Ricardo Pepi at PSV Eindhoven

Discussion in 'Yanks Abroad' started by EXALIFTIN, Jun 27, 2021.

  1. BostonRed

    BostonRed Member+

    Oct 9, 2011
    Somerville, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
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  2. Gorky

    Gorky Member+

    Jul 28, 2006
    NYC
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Another kicker 4.5 incoming?
     
  3. dspence2311

    dspence2311 Member+

    Oct 14, 2007
    The chances are just a bit few and far between. He didn’t really screw up at all. He just isn’t the guy who is going to create his own chances.
     
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  4. mace

    mace Member+

    Indy 11
    United States
    Jun 5, 2004
    USA
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    probably. He was below average by Bundesliga striker standards. Even more below average by $18M striker standards. Hopefully he won’t get the BW6!
     
  5. freisland

    freisland Member+

    Jan 31, 2001
    SELECT ALT ENDING: Pepi goes on national team duty, scores in a comfortable environment. Returns to Germany confident and ready to rip a Mulligan to the green...

    National team call-ups often suck, but they've been known to juice a players performance as well as put them on the outs with their club. But ultimately it will eventually be "can he help us" but a young new signing if they didn't plan on giving Pepi some adjustment time, they're dumb. If they really thought they were getting a "gonna bag Bund goals off the plane" player, they should shopped elsewhere.
     
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  6. ArsenalMetro

    ArsenalMetro Member+

    United States
    Aug 5, 2008
    Chicago, IL
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Pepi shouldn't have been called up because his form is in the toilet.

    Allowing a player to settle in at a new club shouldn't be part of our consideration anymore. Our players are good enough now that there isn't a reason to worry about an American being dropped from his Euro club squad for having the audacity to play for the national team.
     
  7. no exit

    no exit Member+

    DC United
    United States
    Nov 20, 2019
    From the "puts in goals and assists" perspective, obviously it's a fallow period. But I don't think there's a ton to worry about (at least so far) if you zoom out a bit. Pepi got .1 xG in his first outing; .6 xG his second; and, per FotMob, .34 xG + xA in his 57 minute-outing today.

    Per 90 minutes that's .53 xG+xA -- an above-average pace for a Bundesliga striker. Pretty good for a young guy on a struggling team in a new league.

    For me the concerns are still exactly the same as before: doesn't get a ton of touches, and he presses a lot but doesn't necessarily get results from it.

    Overall I think it's a solid first few games considering the circumstances. The important thing is that no one in Augsburg panics.
     
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  8. russ

    russ Member+

    Feb 26, 1999
    Canton,NY
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Move to right midfield incoming...
     
  9. dspence2311

    dspence2311 Member+

    Oct 14, 2007
    Lol.

    I have faith that unless the manager is fired he will come around.
     
  10. Eighteen Alpha

    Eighteen Alpha Member+

    Aug 17, 2016
    Club:
    Stoke City FC
    This match was practically unwatchable. I only made through the first half then skipped to Richards vs Reyna-less BvB. Difficult to rate Pepi given Leverkusen’s dominance and Augsburg ‘s incompetence but It’s tough to feel optimistic about the overall situation.
     
  11. dark knight

    dark knight Super Moderator
    Staff Member

    Dec 15, 1999
    Club:
    Leicester City FC
    He definitely needs to improve his hold-up play. He’s chasing the game and struggling to help the team because his touches aren’t coming off. He needs to take pressure off the team at times.
     
  12. Gorky

    Gorky Member+

    Jul 28, 2006
    NYC
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    This is going to be a difficult 6 months. Hope he has a strong mentality and keeps up his spiritss.
     
  13. yurch10

    yurch10 Member+

    Feb 13, 2004
    Was anyone expecting goals from this move? He's basically in a Sargent situation, and can only hope that the negativity from his situation won't transfer over to this thread. These kinda situations will hopefully be good for the career. If he's not going to be scoring goals, he can develop the other parts of his game while hopefully nicking a goal here or there...

    Much like Sargent, the key is to simply keep earning minutes at this point, which is the most important thing right now.
     
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  14. twoolley

    twoolley Member+

    Jan 3, 2008
    On teams like this you need to beat your xG not be at or below it. If he can do that and improve his game in the ways you mentioned he will move quick. Otherwise, we will see.
     
  15. Excellency

    Excellency Member+

    LA Galaxy
    United States
    Nov 4, 2011
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Disagree (apart from weather conditions consideration).

    Mr. Berhalter is taking a cooperative approach with clubs and his experience with Nat team is likely to improve his play for club.

    I was just watching the Milan v. Juve game yesterday and Ibrahimovich and Giroud are their cf's. They are old - can't lie to you - and will need replacement. Pepi seems to fit what they want in style of play. Pepi has some fantastic header goals and his movement all over the pitch and interplay make him ideal for Serie A imo.

    I suppose it is difficult to make a case to the FO when they have the scudetto in sight with less than half a season to play; on the other side it might behoove Pepi to stay in Germany to develop because they are pretty good at cultivating players in a humane way.

    The one downside to Augsburg is the question of how well their midfield can push the rock so Pepi gets reps in front of goal. That was one problem, the main problem among other problems, that Sargent had in Bremen. Pepi would not have that problem at Milan.
     
  16. PaulGascoigne

    PaulGascoigne Member+

    Feb 5, 2001
    Aotearoa/NZ
    He has played less than two games' worth of time in Europe so far. He looked pretty good in the second outing. And not very good in the third one.

    If you mean he needs to prove that he is playing well before being called up, that's one thing. But you can't really make much a comment on his "form" being "in the toilet" after 171 minutes for a new team in a new league.
     
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  17. ArsenalMetro

    ArsenalMetro Member+

    United States
    Aug 5, 2008
    Chicago, IL
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    #467 ArsenalMetro, Jan 24, 2022
    Last edited: Jan 24, 2022
    He hasn't played well for club or country since October. He put up one of the worst performances on the field for the US in the December friendly against Bosnia, and he hasn't shown anything yet at Augsburg to show that he has snapped out of his skid.

    I'm not saying he's shit or anything. Just that he's a teenager who saw a massive surge in minutes over the past 12 months, and it has caught up to him*. He isn't playing well, and he needs time off. Calling him up was a mistake.

    * - 563, all comps in 2020 versus 2,527 in 2021
     
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  18. uniteo

    uniteo Member+

    Sep 2, 2000
    Rockville, MD
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    this is not going to get easier anytime soon; with the exception of a game in Feb against Borussia Monchengladbach, Augsburg just started a 5-game stretch in which they play four of the current top 5.
     
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  19. Gorky

    Gorky Member+

    Jul 28, 2006
    NYC
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Got a 5 from kicker[emoji2357]
     
  20. The Irish Rover

    The Irish Rover Member+

    Aug 1, 2010
    Dublin
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Ireland Republic
    "His form is in the toilet"

    [​IMG]
     
  21. GreedyG

    GreedyG Member

    Dec 9, 2020
    I’m not seeing how this will turn out to be a good move. He had a good situation during a World Cup year. Now he’s in a tough situation with low potential for success. Pressure is going to build, sphincter is going to pucker up, and this will be Sargent all over again. And what was Augsburg thinking?
     
  22. felloveranddidanadu

    Plymouth Argyle FC
    Dec 12, 2009
    Club:
    San Jose Frogs
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Yes, but...a couple years ago Pepi was a wide eyed kid from El Paso hoping to make it in Dallas. Now he's a wide eyed kid hoping to make it in Augsburg. You could argue the step up from whatever his level was in El Paso, then North Texas, to MLS was as big as MLS to Bundesliga.

    Glass half full says he fires them to safety. Huge ask, but so too was walking off the dirt fields of El Paso hoping to make something of himself for him and his family.
     
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  23. ArsenalMetro

    ArsenalMetro Member+

    United States
    Aug 5, 2008
    Chicago, IL
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    He joined the Dallas academy 6 years ago from an affiliate youth club. This post makes him sound like El Paso's Oliver Twist.
     
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  24. no exit

    no exit Member+

    DC United
    United States
    Nov 20, 2019
    I'm not sure what all the rending of garments is about. He's putting up a solid xG+xA figure, and not doing so much in other aspects of the game. He's basically the exact same player, with the exact same levels of production, as he was in MLS. So if anything fans should be encouraged. The goals aren't going in yet but if he keeps up this pace they will.
     
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  25. golazo68

    golazo68 Member+

    Dortmund
    United States
    May 21, 2004
    Brazil
    On paper, this move did not make sense on several fronts.

    One reason is now Pepi goes away for 2 weeks while his relegation fighting club needs every practice to position himself for a win. And he won’t be around.

    Would love to be wrong but this kindof move would have made a lot more sense in summer, not now. Hopefully everything comes together and he gets integrated and goals- but this was so much pressure to heap on this young man’s shoulders. Hope he doesn’t tailspin.
     

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