Lucas Paqueta the ‘heartbeat’ of West Ham despite ‘danger’ verdict
Lucas Paqueta is West Ham United’s “main man” this season, but his frequent dispossession makes him a “danger”, according to Joe Bradshaw.
Writing for BBC Sport (6 October), Bradshaw praised the Brazilian’s composure in midfield and ability to have an influence on the game but feared his ball retention ability could be a weakness.
Paqueta has started every game for David Moyes this season except the Lincoln City League Cup clash, providing two goals and one assist.
Bradshaw said: “The Brazil midfielder is now the heartbeat of this West Ham side, the man who makes Moyes’ team tick going forward and through whom everything flows.
“There is no doubt he is the main man at London Stadium this season. Last year, Declan Rice had nearly double the amount of touches as anyone else. This campaign, it is Paqueta who comfortably holds that accolade.
“However, with Paqueta comes danger. His dribbling stats are more akin to those of Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma, suggesting that he is secure enough in his ability to make things happen himself rather than offload.
“He has also given the ball away the most for West Ham this season. Sure, that does correlate to having the most touches, but losing possession 119 times in seven games equates to giving it away 17 times a game.”
Vital
Paqueta’s ability for West Ham has never been questioned, so it is no shock that he stepped up to the plate after Declan Rice’s departure.
The Brazilian dictates play and is adept at winning back the ball and springing counterattacks – West Ham’s bread and butter. Per FBRef, Paqueta averages 51.64 attempted passes per 90 (91st percentile), 6.69 progressive passes per 90 (96th percentile) and 3.06 tackles per 90 (99th percentile), showing him to be an all-round midfielder.
However, his dispossession stats are something of a concern. 17 times per game is quite a lot, but considering West Ham’s style of play, they probably expected something similar. The Hammers will often break on the counter-attack, but spend a lot of time soaking up pressure and defending.
This may leave Paqueta with little room to run into or few chances to lay the ball off. While it damns his personal stats, it’s not necessarily indicative of his ability to keep the ball.
Paqueta has proved himself to be vital to this West Ham side, and his performances this season have only served to emphasise this point.
In other West Ham news, a TNT Sports journalist was baffled as David Moyes “had a go” at them over Jarrod Bowen before West Ham United’s win.