Lucas Paqueta will get Julen Lopetegui sacked after what he did in Nottingham Forest v West Ham
Lucas Paqueta failed to turn up for West Ham United against Nottingham Forest and will soon get Julen Lopetegui fired if he continues playing like he did on Saturday.
The Irons succumbed to a demoralising 3-0 defeat at the hands of Forest in the Premier League at the City Ground on 2 November.
Chris Wood put the hosts in front in the 27th minute and a red card to Edson Alvarez at the stroke of half-time allowed them to get two more in the second period.
While Alvarez getting sent off did not help his teammates, some players, particularly Paqueta, cannot be exempt from criticism.
Julen Lopetegui made Lucas Paqueta mistake in Nottingham Forest v West Ham United
It is no secret that Paqueta has been far from his best this season, netting just twice in 10 league games, and it is high time he is relegated to the bench.
It appeared Lopetegui had finally seen sense when reports claimed he was set to drop the 27-year-old at the City Ground (GiveMeSport). The Spaniard, though, trusted him anyway and, in all fairness, got nothing in return.
According to Sofascore, Paqueta lost the ball 16 times, with only Forest’s Alex Moreno faring worse (17). He also lost 13 of his 20 duels (35 per cent success), the most in the game.
The 27-year-old completed 21 of his 28 passes with 75 per cent accuracy, but only four went into the final third (FotMob), highlighting why the Irons were so toothless in attack.
To Paqueta’s credit, however, he won three of his four tackles, although he had his name taken in the 77th minute.
Lopetegui is under increasing pressure at West Ham and he is footing himself in the foot by persisting with Paqueta, who has started in all but one of their 10 league games this term.
In other West Ham news, Jamie O’Hara showed the Irons no mercy after their defeat against Nottingham Forest.
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