Like you say he can't hit anyone on the break anymore. One thing I've always loathed about Fekir though is that most of his dribbles are sideways. He'll hold onto the ball for fifteen seconds, run 15-20 meters, beat two opponents, and then pass it along. All in all the ball will have progressed two meters on the pitch. He was that way in Lyon too even though he picked up a disproportionate amount of assists.
Quaresma and Taarabt used to be the same. I've always thought it was a typical trait in players who will never be quite there. They can't cope with the pressure in areas where the space gets more congested so they play in horisontal lines instead. It ends up looking good in compilations but there's a real lack of vertical threat. Just look at that clip above - half of the passes into the box are just run of the mill stuff targeting a man who has already made the run. As uneven as Pepe has been for Arsenal, it'll be a very sad day if we end up replacing him with Fekir, never mind if he's being short-listed as a replacement for Ødegaard.
