Nicolas Pepe was the most fouled player in the north London derby
Nicolas Pepe struggled to find real rhythm against Tottenham Hotspur.
The most fouled player in the north London derby, Nicolas Pepe had it far from easy on his return to the starting XI. Six times, he was hacked down by Spurs players yet it wasn't just them at fault.
Pepe's persistence when constantly faced with these challenges should be applauded but against Tottenham, it became clear that determination alone won't see him through.
Finding more space to drift into, the winger's influence on the game grew as half time approached but dwindled after the break. Failing to cause real problems for Jose Mourinho's defenders, a change in approach was necessary but Mikel Arteta didn't act accordingly.
Since football's return, one of the key features of Pepe's play is that he has been comfortable dribbling down the outside of defences as much as cutting inside. This was especially the case in the 2-1 defeat at Brighton and at Sheffield United but was not seen against Spurs.
Too often, the 25-year-old was forced to pick up the ball near the half way line and then drive infield which is where a change of plan should have occurred as Arsenal couldn't attack the right areas of the pitch, as highlighted by Arteta post-match.
"We can do more and be more incisive, exploit some spaces better than what we've done," he said.
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"Sometimes the rhythm, the urgency and the link on distances wasn't exactly there but in many times it was and the purpose was there. But to attack 10 players like this all the time is not an easy thing to do and we tried and had enough chances to win a derby the way we did it today."
Key to the way Pepe plays is how he works with Hector Bellerin down the right wing. Especially after returning from lockdown, the movements of the right wing-back in relation to him dictate how Arsenal are going to attack. At the Amex Stadium for instance, Hector Bellerin constantly tucking inside gave Pepe the space he needed to drive down the outside, creating the space to cut inside for his goal - as analysed in more detail here.
This was build on by Ainsley Maitland-Niles against Sheffield United but his willingness to push forward also gave Pepe the time and space to drift into more central areas.
Bellerin showed promise that he would commit to taking the outside, stretching the Tottenham defence, early on but over than his burst forward in the first half, there wasn't much more from him in regard to venturing forward. He may have taken up positions that appeared promising but without the intent to get in behind, movement inside from Pepe or service, Arsenal were stuck at a stand still.
Here, Bellerin and Kieran Tierney are in positions they frequently took up when Arsenal were in possession against Spurs. Almost playing as wingers themselves, while Pepe and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang push in, creating the space high and wide as David Luiz comes forward with the ball.
Luiz takes the safe option and squares the ball to Shkodran Mustafi which immediately puts Arsenal on the back foot. Rather than attacking the space head on, Bellerin is now back-peddling as Dani Ceballos scurries across to fill the space where the right-back usually is.
This ends up being a counterproductive move as despite getting on the ball, Ceballos is closed down by Lucas Moura and Harry Kane straight away. Moura's efforts mustn't be ignored as he racked up 10 tackles during the game, but this forced the Spaniard to drop the ball right back to Mustafi.
Almost a whole minute later, Arsenal were still yet to leave their own half. The ball had moved between Mustafi, Ceballos, Emi Martinez, Granit Xhaka and then back to source.
With this going on much longer than expected, Mustafi could be seen pleading for help from his team-mates which saw Bellerin and Alexandre Lacazette drop back deep into their own half to support him.
Although the ball didn't find him immediately, Lacazette didn't have enough time to get back up the pitch. That meant when he did collect the ball, he had the time to pick out Bellerin down the right. Pepe makes a run inside as this happens.
Yet again, Arsenal create their own problems. With Lacazette now so far from the action, Pepe and Bellerin are left outnumbered. They trade passes to buy some time but before you know it, the ball has been swung into the box.
The cross was inaccurate but even if Aubameyang [who had three touches inside the box] did have a chance to reach it, he was the only red shirt in a box containing five Spurs players - two marking him specifically.
Failing to take advantage of these areas of the pitch forced Pepe to drop into deeper, more central areas to pick up the ball, giving him much more work to do than necessary.
Taking this into account, alongside the general flow of the match, it appears Arteta needs to work more on his 'Plan B's heading into matches. The Spaniard's initial concepts when it comes to the way in which Arsenal play make sense but once those plans are hit out of place by the opposition, adjusting hasn't been a strength for the Gunners, which has been especially apparent against Leicester and Spurs.
In regard to Pepe, figuring out how to free him up more in these situations is a must. On this occasion, it felt as if the movements between himself and Bellerin against Brighton would have been more useful, leaving him a less cluttered route to the final third.
Working on a backup plan for when 'Plan A' fails, or needs adjusting, however, appears to be a more team-orientated task for Arteta and with Europa League football the most Arsenal can hope for, finding those solutions will be essential.
Sourced from football.london