West Ham United and David Moyes ended the 2022-23 season on a high after winning the UEFA Conference League. This earned them an automatic qualification to the UEFA Europa League 2023-24 season. The Hammers were busy in the summer and had to do a bit of reshuffling following Declan Rice’s departure. They even spent heavily last summer and brought in a few names to strengthen the team.
One such player who came to London is Brazilian midfielder Lucas Paqueta. The 26-year-old came into the limelight after earning a big money move to AC Milan in 2019. He then left the club within two years and joined French giants Lyon. A two-year spell in France was followed by another big move to London. West Ham acquired his services and he won a trophy in just his first season at the club. Paqueta was impressive in the FIFA World Cup 2022 and a successful 2022-23 season was enough to put him on the wishlist of some of the top clubs in Europe. West Ham United managed to keep hold of him and here is a look at his stats that show why this Brazilian midfielder is heading to another successful season at the club.
High work rate
Lucas Paqueta is a proper box-to-box midfielder and is present everywhere on the field. Declan Rice’s departure has put a lot of responsibilities on his shoulders. Paqueta is on a different level in Europe this season. His defensive work rate has been one of the underrated elements of his game. The Brazilian midfielder has won 70% of his defensive duels this season. However, Paqueta has lacked a bit of discipline and has given away quite a few silly fouls. Overall, he has covered a lot of areas and has a very high work rate on both ends of the field.
Adding to his defensive work-rate is the ability of the player to recover the ball. The player makes around seven recoveries per 90 minutes with 50% of them coming in the attacking half. These include seven dangerous recoveries as well.
Attacking contribution
Lucas Paqueta has been a different breed when it comes to scoring goals in Europe. He has registered two goals in 11 league games and three in four UEFA Europa League matches. Paqueta has missed some opportunities from inside the box in the Premier League and converted two from inside the box in Europe.
In addition, the Brazilian has been the main player to carry the ball from defence to attack. In Europe, Paqueta attempts 13 passes per 90 minutes to the final third and in the English Premier League the number is down to 7.13 passes per 90 minutes. The passes into the penalty area count around six per 90 minutes in Europe and the numbers go down to half in the league.
Lucas Paqueta has shown why he is so highly rated and has played for some of the biggest clubs in Europe. If he continues to play in the same way then West Ham United might lose another top talent next summer.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
