Barely a day goes by at the moment without former West Ham United playmaker Lucas Paqueta suffering a further blow to his hopes of a Rio revival with his beloved Flamengo.
Just last week, Flamengo sacked Filipe Luis, the head coach who had a very good relationship with his record signing, and who was absolutely integral to Lucas Paqueta’s Maracana homecoming.
By Luis’ own admission, Paqueta was ‘suffering more than expected’ back at the club where he started his career.
How will you remember Lucas Paqueta? 🤔
Performances have been underwhelming from the former West Ham United ace. Goals and assists have been lacking. And with ambitious/arrogant Flamengo president Luis Eduardo Baptista looking to turn the club into South America’s answer to Real Madrid, there has been no shortage of schadenfreude.
Things took yet another turn for the worse for the former West Ham United star this weekend as well, under new head coach Leonardo Jardim.
Lucas Paqueta dropped as former West Ham United ace faces Flamengo battle
Parachuted in to replace ex-Chelsea and Atletico Madrid left-back Luis, Jardim only handed Paqueta the final half hour of Sunday’s meeting with Fluminese.
The man who guided Kylian Mbappe, Bernardo Silva and co to a Ligue 1 title at Monaco a decade ago also indicated, following a penalty shoot-out victory in the Campeonato Carioca, that Paqueta will not have an easy task displacing Giorgian de Arrascaeta as his go-to number ten.
“Regarding Paqueta and Arrascaeta, they prefer the attacking zone, but Paqueta is versatile enough to play on the wing and as a number eight,” Jardim told Esportes PB.
“We need to have two players for each position. I don’t believe Flamengo is a team with [just] eleven players. We have seven national team players, even more so because Paqueta will play for a season and a half without a break.
“[Paqueta] is a fundamental player for the club’s structure. Lucky is the coach who has two players of that quality.”
Serious question – are you taking a peak Mateus Fernandes or a peak Lucas Paqueta in your dream midfield?!
Paqueta yet to make his mark back in Brazil
Just one week after Lanus mocked Paqueta’s £38 million price-tag – the Argentine outfit beat Flamengo in the Recopa Sudamericana final and were quick to rub their noses in it – Jardim begins life at the Brazilian champions by benching the club’s most high-profile acquisition.
‘Paqueta has had one of the worst starts [for a new] Flamengo signing since 2019’, writes Brazilian publication Terra.
In ten matches, Paqueta has scored three goals, provided no assists, and has already lost one cup final, not to mention the head coach who believed so bullishly in his ability to bounce back from a traumatic final two years in England.
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