The continued absence of Lucas Paqueta is of little concern to West Ham United right now.
Indeed, Paqueta missed out once again as West Ham United beat Sunderland 3-1 in a huge Premier League game.
The Hammers were brilliant and raced into a three-goal lead at half-time, the first time that has happened at home in the Premier League since April 2023.
Safety is in sight 😍 Who was your MOTM?!
Though Brian Brobbey’s second half header denied Nuno Espirito Santo’s side an elusive second clean sheet of the campaign, there’s little doubting the fact that the Irons were in control.
There’s a new-found solidity to their game. Indeed, Jarrod Bowen hailed West Ham’s new formation, which sees new signings Taty Castellanos and Pablo Felipe lead the press from the front.
While West Ham want to keep Paqueta on loan for the rest of the season, the shift in focus proves they don’t need him at all.
Lucas Paqueta doesn’t fit in to West Ham’s new formation
The Brazilian is a very talented player and, at his best, he’s perhaps worth changing the system for.
A lot of things would have to go right for that to happen, however, and not many of them have fallen into place this season.
The industry that Taty and Pablo bring up front is crucial to the way in which this team now operate.
They look like a different entity going forward, even if the two strikers themselves haven’t fully convinced.
Why would we keep an unhappy player 😂
What does this tell you about the decision making behind the scenes?!
That allows Bowen and Crysencio Summerville to cause problems out wide, safe in the knowledge that Tomas Soucek and Mateus Fernandes are covering the central area of the pitch.
There’s quality, energy and industry. Paqueta can do all of that, of course, but the fact West Ham are capable of doing it without him says a lot.
The Paqueta saga threatens to become a distraction during the final stages of the window. A clean break is surely better than anything else.
West Ham do not need Paqueta to achieve their goal of staying in the Premier League.
What Jarrod Bowen said about Lucas Paqueta after West Ham beat Sunderland
Bowen, who set up the first goal against Sunderland, put West Ham two-nil up with a first half penalty after Ollie Scarles was brought down.
After the game, Bowen made reference to the fact that Paqueta wasn’t on the field of play – which allowed him to take the penalty.
Speaking to TNT Sports, he said: “Lucas is usually the penalty-taker but he’s not here.”
Had the Brazilian been available for selection, he’d presumably have taken the spot-kick.
Though few would have doubted that Bowen was going to score, it’s yet more proof that West Ham don’t need Paqueta on the pitch when they operate this way.
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