Lucas Paqueta could hardly have picked his moment any better during West Ham United’s 3-1 comeback victory over Newcastle. Only their second win in ten Premier League matches this season.
His rasping equaliser came just before half-time, and with the Hammers staring down the barrel of another home defeat.
Yet, Lucas Paqueta’s first goal contribution in eight league matches mattered a lot, too, with regards to the narrative surrounding West Ham United’s mercurial number ten off the pitch.
Pundits have been queuing up to stick the proverbial boot in, especially after reports claimed that Paqueta was planning to leave West Ham during the upcoming January transfer window.
Tim Sherwood called the Brazil international a ‘liability’. After watching him toil at Leeds, Neil Warnock said Paqueta looked like ‘a nightmare’ in the dressing room.
And after a deadline day move to Aston Villa failed to materialise, and with his form nosediving after a bright start to the season, potential escape routes for Paqueta looked few and far between. Presuming, of course, that The Times were right when they indicated his time in East London may be coming to an end.
Yet, not for the first time in recent months, this most enigmatic and occasionally-awe-inspiring footballer picked the ideal moment to spin the narrative on its head.
Lucas Paqueta followed Jarrod Bowen’s advice as West Ham United beat Newcastle
Two months after he responded to those Aston Villa links with a very telling celebration at the City Ground, Paqueta lashed a fizzing left-footed drive past a despairing Nick Pope.
This was his first goal, by the way, since that 3-0 thrashing of Nottingham Forest at the end of August.
That it also coincided with West Ham’s first win since a 3-0 thrashing of Nottingham Forest is no coincidence.
Speaking to the official West Ham website, meanwhile, Paqueta admits that he took the advice of captain Jarrod Bowen on board. A player of his game-breaking abilities, the skipper felt, should try his luck from range more often.
“I think today we’ve shown our character, played positively and stayed focused right until the end,” Paqueta said, providing the platform for a comeback win eventually secured via a Sven Botman own goal and a stoppage-time Tomas Soucek clincher.
“We knew it was going to be hard to get the three points, but we played well, we stayed together and we kept going until the very end.
“I was happy with the goal. Sometimes I try to pass in those sorts of situations, but Jarrod and some of the other players have said I should shoot. I had a go, and I was just happy to help the team.”
Nuno Espirito Santo is finally seeing signs of progress at West Ham
Paqueta now has four goals from 11 games this season. Should he find the net against Burnley on Saturday – and what a chance this is for the Hammers to secure successive wins – he will have equalled last season’s tally in 25 fewer matches.
Progress, at last. And justification for all of Nuno’s hours on the training pitch.
Goalkeeper Alphonse Areola spoke about West Ham’s improvement when defending set-pieces – something Nuno had described as a ‘big problem’ – while Graham Potter’s replacement had put a plan in place to get more out of his talented but often underperforming frontline.
This is also having the desired results, it would seem.
“We are working. Repeat, repeat, repeat, and then try and put it in the game. It’s not only [about fixing] the set-pieces, being solid or compact, it’s about improving overall,” Nuno said last month.
“Offensively, we didn’t do enough [in the 2-0 defeat by] Brentford. We must have the freedom to go and really attack. Finding the balance is hard, but I am positive.
“We have to improve Lucas. We have to improve Lucas, to get the best out of him. He can do it, but he has to improve because I think we have the pieces to take the best out of Lucas.
“We have speed in front, so let’s try and find solutions so Lucas can deliver all the good things that he has. Jarrod is not a player who drops and drives the ball [forward]. We must get the ball there [in his favoured positions in attack], so he can do it.
“The same as Lucas.”
