Lucas Paqueta played a key role for West Ham United against Fulham on Tuesday night, and something he did after game didn’t reflect well on Julen Lopetegui.
West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta has improved massively over the past couple of games.
It’s no shock to me that that upturn in form has coincided with the arrival of Graham Potter at the London Stadium.
Potter absolutely raved about Paqueta after the Hammers’ 3-2 win over Fulham in the Premier League on Tuesday.
The 27-year-old’s performance for West Ham was like a real breath of fresh air – one that we haven’t been used to seeing from him.
Now I want to see that every single week from the Brazil international.
His performances under Julen Lopetegui quite simply weren’t good enough.
Lucas Paqueta did something interesting after West Ham v Fulham
The Brazilian put in an incredible performance against the Cottagers.
He played in a variety of different positions, and his versatility in that aspect was crucial to the Hammers carving out openings inside the final third.
Paqueta also ran himself into the ground.
What an incredible shift it was from the former Lyon midfielder – an absolute joy to watch.
And now West Ham reporter Roshane Thomas has highlighted something Paqueta did just after the full-time whistle that proves he has fully bought into Potter’s methods.
The Athletic journalist wrote:
“The 27-year-old fell to the turf in exhaustion after Tuesday’s precious 3-2 victory over Fulham. It was a rare sight, seldom seen under former manager Julen Lopetegui, but one that shows the attacker has already bought into Potter’s methods.“
I noticed how Paqueta had absolutely nothing left after the game, and Thomas is spot on, we didn’t see that at all with Lopetegui at the helm.
One thing I will say is that it concerns me that certain players weren’t giving their all just because they didn’t like the manager.
Surely they should be playing for the badge and the supporters first and foremost?
Alas, that’s just the way that modern day football has gone it seems.
The main thing for West Ham now will be for Lucas Paqueta to maintain the levels he’s shown over the past two games for the remainder of the season.
And I firmly believe that Potter is the man to extract the very best from the mercurial Brazilian star.
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