New West Ham United head coach Graham Potter has made it very clear exactly where Julen Lopetegui went wrong with Lucas Paqueta.
West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta has been in really poor form in general this season, but we’ve seen far more from him under Graham Potter than we did with Julen Lopetegui at the helm.
Paqueta has been a real target for criticism from the Hammers fans this season, and he really went down in their books after posting his Sofa Score rating on Instagram after our 4-1 defeat to Manchester City recently.
It can’t have been easy for the 27-year-old to show his best stuff for us this season, with the threat of a lifetime ban hanging over his head, if he is found guilty of potential betting breaches.
However, I believe we will see a new Paqueta now under the guidance of Potter.
Or should I say, a much more more improved version of himself.
Really exciting things lie ahead of the Hammers and Paqueta with Potter now at the helm
Graham Potter – Where Lopetegui went wrong with Lucas Paqueta
The new Hammers head coach has already made a huge impact since taking over at the London Stadium.
The players all look happy to be playing for him, and Paqueta is a shining example of that.
Potter addressed the media this afternoon, and made it clear just how he plans to extract the best from the Brazilian.
The Hammers chief highlighted where his predecessor Lopetegui maybe went wrong, as quoted by WHUFC.com:
“I think he’s [Lucas Paquetá] the type of player who needs to feel how important he is to the team. He has to have that responsibility himself because he’s very important for us, and how he acts and conducts himself is really important for the team.
“I can only comment on what I’ve seen, and I think he’s been fantastic in his last two games. His work rate, and what he does for the team, has been of a really high level. As a result of that he’s got his reward, with goals in both games.
“I think he’s the kind of player who you don’t have to pin down to one specific role. He can do lots of different things, because he’s that talented and has real quality.“
That’s absolutely brilliant from Potter.
He has understood the need to make Paqueta feel very important – something that Lopetegui completely failed to grasp.
If Graham Potter manages to extract the very best form from Lucas Paqueta, West Ham will have a successful season, I have no doubts about that.
It just feels so good that we have a head coach now who places a lot real emphasis on connecting with players off the pitch, and understanding their needs.
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