Nicolas Pepe
For Monday’s FA Cup fourth round clash, Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta picked a very young line-up featuring two 18-year-olds and three 20-year-olds, while the senior player in the attacking quartet was Nicolas Pepe.
With no Diego Rico or Charlie Daniels for Eddie Howe’s men, Jack Simpson (a central defender by trade) again covered at left-back.
Pepe should have been licking his lips, but he never really got into top gear during this match.
After a slow start, featuring two very disappointing crosses in the 15th and 24th minutes, one into no man’s land and heavily overhit, there was a glimpse of his talent.
On the half-hour mark, he received the ball from Eddie Nketiah, brilliantly nutmegged Simpson, and burst into the box, only to shoot for the near post and into the side netting. A shot or pass across goal looked like the better option.
It took great skill to beat a man, but was followed by less-than-optimal decision-making; a microcosm of Pepe’s first season with the Gunners so far.
Right before his 69th-minute withdrawal (as the three less senior attackers all stayed on the pitch), Pepe had a nice stepover, went on the outside and delivered a low cross which was cleared.
With a hefty seven unsuccessful touches in the game – Opta’s way of coding when a player’s first touch is heavy and leads to losing the ball – it was not a night where he took a step towards his true level in an Arsenal shirt.
Alongside Pepe in attack was Anglo-Ghanaian striker Eddie Nketiah.
After a frustrating loan spell this season at Leeds United that saw him play all of his first 15 league games as a substitute – notching two match-winning goals and one late equaliser – he then started two games before the end of his loan.
Leeds were clearly trying to convince him to stay, but Arsenal were not happy with his level of involvement even though Marcelo Bielsa clearly liked him, and praised his professional behaviour during his time at Elland Road.
However, the legendary Argentinean coach also commented that the striker is more of a finisher than someone to link play from the front.
For that reason, there was plenty to be impressed by against Bournemouth.
Although there were some giveaways when dropping off to show for the ball, his movement was exactly what Arteta clearly wants. As Alexandre Lacazette does, so Nketiah looked to drag a centre-back out, lay off quickly and then attack the box.
His goal came in exactly that fashion; the striker showed to feet for Shkodran Mustafi, laid off well for Joe Willock and then perfectly timed his run into the box to finish Bukayo Saka’s low cross.
That seemed to increase his confidence, and another good piece of link play sent Hector Bellerin bursting forward through the middle, then, a quick combination with Willock saw Nketiah lead a counter and get chopped down for Harry Wilson to see yellow.
The second half was less productive, as Bournemouth pressed high and Arsenal did not need to force the issue with a 2-0 lead. However, there were good moments of pressing and stretching play with his pace and movement.
"You look at him on the wing and three seconds later you look at the cross and he is there all the time in the middle of the goal,” Arteta told journalists after the match.
“That's why he scored,” he added. “He’s always in the middle of the goal, ready to do that and also the way he works without the ball is terrific.”
The star of the show, though, was Saka.
Playing at left-back, but often freed up to charge forward onto switches of play due to Granit Xhaka dropping into the left half-space, he had a huge impact.
His goal came in exactly that fashion; the striker showed to feet for Shkodran Mustafi, laid off well for Joe Willock and then perfectly timed his run into the box to finish Bukayo Saka’s low cross.
That seemed to increase his confidence, and another good piece of link play sent Hector Bellerin bursting forward through the middle, then, a quick combination with Willock saw Nketiah lead a counter and get chopped down for Harry Wilson to see yellow.
The second half was less productive, as Bournemouth pressed high and Arsenal did not need to force the issue with a 2-0 lead. However, there were good moments of pressing and stretching play with his pace and movement.
"You look at him on the wing and three seconds later you look at the cross and he is there all the time in the middle of the goal,” Arteta told journalists after the match.
“That's why he scored,” he added. “He’s always in the middle of the goal, ready to do that and also the way he works without the ball is terrific.”
The star of the show, though, was Saka.
Playing at left-back, but often freed up to charge forward onto switches of play due to Granit Xhaka dropping into the left half-space, he had a huge impact.
@BukayoSaka87 petit piment = Lil Chili ????????????????????
— Aubameyang P-E (@Aubameyang7) January 27, 2020
His second half saw him quick to second balls, making one good tackle to stop a counter and more impressive overlapping to win a corner and then run onto a slide rule Dani Ceballos pass and nearly pick out Martinelli inside the box.
3 - Bukayo Saka has both scored and assisted in three separate games for Arsenal this season (vs
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 27, 2020
Eintracht Frankfurt, Standard Liège and today against Bournemouth), no other player has done so more than once for the Gunners in 2019-20. Future. #FACup #BOUARS pic.twitter.com/3fzm8AEPgo
Saka’s assist took him to seven in all competitions, the most in the Arsenal squad this season ahead of Pepe’s five and four for Callum Chambers.
Arteta explained post-game that left back is not his favourite position, but that the tactical setup allowed him to be a winger at times:
"It's the situation now because we don't have any left-backs,” the Spanish coach added. “What I like is that he put his head down - it's not his favourite position to play - but we try to adapt him with his qualities to play as much as possible in the position that he likes.
“He's very willing to learn all the defensive principles that we are asking him to do and his attitude is really good."
With performances like this, Arsenal could save themselves some money by not buying a new left-back in either this or the summer transfer window, whilst Nketiah’s emergence and quick adaptation to the demands of number nine in an Arteta side also bodes well for his future.
