I have a feeling that David Moyes might have got it spot on with West Ham United star Lucas Paqueta.
West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta has been terrible for us since Julen Lopetegui arrived at the London Stadium, after thriving under David Moyes.
The Brazilian has been so poor that Lopetegui is allegedly planning to drop him for our upcoming game against Manchester United.
I think he needs to be dropped actually. The fact the Lopetegui continues to start him has undoubtedly made him extremely complacent.
Paqueta obviously has a lot on his mind, with his off-field problems regarding potential betting breaches undoubtedly playing a part in his struggles.
The 27-year-old Hammers star recently released a statement in response to the ongoing investigation and charges levelled at him.
Despite those issues, Lopetegui simply has to find a way to get the best out of Paqueta.
And maybe the Spaniard should take inspiration from the man he replaced at the London Stadium earlier this summer.
David Moyes was right all along about Lucas Paqueta
The Scot endured plenty of criticism during his final season in charge at the London Stadium.
He did get a lot of things right though, especially during his first three years at the helm.
And one of his big wins was the way that he used Lucas Paqueta.
When Moyes used Paqueta out wide, many Hammers fans were screaming for the 27-year-old to be moved more central.
However, it now looks like Moyes had it spot on, for two reasons.
Firstly, Paqueta had a telepathic understanding with Emerson Palmieri, and the two just can’t link up like they once did anymore.
West Ham are really missing that interplay between the Brazilian and the Italian out on the left flank.
Secondly, Paqueta is extremely error prone, and the big problem is that when he makes those mistakes in the middle of the park, we tend to get punished, just like we did away at Tottenham on Saturday.
If he’s playing out on the left wing, the consequences of him losing possession are usually not quite as terminal.
I believe that Julen Lopetegui needs to move Lucas Paqueta back out to the left wing, just like David Moyes did, if we are to see the best of him for West Ham again.
The added bonus with that is that the Hammers boss can then move Mohammed Kudus into his favourite number 10 position, when he’s back from suspension of course.
It’s a win-win situation all around.
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