Nicolas Pepe’s stats are not lost with Mikel Arteta as the Arsenal boss challenges the extreme

Mikel Arteta has challenged Arsenal’s £ 72m winger Nicolas Pepe to be more consistent after shining again in Europa League action.

The 25-year-old was on the scoreboard against Molde on Thursday, putting the Gunners on track to a comfortable 3-0 victory after scoring in the 50th minute.

Pepe had only rattled the crossbar moments before and had approached with another effort in the first half.

Before Reiss Nelson had doubled Arsenal’s lead, Pepe also played an important role in the run-up to an Eddie Nketiah goal, which was subsequently ruled out for offside.

His performance was the perfect response to his red card in Leeds on Sunday, but it should come as no surprise to Arsenal fans.

After all, despite the Gunners’ lack of creativity this season, it is Pepe who boasts the best offensive stats in the club.

He has had more goal participation than any of his teammates, scoring four goals and assisting two.

That’s one ahead of Joe Willock and two ahead of Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. [not including the Community Shield]Although the latter’s account has been boosted by his penalty shootout winner at Old Trafford.

Perhaps most importantly, the man keeping him away, Willian, has provided just two assists and no goals.

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New signings Gabriel Magalhaes and Thomas Partey have started to work after their big summer arrivals, and the new Gunners are doing their best for a top four spot and Europa League glory this season.

Mesut Ozil’s situation continues to hang in the background and there are plenty of things to do in North London to keep up with.

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However, all but one of Pepe’s contributions have come in the Europa League, with his only other goal coming in Arsenal’s last Premier League win over Sheffield United.

That can be largely attributed to Pepe’s increased participation in European action, starting all four matches, although his total number of minutes only equates to about half a game less in the Premier League.

Pepe has often been Arteta’s favorite substitute on a national level, to spark a new injection of spark into his team later, but his stats pale in comparison.

Although the competition he faces is not as fierce in Europe, Pepe has registered 17 goal attempts (average of 4.3 through who scored), more than double his Premier League record (average of 2) .

He also has the joint leading winger in opportunities created in the competition, as well as racking up the second-highest number of crossover attempts.

These figures have not escaped his coach, with Arteta now throwing the glove at Pepe to reproduce this form in the league once he returns from suspension.

“He created some good moments in the game and he worked really hard for the team so I really like him, I’m happy with that,” said Arteta.

“We all know what his level is, and the question is always how often can he reach that level and how does he contribute to other aspects of the game.

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“Today is the example of the level he needs to reach, and he needs to keep doing it because he is capable.”

Pepe will of course have to get around a suspension for his header over Leeds’ Ezgjan Alioski, but the Ivorian could be the answer Arteta is looking for to resolve Arsenal’s hesitancy in key areas.

“You see that every time he takes those positions in the last third, he is a real threat and a very difficult player to control,” added Arteta.

“He can go with his feet, he can go in, he can shoot, he can create crossovers, and he can also come in behind you. That’s what we can expect from him.”