Am sure he missed that😂😂😂
Can someone please explain Gwendouzi skillsets and what he really brings to our midfield apart from energy. For me he just runs around like is he box to box or is he a holding midfielder. He runs around a lot I get that but where is the balance.
Nothing he just run around doing nothing, he doesn’t even have any skills.
Or you know you could look at it that yes he does run around a lot but look a bit closer and you will see he does so to open up or close down passing lanes depending on whether we have possession, and he’s not too shabby at putting in the tackles too. He is one of the few midfielders who always looks forward first to see if he can get the pass off and he’s not afraid to carry it forward himself whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Its also Guendouzi and Ceballos who seem to be the better pairing for playing it out from the back imo.
Seems quite a lot for someone who brings ‘nothing’ to the squad 🤷♂️
the performance isnt that good, i mean we conceded 17 goals at home to may be the weakest team in the group.
Sorry Lenohappy that was meant as a reply for Jah son as I’m assuming you are being sarcastic with your response 😂
Cr*p, why aren’t my replies going where there supposed to today 😂
I couldn’t watch the match so I can’t comment. But watching the short highlights I did see Laca’s embarrassing dive. Did he think the cameras were switched off, pathetic!! I just expected something better from him, as an example to the younger players. Maybe I’m old fashioned, but I really hate to see stuff like the from any player.
“like this from any player”