Julen Lopetegui nearly pays the price over Lucas Paqueta call at West Ham United
Julen Lopetegui nearly cost his West Ham United side dear in the 2-1 win against Manchester United by going against his instincts and starting Lucas Paqueta.
GiveMeSport [22 October] reported Lopetegui was considering dropping Paqueta and Alphonse Areola in the build-up to the win at the London Stadium, but the Brazilian was named in the starting lineup on Sunday [27 October].
Paqueta offered another non-existent performance for his side and was ultimately removed for Tomas Soucek at half-time.
As pointed out by Roshane Thomas for The Athletic [28 October], Soucek helped bring much more “stability” to the Hammers’ midfield and Lopetegui was praised for making the triple change.
West Ham secured a monumental result against Manchester United and leapfrogged Erik ten Hag’s side to 13th place in the Premier League but, unfortunately for Paqueta, it seems he can no longer escape the axe in East London.
Lucas Paqueta is not at his best for West Ham United
Lopetegui should trust his gut instincts more often as his decision to contradict previous claims of dropping Paqueta from the starting lineup nearly backfired.
Manchester United will rue a host of spurned chances in the first half, as Alejandro Garnacho, Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot could have easily had the visitors two goals to the good heading into the break.
Paqueta has struggled even when on the winning side for the Irons this season. While on paper he may be one of the most technically gifted players at the club, it is time for the 27-year-old to endure an spell in the dugout.
Soucek has been steadily improving his form, particularly with the Czech Republic over the international break, and the years of being a regular fixture in the David Moyes side are set to continue under Lopetegui as he proves his worth to the boss when he needed it most.
Perhaps Mohammed Kudus’ absence prompted Lopetegui to change his mind on Paqueta, as the Ghanaian started his three-match suspension after receiving a red card for violent conduct in the 4-1 loss to Tottenham last weekend.
However, with Crysencio Summerville emerging into the conversation after his goal for the Irons opened the scoring, before Jarrod Bowen secured the three points with a 92nd-minute penalty, there are plenty of options for Lopetegui to choose from over Paqueta.
Hopefully, some time out of the spotlight will help the midfielder clear his head and rediscover the form that endeared him to the West Ham faithful once he is deemed ready to return.
In other West Ham news, Steve McManaman slams an ‘awful’ decision he saw in the Irons win against Manchester United.
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