On the bench: 𝙀𝙄𝙉𝙀𝙍 für 𝘼𝙇𝙇𝙀, 𝘼𝙇𝙇𝙀 für 𝙀𝙄𝙉𝙀𝙉! ✊ #FCAM05 pic.twitter.com/371QW0Thh3— FC Augsburg (@FCAugsburg) April 6, 2022
70' @Ricardo_Pepi9 ersetzt Flo #Niederlechner! 🔁 #FCAM05 pic.twitter.com/SI5OcBB2VL— FC Augsburg (@FCAugsburg) April 6, 2022
Frantic finish. Pepi could only work on his hold up play and defensive pressing as Augsburg were sitting back. Had one, one on one possibility but Vargas, I think, attempted a fifty meter shot and Pepi stared him down afterward. So he’s implementing the getting mad at his players for lack of distribution part of his game now. Goals to come later.
Big win for FCA... a couple of wins in a row and things are certainly looking up with regards to their hopes to stay up... they aren't safe yet but with 6 games to go it's within site.
Yes, I don't know if his teammates are dissing him or if they are just football dumb, but he's been overlooked a number of times when he has been the best passing option. I tend to think they are discriminating against him. Who knows why? Maybe because he doesn't speak German or because is a young rookie player? When this has happened to me, I continued to be pleasant to my teammates and I put the ball in the back of the net. Eventually, this adolescent chit goes away.
I haven't watched FC Augsburg, and I have no idea if and why his teammates aren't passing him the ball, but in every new work situation you have to prove yourself to your co-workers. And Pepi has yet to prove anything. Being 18 with just one professional season behind him and no international reputation (a few goals in CONCACAF don't mean anything in Europe) being rewarded with the team's transfer record (and commensurate salary--probably one of the highest on the team) probably doesn't sit all that well with the BL journeymen teams like Augsburg typically employ.
I think Pepi has proven that he belongs in the Bundesliga. It is not above his level. However, he has not proven that he is exceptional. If he doesn't do that in the remainder of the season and next season, then he will probably be sold. I suspect that he is going to break out soon. Again, he has not done badly, but he has not stood out.
He’s played in 8 matches with 374 total minutes and has 1.2 total xG (for 0 goals). I think he probably is a mid-to-low Bundes level player over time but he’s not at this level right now. This type of start was very obvious to see coming if you’d looked at his underlying MLS numbers, took into account his age and looked at the team he was heading to and their production.
His stats are not great, but have you watched the games? Pepi has done alright, IMO He's not getting a lot of chances, and a lot of that is down to the decision-making and quality of his teammates. He would have had 3 or 4 goals right now if they would just pass him the fecking ball.
Pepi has one full season behind him but he also got 500 minutes, playing in half the games for FCD, the prior season. And 70 minutes in 7 games for them the season before that. I don't think that materially changes your point, but he's not as green as you suggest. He is still very young, though.
Patience folks. From all I know the kid has the right attitude which in itself is huge in these situations. Perseverance is needed, and a thick skin. Most important is that Augsburg stays up and he gets a full preseason to work with the team and staff, but a late season goal wouldn’t hurt.
That it assumes that they - simultaneously - have a) enough soccer IQ to work out how to sabotage him and b) are dumb/nasty enough to waste their IQ on that instead of, you know, working out how to feed him the damned ball. Augsburg have finished in the bottom third 8 times in their 10 previous BL1 seasons and 4th-from-bottom in 2 of the last 3 seasons. Doubtful that they have that kind of soccer IQ because they don't have the kind to feed him properly either. FWIW, I saw two of his Augsburg games before falling ill and in his defence he was working damned hard to find positions and make himself available, but the midfield was just sterile dreck. There weren't even the proverbial scraps for him to feed off of.
Off the bench: Wolfsburg ✅Mainz ✅Bayern ⏳#FCBFCA pic.twitter.com/n8ylwpc6ke— FC Augsburg (@FCAugsburg) April 9, 2022 56' Doppelwechsel! 🔁↩️ Flo #Niederlechner und Ruben #Vargas 👏↪️ @Ricardo_Pepi9 und Andi #Zeqiri 💪AUF! #FCBFCA pic.twitter.com/FlVHA7n9Qt— FC Augsburg (@FCAugsburg) April 9, 2022
Unfortunately you were right, (though not in the way you predicted) — I was wrong by a fair amount. I had 1.5xg after 10 or so appearances and he’s at 0.94xg with 9 appearances. He will be fine in the fullness of time, but it’s basically played out exactly as I feared it would.
It's a business and he is a resource. They will give him time, because of his age. However, they will also look at declining rates of return and asset market value. There are three options: hold, loan, or sell. They will do whatever is in the best financial interest of the club. They will not care that he is a "nice boy from El Paso".