Mikel Arteta's big decision: Should Willian or Pepe start for Arsenal against Manchester United? 

There’s this funny thing that happened after Willian made his Arsenal debut back in September.

The Brazilian had put in a man-of-the-match performance, setting up two goals as the Gunners defeated Fulham 3-0 on the opening day of the Premier League.

As many Arsenal fans took to Twitter to count their lucky stars for acquiring the winger on a free, a ‘jealous’ Chelsea fan tweeted that they shouldn’t be rejoicing too early.

His reason being that Willian was the type of player who could be impressive and provide two assists in his first game, and still end the season will a total of just five-goal contributions.

While this Chelsea fan’s comment was funny and smacked of sheer envy, Arsenal fans have come to realize that it wasn’t entirely false and that Willian cannot be trusted to be consistent for the whole season.

3 assists in one game? Well, Arsenal are gonna have to wait till match week 36 for the next assist then. That’s simply how Willian operates. Don’t say I didn’t tell you. #CitiSports

— Fentuo Tahiru Fentuo (@Fentuo_) September 12, 2020

The consistency problem

Willian has often been accused of inconsistency

As the Gunners prepare to welcome high-flying Manchester United to the Emirates on Sunday, manager Mikel Arteta will ponder over whether to start Willian or Nicolas Pepe, another underwhelming signing, against the Red Devils.

The two are in competition for Arsenal’s right-wing position but neither has so far been convincing. Pepe was bought for a whopping £72 million, and although he has shown flashes of his brilliance, his inconsistency has often frustrated fans.

Everything about the Ivory Coast international’s time so far at Arsenal was summarized by his performance against Dundalk in the Europa League on Thursday.

The 25-year-old was often wasteful and lethargic in possession, but ended up scoring an absolute stunner to seal a comfortable 3-0 win for the North London club. That is what he can do on his day, but how often does he do it?

Nicolas Pépé lost possession 15 times in the first half against Dundalk, at least five times more than any other player on the pitch.

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) October 29, 2020

"It's about finding the consistency, not through the games but during the games as well to be more incisive, and do the right things on many occasions when he has to make the right decision on the pitch,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said of Pepe after Thursday’s Europa League game, as quoted by Sky Sports.

“Sometimes it's the simple things, the deliveries, the amount of situations he's able to create or attract and then make the right decision to keep evolving that phase of play. For example, the finishing, the position inside the box, he has to be more consistent at it. We're working on it, and hopefully he will be doing it much more efficiently."

Mikel Arteta was spot on when he said Pepe needs more consistency and the same applies to Willian, who has neither scored nor assisted a goal since his opening day heroics against Fulham.

Willian or Pepe: Who can be more consistent for Arsenal?

Pepe has often failed to live up to his high price tag

Willian is more direct and works hard off the ball, but his end product is often questionable, and that is not what Arsenal needs at the moment. In seven games this season, the Brazilian is yet to score and boasts just two assists, both of which came against Fulham.

Pepe, on the other hand, has played seven games this season, scoring twice and providing one assist. These are poor numbers for any modern-day winger.

Comparing the stats of both Willian and Pepe to the likes of Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford, Kai Havertz or even Son Heung-Min, makes them look mediocre.

But the two are currently the best options available to Mikel Arteta, and he has a big decision to make ahead of Sunday’s massive game against an in-form Manchester United.