Unai Emery admits that Pepe’s adaptation to life in England is taking longer than he wants but he insists that with a helping hand from his team, the Ivorian striker will deliver on his potential.
Arsenal surprised the football world by spending £72 million to sign the 24-year-old winger from Lille in the summer and while he’s shown flashes of his potential – including a terrific brace of free-kicks to beat Vitoria in the Europa League – he’s yet to score from open play and hasn’t really taken any Premier League games by the scruff of the neck.
“He [Pepe] just needs time, and to be demanding of himself,” Emery told Sky Sports ahead of Saturday’s clash with Leicester.
“We are with him, working individually with him and showing him videos of where he can improve. The intensity of the game and the opponents in England demands a lot of you. He has to adapt to that, and we have to help him so that he can keep taking steps forward.”
“His process of adapting to the team is positive, but a little slower than what we wanted. We have to be patient as well as demanding and what’s more, we have to ensure that he takes responsibility himself.
“He is not quite at the level yet to be able to play in every game. I believe, and I have always believed, that he needs to play in order to reach that level, but obviously, there are also games when other players deserve to play. I use the players who I think are going to help us most in each moment.
“But we bought Pepe knowing that the first year would be difficult, that it would be a year of adaptation. We want that to happen as quickly as possible, but we are seeing that we have to have patience.”
Pepe played the full 90 minutes against Vitoria on Wednesday while Bukayo Saka was taken off with 25 minutes remaining to be replaced by Alex Lacazette. Could that be a hint that the younger winger could be line for a start this evening? We’ll find out soon enough.
Only saved him twice against the mighty Vitoria FC. Still can’t regularly beat 4 players at once as he’s completely isolated.
‘Let me throw him under the bus then!’
Every week a new scapegoat. Needs a transfer window to get new ones.
The guy before him took bullets for players and board members.
Your adaptation is slower than we wanted Emery.
Honestly this guys like mourinho without the trophies. Also fuck mourinho
Down-voted this in error. Emery’s methods are shit.
Also does he not watch the games (I would say “I cant blame him” but its his creation) can he not see that Pepe has finally found something resembling to the player we bought?
TBH he’s been that the whole time, we’re just an unblanced team whose style of play makes Pepe’s (and Auba’s) life and game difficult. He’s a weapon in a fast system, but we play without supporting the attack and ask way too much of him… Here’s the ball now beat 4 players and you’ll score.
He has 3 goals and at what, a half dozen assists?! Not bad, especially during his adjustment season, and that is despite the tactically poor system that does little to support him.
But then again, to which players does the aforementioned style of play actually suit?
BINGO!
Two brilliant free kicks to win a game, then gets benched for the next, and ignored for Saka while we’re trying to get 3 precious points. Emery confuses the shit out of me.
adaptation slower than wanted? as compared to the genius who’s been here for 1.5 years but is yet to deliver
Who taught emery the phrase ‘we are with him’
I’ve noticed it a few times..it means f all!
I believe it’s the teacher who taught him english. Also the same teacher that taught him his first english word- moment.
It’s one of the things you notice every time Emery speaks – he has never learned how to speak English, he just translates things directly from Spanish like Google Translate would which results in word-for-word translations that make 0 sense.
All the quotes from this come from an interview done in Spanish!
Well then!
I wonder why… Could it be that you’re not playing our record transfer player consistently in the Premier League to gain some confidence and form? I’m sure Pepe is thinking why am I on the bench and not coming off in our last game.
So is yours!!!
Need experience to get work. Need work to get experience.
Fucking hell. Now he’s trying to pin his tactical ineptitude on our new record signing. Sure, that’ll give him a much-needed confidence boost.
GET EMERY OUT NOW.
Every time I read that Emery is “showing him videos” I cringe. He mentioned it in the past talking about Pepe adapting. I imagine the poor fella sitting there listening to Emery explaining football to him pointing at a TV. If the club don’t want to sack him, at least close down the DVD room…
This is why I can’t respect Emery. He keeps making excuses, but the worst is he keeps saying things which throw his own players under the bus and into the spotlight. If Pepe has had trouble adapting and you want people to give him time, you don’t bloody say that, you shield him and keep him out of scrutiny as long as you can! His man management skills are non-existent and we are suffering because of it.
Yes. So when we desperatly need a goal sub in Kola instead of him. Sure it helps him.
Oooooookay. That’ll help his confidence. Obviously doesn’t care about the players mentality, and actually helping Pepe, just wants to save his own skin. I don’t want us to lose today, but I really want him gone.
Usual waffle from Emery… We could just cut and past his last few interviews, they all sound the same to me.
Zzzz….
Complete and utter nonsense. Let the guy play. Let all the guys play. Stop inhibiting them with such conservative tactics which are inviting far too much pressure on the defence. Play players in their correct positions. Use your best players. Instruct them to play with freedom, bur to cover one another, attack as a unit, defend as a unit. Keep the passes simple, one touch and free. Combine the movements together. Play it fast. Allow those that can dictate the tempo do their jobs. Supply our forward line with chances created from the midfield and the wings. Allow them to… Read more »
Send this to emery @ arsenal com
Your adaptation is even slower, Unai. Thank you and good ribbance.
Boring Stuff.
#Emeryout
This guy is the most passively aggressive coach I’ve ever seen.
It’s so subtle I don’t even think some of his own players realise he’s hanging them out to dry, one by one.
When you add the fact he’s also taken a potshot at fans as well, It’s actually quite disconcerting as his redeeming feature has been that he does seem to be quite likeable in person. But the cracks are starting to show what’s really beneath the surface.
He seems to be adapting quicker than you mate.
I’m beginning to feel like Unai Emery’s may well be either a baffoon or a nincompoop.
Both?
Emery’s adaptation has not been a good moment himself.
Pepe has been poor, but obviously it’s rare for people to come into a new team/country and hit the ground running. We all know he can dribble, his set pieces are sometimeish, but his shooting and final pass has been as bad as it gets.
Hopefully he makes it here and doesn’t turn out to be a new, more expensive Gervinho
Pepe’s adaptation is not slow – its nothing to do with adapting to anything.
Pepe is simply not good enough.
Its not his fault of course and the frankly obscene transfer fee is not his fault either.
Emery is to blame for this and Josh Kroenke as well for allowing it to happen.
But hopefully Emery will be gone soon and the mistake of signing Nicholas Pepe will be forgotten in the furore surrounding the appointment of a new manager.
Pepe may well turn out to be a useful squad player…
He was rated the 5th best player in Europe last season and is starting to show his true form. You probably would have said the same about Henry, Pires and Overmars who took time to settle in. He will turn out to be a great signing especially under a new manager
Lets also not forget that Bergkamp took 7 matches before scoring his first Arsenal goal.
Let’s not forget that Bergkamp was signed by Rioch, and flourished under Wenger. Pepe was bought by Emery, and he needs more of Wenger and less of Rioch in order to succeed.
Everybody knew Bergkamps class. Pepe is unproven
In fairness it is very easy to look good in the French League.
I don’t think it helps either playing for a struggling team under a manager who doesn’t seem to have a clue and thinks dropping a two goal lead at home is a positive thing…
Pires and Overmars hit the ground running but I take your point about Henry who took a while to settle in.
But then again Arsenal before Overmars, Pires and Henry was a good club to play for.
Time will tell….
Don’t feed the troll
Emery knows???
fuck all
So having a group of talented of attacking players resulted in a very boring and lack of creativity performance, so the problem must be on the tactical or the manager himself. Unai, do u realize that?
How many times can this guy put his foot in his gob….?
Good ebening and goodnight.
I wonder if Emery is watching the same videos as pepe. Can someone please help Emery adapt to England. Andfast.
Sometimes I like to think that he’s just somebody that can’t help being this way. Emery has taken responsibility for our bad form, sure, but leave Pepe out to dry like that?
He’s deceptive and I’d rather stare at a grey wall than look at this chump
That’s how we feel about you Unai. Hopefully Arsenal are sorting your P45.
In this moment we have to stay calm, together we say good ebening to creat the positive moment. For us we wait to see the main balance with pressure that we demand in the morning. More and more we try to turn the negative into good positive like we planned. We have many good players in the moments to watch the videos and it will help with the intensity we demand. For that I say to my 4 Capitan to stay calm, and bring the character we need to training for balance. To m make goal for us, is quickly… Read more »
Adapting more slowly than expected? That would be down to poor coaching. I wonder whose fault that would be?
The coach obviously
I said during the euphoria of the signings of Pepe + Ceballos that they’d take months to settle, and not having an option on Ceballos was insane, because by the time he adapts, he’ll likely be on his way out. We’ve seen this type of adaption with many players, I think Ceballos will come good, and providing the price doesn’t go up past £30-£35mill, I hope we sign him permanently, but like with Kovacic at Chelsea, I think it’ll next season and beyond where we’d potentially see the best of him. If you want to sign the 25-27yr old version… Read more »
It’s probably all those stupid videos he’s being forced to watch. I feel sorry for all our players with this idiot in charge.
Best game Pepe has played was vs Liverpool for me, he posed more threat when counter attacking. In other games he should play further up…Ozil need to play to suit Pepe’s game
Who would you drop – Alex. L. Or torrera?
If your wAnt p.e.a. Pepe, ozil and I guess Matteo…?
I wonder how this season Chelsea after the comparative summers, ended with a much better team? They play fantastic football, pass quick, and the young players in mount and Abraham and pulisic play with such confidence. Their manager is relative novice and club legend and he’s got them playing like this. From the first couple of weeks of the season when everyone said were the better teams, I expect Chelsea and Leicester to rip us apart.
Well he scored two freekicks and won the match, and then he got three corner assists. Conclusion: Let’s sub him.
Dosnt help if he’s sitting on the bench
Oh that’s the problem then? Along with the weather and other teams trying harder than us?
Desperation at its peak
All these interviews are just of a guy trying to play down a crisis and bat every question into the ground down the line. Thats it. Im not sure there is much else to say let alone get angry about. What matters is what happens on the pitch. A heavy loss and thats surely curtains for Emery…
Emery knows he’s on his last legs. Already making the excuses ahead of his new job!! Pepe is often isolated and if Emery is picking the players that can help us most every game then we really are fucked
Damm right. he should be producing with some consistency by now. That was what I was wary about when Sanlehi decided to show off and go for wow factor. We sunk 72m into Pepe (not to mention appropriate salary). Is the player hungry? We are now back loaded which means his installment plan at 14-15m per summer not to mention Saliba’s will hae impact on future transfer budgets not to mention will make it more difficult to off load. We had more frugal options in Ziyech or Fekir who could have come in with likely equal if not better impact.… Read more »
Why didn’t we just get Zaha for more or less the same money? Never has a bad game against us.