What’s wrong with Paqueta?

What has happened to Lucas Paqueta? Whilst David Moyes seemed to be concentrating on West Ham’s defensive failings rather than his own shortcomings at Selhurst Park, a certain Brazilian appeared to have evaded criticism.

Paqueta’s performance against Crystal Palace was shockingly poor. Of course, he wasn’t the only one who underperformed during another humiliating day for West Ham in the Premier League, but it seemed like he gave up.

The Hammers’ £85 million man was recently criticised for not attending Thursdays Europa League game at the London Stadium, but he didn’t seem to show up at Selhurst Park either. Make no mistake about it, Kudus, Soucek, Ogbonna, and Coufal were all subpar, but at least they tried and appeared to care.

Lucas Paqueta was ineffective and abysmal against Crystal Palace

On the other hand, Paqueta stopped running on several occasions, and unlike his teammates, he didn’t have the excuse of being tired from Thursday’s game. Irons away fans were treated to the usual antics of Paqueta rolling around on the floor, along with a series of half-hearted and inaccurate passes.

I have marvelled all season at the Brazilian’s ability to put his FA investigation behind him and produce stunning performances. However, it’s been a while since we’ve seen the sort of genius performance that justifies an £80 million price tag.

It’s probably too late for him to save our season and propel the club to European football again. But if he continues to replicate the performances of his recent games, he’s more of a hindrance than a help.