Simone Pepe (17 Viewers)
- Thread starter Dostoevsky
- Start date
Unexpected.
he is instrumental to our success right now and while guys like giaccherini seemingly are just as hard runners and workers you see that pepe has instilled the system that conte wants to play and does not only tire the opponents defense, but consistently makes runs into the box which lead to goal scoring opportunities... same with the leg-save of marchetti... it seems that he is running so much that no one of the opponent can mark him the whole game, which is a good thing
I never for one second thought I would ever say this before a couple of months ago. But here it is; Pepe has become an indispensable part of this team. At first, I assumed that he must be in abnormally good form, or his fitness levels are extremely high, or he's just getting really lucky scoring those goals. But I never considered the fourth option, namely, that Pepe is genuinely a very useful player when integrated properly. After 11 games, one of Conte's biggest achievements is knowing exactly how to use Pepe.
It's no secret that he doesn't have Messi's skill or Xavi's vision. He was never going to be a superstar, and he probably isn't going to get any bids from Man City any time soon. But one thing's for certain, this guy is one of the hungriest players in the world right now, and you can really see it on the pitch. I don't think Pepe suddenly developed this hunger thanks to Conte, as even last season, he was always one of our hardest working players.
However, this year, under Conte's 4-3-3/4-5-1 system in particular. He's found a position he can truly show his worth in. When we want to attack, you see Pepe taking advanced positions on the right wing, or right next to Matri, thus giving us more attacking options, albeit not the extraordinarily potent ones. On defense, you will see him every where from the center of defense, to either side of the defensive flanks, to the middle of the field pressuring the opposition.
The reason Conte loves this guy so much is because he is not lazy. He is a workhorse and is relentless throughout the entire 90 minutes.
With that being said, I understand when someone says that Pepe still shouldn't start for this team. I would agree once we get 2 or 3 world class players that can do what Pepe's doing and more, and still maintain the work rate of the team. But at the moment, I would not rather see Krasic or Elia or Quag instead of Pepe. He's fulfilling his role to near perfection, and until he stops doing so, he deserves to start for us.
It's no secret that he doesn't have Messi's skill or Xavi's vision. He was never going to be a superstar, and he probably isn't going to get any bids from Man City any time soon. But one thing's for certain, this guy is one of the hungriest players in the world right now, and you can really see it on the pitch. I don't think Pepe suddenly developed this hunger thanks to Conte, as even last season, he was always one of our hardest working players.
However, this year, under Conte's 4-3-3/4-5-1 system in particular. He's found a position he can truly show his worth in. When we want to attack, you see Pepe taking advanced positions on the right wing, or right next to Matri, thus giving us more attacking options, albeit not the extraordinarily potent ones. On defense, you will see him every where from the center of defense, to either side of the defensive flanks, to the middle of the field pressuring the opposition.
The reason Conte loves this guy so much is because he is not lazy. He is a workhorse and is relentless throughout the entire 90 minutes.
With that being said, I understand when someone says that Pepe still shouldn't start for this team. I would agree once we get 2 or 3 world class players that can do what Pepe's doing and more, and still maintain the work rate of the team. But at the moment, I would not rather see Krasic or Elia or Quag instead of Pepe. He's fulfilling his role to near perfection, and until he stops doing so, he deserves to start for us.
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