Julen Lopetegui gets Lucas Paqueta decision bang on in West Ham United draw v Fulham
Julen Lopetegui raised eyebrows with his starting XI selection as Lucas Paqueta was named on the bench for West Ham versus Fulham on Saturday (14 September).
Despite heading into the game off the back of a 3-1 defeat to Manchester City, there was much to be positive about, especially after back-to-back wins against Crystal Palace and Bournemouth in the Premier League and EFL Cup.
However, fans’ hopes were instantly dented after their Brazilian star was snubbed to face the Cottagers, with Tomas Soucek starting at attacking midfield instead.
While the Czechia international was also the wrong decision for the Hammers, being hooked at half-time after struggling on international duty, Lopetegui’s choice not to play Paqueta may not have been so far-fetched.
He replaced Soucek at the half-time break, coming on to rescue the visitors at Craven Cottage, but the combination of Jarrod Bowen and Danny Ings saved a last-gasp draw in the end.
Lucas Paqueta snubbed in West Ham United v Fulham
There is absolutely no doubt that Paqueta has been a key player for the Hammers since arriving at the London Stadium, but he is clearly not firing on all cylinders yet.
Playing 45 minutes, the 27-year-old finished the match with zero per cent shot accuracy and completed just 25 per cent of his crosses [FotMob].
While he did make six recoveries against Marco Silva’s side, Lopetegui will be hugely unimpressed to see him dispossessed on four occasions and dribbled past once.
Paqueta failed to make the desired impact on midfield, being rather ineffective as he won zero per cent of his ground duels during the game (0/8) and only won 33 per cent of his aerial duels.
Having made three fouls, it is also a surprise he managed to leave the pitch without his second yellow card of the 2024/25 campaign.
Hopefully, it was just a bad day at the office for Paqueta, but Lopetegui’s shock decision to drop him ahead of the Premier League clash does not look as outrageous now.
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