Brazilian media react to ‘beautiful’ Lucas Paqueta scenes in Japan loss
West Ham star Lucas Paqueta was in action again as Brazil succumbed to a 3-2 loss against Japan.
Paqueta was one of several West Ham’s players called up for international duty, and he starred in both of his nation’s matches.
Paqueta’s form has been shaky for West Ham, but he showed no signs of that in either of the Selecao’s games in the break.
Nuno Espirito Santo will have liked what he seen away from the London Stadium.
Lucas Paqueta gets another mixed reaction from the Brazilian media away from West Ham
West Ham star Paqueta earned mixed reviews last time out, in the 5-0 win over South Korea on 10 October.
That was the case again, as one outlet slammed him for a lack of defensive work in the loss to Japan, while another claimed that he was involved throughout the contest.
GZH handed Paqueta a six out of 10 rating, saying: “He provided a good pass for Martinelli’s goal, but didn’t contribute much to the match, especially defensively.”
Meanwhile, GE gave the Hammers ace a 7.5 out of 10 rating, saying: “He participated in both of Brazil’s goals. In the first, he played a one-two with Bruno Guimarães. In the second, he provided a beautiful assist for Martinelli. He was very involved throughout his time on the field.”
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Nuno Espirito Santo will love what Paqueta has done
The Irons hero has had a mixed start to the campaign in East London, but Nuno has a reason to be encouraged by his international performances.
Paqueta played a key part in the fifth goal against Korea, and was again at his creative best despite the defeat to the Japanese.
- Paqueta has played in all seven of the Irons’ league matches so far
- He has two goals and zero assists in those games
- The Brazil ace has created 1.53 expected goals and 0.95 expected assists
If he can bring that form back to the Premier League, he can kickstart the Hammers’ season, which has been miserable so far.
Nuno needs his star players, like Paqueta and Jarrod Bowen, to be at their best when they return to Rush Green, so that he can take the E20 outfit away from the relegation zone, and towards a top half finish.
If the Brazilian can repeat his exploits for the national team when he comes back, it will be a huge help to those ambitions.
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