Before the Chelsea game, Julen Lopetegui spoke to BBC News about Lucas Paqueta, the betting investigation, his attitude and how the Head Coach tries to help Lucas improve his contribution ti the team. Obviously in the light of the teams’ performance on Saturday and Paquetá’s stuttering form this season, the spotlight falls on anything which might contribute to West Ham United’s poor showings so far this season.
There’s no doubt that Paquetá is falling short of the ‘playmaker’ label for most of the games he is playing at present. It’s understandable when his whole future hangs in the balance and it is no co-incidence that the team are also struggling thanks to his form: Of course, in addition West Ham are struggling now because of a whole host of other well documented flaws and challenges which have been aired since yesterday’s result.
Despite Paq-man’s poor form, Lopetegui professes to be happy with his commitment. From the BBC interview:
“I’m happy with his behaviour and his commitment,” Lopetegui said. “He’s working very hard, he’s trying to understand what we want. We’re trying to help him to be better and better. He’s an important player.
“I don’t want to put this kind of responsibility on one player. He has to do the best he can about the offensive phase and defensive phase.
Interesting that Lopetegui is spending time coaching Paqueta on his defensive duties:”When he is focused on the defensive work he is a much better player and we try to encourage him to always be focused in a defensive way as well as an offensive way. “We don’t talk about [the charges]. We talk about football, about the next match and about life. But not about this.”
Whatever the conversations, something clearly is not right with the player’s form and the head coaches’ attempts to develop him isn’t succeeding at the moment.
It needs fixing pretty quick. I wonder if we, and the club, are overlooking how important this corrosive, damaging investigation might be, and the toll it is taking on Lucas Paquetá’s game and the form of the team around him.
Certainly at the start of this season Paqueta has struck me as a player who believed he didn’t have to defend anymore once the new manager came in.
Could try dropping him and playing Summerville left, Bowen right, Fullkrug central and Kudus in his position? Currently Lopetegui seems not to have a plan.
The reputation lopetegui has in world football is simply odd when you look at his managerial record. Other than winning Europa with Sevilla he won nothing in 3 years at Porto which lets face it everyone’s nan could. It looks like the hype is based upon Spain’s nternational youth teams which is why he got spanish job. 11 games at real. This guy is the Spanish Gareth Southgate. Theres a boat load of coaches with better cv’s the hammers could of gotlevy
“Theres a boat load of coaches with better cv’s the hammers could of gotlevy”
I’m not sure that there are.
FYI – 20 games undefeated as Spain manager.
Yeah international football, hence the Gareth Southgate comparison. The two are completely different. Rafa would of been a no brainer, poch would of been no brainer Off top of my head….not saying he is a bad manager just his record does not match the hype around him. Having seem him get real job I would of thought his CV was impressive. It just isn’t.
Paquetá is a shadow of the player he was this time last year. So irresponsible in possession, he’s just looking for that magic ball all the time. In the past he has been defensively better but always with the habit of wanting to play, every time he gets the ball, instead of giving it simply. He has always had the propensity to get caught in possession.
Our midfield is one-paced and on Saturday, Alvarez was playing too deep it seemed to me, leaving a yawning gap in front of him. Guido couldn’t fill it on his own. Without a midfield enforcer, all three central midfielders have to work their socks off. This isn’t happening. To me, it seems that kudus should be at 10, and I’m not at all sure that Rodriguez and Alvarez can play together, they are too alike. I’m hoping that Soler can play instead of Paquetá…
All very well to have big ideals of a pressing game and a high defensive line but we have to have the team to play it. Paquetà’s form is a problem, but isn’t the only problem. Lopetegui should be more pragmatic, forget the fancy tactics, make us defensively sound, and go from there. We will need a couple more windows to build the kind of squad he needs to play the game he wants. I’m not at all convinced he will do this. At the moment, all I see are bizarre selections and substitutions, and an unhinged coach on the touchline, all sweat rings and spittle. He doesn’t look in control.
It’s a mess.
Fabianski, Emerson, Kilman, Todibo, Wan Bissaka, Alvarez, Soler, Summerville, Kudus, Bowen and Fulkrug, bin Paqueta off, his heads at city