Sure..................but FCD would have given him the opportunity to get back on track had he stayed this season. I don't blame Pepi for forcing his way out (and make no mistake, he forced his way out), and I don't blame FCD for selling. I'm just not convinced it was the right move for him at that time from a soccer perspective. I would say that being dumped in the middle of a Bundesliga relegation fight mid-season, also probably wasn't optimal. Let's see how he does next season.
Who knows? We shall see. With the pricetag that Augsburg paid for him, they're going to give him a chance to succeed. He took a big jump from FCD to the Bundesliga. And he was dumped into that league in the middle of a relegation fight. They didn't have any room to play him "for experience." I'll be interested to see how he does with a full pre-season and full integration into the squad. Next year will tell the real story for me.
Stop with the mych better league nonsesnse, it's all situational. Hoppe scored goals for flailing Schalke but can't for a flailing Mallorca? Pepi hadn't been scoring with FC Dallas before he even got his transfer. Sargent just isn't a goal scorer. 2 vs 5 league goals is probably dye to him not playing striker anymore. Same for Weah.
I'm more than willing to argue that they all suffer from the same problem, lack of service, and then the lack of service leads to slackening confidence, which leads to blown chances they'd probably normally finish, whether for these guys or for Wood or Altidore in the EPL etc. I have zero doubt whatsoever that if Pefok were playing with '19-'21 Bremen he'd have very few goals, ditto '20-'21 Schalke, or Augsburg. Would he have more? I tend to think he was just because of what he does (finishes sloppy chances and corners and set pieces in the box clinically), so yeah, he wouldn't be as bad in terms of counting stats, but he wouldn't be much better either, and I believe 100% that if Hoppe or Sargent were with Young Boys, their goals would be way way up there, same with Pepi. If you need service to score, and you play for a team with no midfield, you will struggle to score. That's why these guys can look so much better for us than for their club teams, the only exception was Sargent and up until the summer of '21, Sargent's goal and assist rate for the US was solid, even in the midst of this poor run. His confidence fell and so did his production, and finally his call ups. Switch him with Pefok and I'd expect 12-15 goals and I'd be stunned if he wasn't at double digits.The confidence would feed into better form from the chances,
if you make hard runs and get rewarded you make them more often. If you make them and never get service you start coming deeper to get the ball but are then not in scoring range. Same for a mid in reverse if you make great passes but your teammates don't can't read the situation it makes you look foolish and you start being conservative.
I'm sure folks can go thru a big long list of players who didn't do a lot in their first year in a "big league" who subsequently did very well. Mohammed Salah's first two years in the Premier League at Chelsea, for instance. 2 goals total. Players have ups and down, ups and downs. Mikael Antonio was red hot in the first half of the premier league season, now apparently can't hit the broad side of a barn. He's been "CONCACAF'D." I'm just loathe to make any sort of definitive conclusions about a 19 year old that was dumped into the middle of a Bundesliga relegation campaign. Just like I think Hoppe can get back on track, de la Fuente can get back on track, Dike can get back on track, Gioacchini can get back on track...............the list goes on and on. When it comes to the World Cup roster, we have to take the guy in good form. That's a different matter. It wouldn't be Pepi if the competition was today. But its not today. These guys have this summer to win a place.
That you suck in a weak league means you're likely to suck in a strong one. The you suck in a strong league doesn't mean you'll look better in a weak one.
True, but if you have had past success in a weaker league, but currently suck in a strong league, it is entirely possible that you could go back to a weaker league and do well. If you are young, than sucking in a strong (or weak) league may or may not be permanent. What youth does for you is increase the likelihood that there will be improvement in the future. Hopefully at least some of that improvement happens before nov. Either way, it is far too early to write off our young players....any of them. We can all have our personal opinions on which ones are best now and which are most likely to break out in a big way further down the line, but don't give up on any of them and hope for the best come Qatar.
Now at Groningen, Pepi hopes to play a lot, score, and go to the World Cup: https://www.bigsoccer.com/threads/r...en-olf-augsburg.2116061/page-44#post-40779201
What did folks expect him to say? "Nah..............I don't want to go to the World Cup. I'm going to sit here and wallow in self-pity." Pepi is going to fight for the spot just like he should. Let's go!!!! Make Berhalter's decision difficult!
Exactly. Let’s let Pepi decide his own destiny. I’m rooting for him to make it hard for Gregg to make a final decision for this World Cup.
Which, apparently, is enough to garner him the "honor" of being the only teenage foreigner in Eredivisie history to have 3 goal participations in his first three games in the league.
This hot streak is probably going to get him on the final roster. I hope is confidence is going up… I’d love for Pepi to come into the World Cup believing he’s gonna score.
Haha he's playing at a similar level (that Dike was king of too), Pepi has even better ratings, and has been superior for the team he's auditioning for, so no. Sarge is fighting for a spot. Pepi always had one, and is fighting for a starting job. He started at last camp, not Sargent. And he started the most last time games mattered.
Damn, that's compelling. Too bad it's objectively untrue: Qualifying ratings- Pepi: 7.02 Sargent: 6.53 Career meaningful goals or assists: Pepi: 4 Sargent: 0 League ratings- Pepi: 7.35 Sargent: 7.27 non pk g+a/90: Pepi: 1.29 Sargent: .81 But Sarge > Pepi, guys. Why? Just trust me. It's remarkable how much comparative affinity he has from some for a guy who has been so much worse for the team they're supposedly a fan of and has Chris Wondolowski's production record for so far. I have a hunch the same people ranted about Wondo more than most even.