Speaking on the Ringer FC Podcast, Ian Wright has been discussing Nicolas Pepe and Arsenal’s attacking options after the departure of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Arsenal are rather light up top after Aubameyang’s departure. Alexandre Lacazette is the Gunners’ only truly proven senior number nine, and if he goes down injured, there could be something of a crisis on at the Emirates.
However, Wright has something of a left-field solution for Arsenal. He’s put forward the idea of playing Nicolas Pepe as a false nine in this team.
What’s Wright said about Pepe?
The pundit gave his view on the Ivorian.
“I’d like to see something from him. When you watch him in the African Cup of Nations, I feel as though the defending is even harder with how athletic and how good they are and how intelligent they are. You have to do a lot more, and he’s done it. Why aren’t we getting that out of him? “ Wright pondered.
“Play him as a false nine, play him in a role where he’s free and he can run at people. It seems to me that Mikel is doing something where he has to take a chance on that. Because I’m feeling that the goals are going to come from Emile Smith Rowe, Saka and hopefully Martinelli, and I’m not saying that any of them are proven like Aubameyang was, but we’re talking about someone who can frighten defenders and he can take half chances, we’ve seen that.”
Could it work?
Wright says that Arteta should look at playing Pepe as a false nine, but would that work?
Well, Arsenal certainly have the wide players to accommodate for a false nine formation, but it’s up for debate as to whether or not Pepe is that man.
He’s tricky on the ball, but running through the middle is a different task to running down the wing, while he’s also not got the best eye for a pass.
Perhaps this is something Arteta could explore in training before he gives it a go in a match.
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