International media reacts as West Ham star is ‘Compromised’ before being subbed off at halftime
West Ham United star Lucas Paqueta delivers a disappointing performance for Brazil despite their 2-1 World Cup qualifier win over Chile early Friday.
Lucas Paqueta, a 27-year-old midfielder, has been in decent form for West Ham this season but struggled during his recent international appearance for Brazil.
Manager Dorival Junior played him in a more defensive role, and he was substituted at half-time.
Despite Brazil securing three points in their World Cup qualifier, Paqueta’s influence on the game was limited.
O Globo reported that his performance was hindered by an early yellow card, stating, “Paquetá wasn’t bad, but he was compromised by the yellow card he received early on” (10 October).
While O Globo didn’t view Paqueta as the worst player on the pitch, O Popular (10 October) suggested that Brazil improved after Paqueta’s substitution.
The outlet noted that Junior made two half-time changes, replacing Paqueta and Andre with Bruno Guimaraes and Gerson, and this led to a slight improvement.
Noataque (10 October) echoed this sentiment, adding that Paqueta’s removal brought more “attacking presence” to Brazil’s midfield.
According to Noataque, “Brazil came back with a different attitude in the second half” as the substitutions helped strengthen their attacking game.
At West Ham, Paqueta has been one of Julen Lopetegui’s standout players this season.
Although he hasn’t fully recaptured his form from last term, he has still contributed two goals in nine games.
His performance against Chile, however, contrasts with his earlier success for Brazil, such as when he was praised as one of their best players in a 1-0 win over Ecuador.
West Ham as a whole have had a difficult 2024/25 season so far, currently sitting 12th in the Premier League with only two wins.
Given the team’s overall struggles, it’s not surprising that Paqueta hasn’t hit the same heights as last season.
However, it might surprise Hammers fans that Paqueta was less effective for Brazil than his counterpart, Guimaraes.
There is still time for Paqueta to turn things around this season.
He has shown his value to Lopetegui’s side, and Brazil’s coach may give him another chance in their upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
With his talent, Paqueta could yet prove his worth to both West Ham and the Brazilian national team in the coming months.
