Athletic reporter Roshane Thomas has issued a glaring statement over the absence over Lucas Paqueta, who is currently sidelined through injury.
Taking to his post match discussion forum in reference to West Ham’s game against Manchester United at the weekend, Thomas issued a key point that explains why the performances of Gianluca Scamacca have once again dipped.
The Athletic journalist said: “West Ham miss Paqueta. He provided creativity and service to Scamacca. He’s been underwhelming in the last three games and it’s mainly due to Paqueta’s absence.”
Paqueta: a big miss
Indeed, the absence of £150k-per-week Paqueta is proving tougher than most would have expected for West Ham.
In the attacking third, the 25-year-old quite simply makes things happen and has so far proved to be a direct threat for David Moyes’ side, averaging a total of 3.3 shots per 90 in the Premier League.
Paqueta’s presence in the final third, in or out of possession, strikes fear through the opposition in a way that cannot necessarily be quantified.
Though, his average of 5.07 progressive passes and 5.61 passes into the final third are metrics that can be quantified, and provide evidence for the quality that West Ham are quite clearly missing in the latter positions.
Paqueta is a big miss for the side, with Scamacca’s goal draught in the league a certain by-product of the Brazilian’s absence.
