Lucas Paqueta was on the scoresheet as West Ham claimed a much-needed 4-1 win over Ipswich Town on Saturday (5 October).
The Brazilian rounded off a near-perfect victory against the newly promoted side at the London Stadium, adding a fourth alongside Michail Antonio, Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus.
Some fans were concerned that the Hammers were in for another tough afternoon when Liam Delap cancelled out their early opener, hitting back after just six minutes, but Julen Lopetegui’s side turned on the style.
Despite the comfortable win, not all fans were fully pleased with the performance, with many calling for Paqueta to be dragged off at half-time as the Hammers only led by a single goal.
This was not just a one-off this season, with the 27-year-old being called out as “disinterested” during the draw against Brentford as well as being slammed for his “awful” defending for Ipswich’s goal.
Lucas Paqueta to be dropped ahead of West Ham United v Tottenham?
Lopetegui has an incredibly difficult decision to make ahead of the Tottenham clash on Saturday 19 October and has an entire international break to figure out his tactics.
Paqueta, who was once described by David Moyes as a “maverick” [The Standard], has been far from his best this season, with the new manager already dropping him for the clash against Fulham.
Of course, defending is not the Brazilian’s game at all. He is supposed to be the creative spark that puts the ball on a plate for Kudus, Bowen and Antonio, but he went missing when needed most.
After the slow start to the Premier League campaign that Lopetegui’s side experienced, the Spaniard needs all of his players to fight for all three points, but that has not been evident from his midfield star.
While it could seem like a risk to drop the 27-year-old against Spurs, there are plenty of other players who wear their heart on their sleeve that could fill the attacking midfield spot against Ange Postecoglou’s side.
