Lucas Paquetá insists he is enjoying the challenge of filling in up front after putting in a Man of the Match display to help West Ham United overcome their injury issues and earn a well-deserved 1-1 draw at Aston Villa on Sunday.
Without six senior players due to injury, including the likes of Jarrod Bowen, Crysencio Summerville, Niclas Füllkrug and Michail Antonio in attack, the Hammers have relied on Paquetá to play in an unfamiliar advanced role in the last few matches, alongside Mohammed Kudus.
Back up at Villa Park for the second time in 16 days, following the Emirates FA Cup third-round exit at the hands of the Villans earlier this month, Paquetá was at the centre of the action in this enticing Premier League clash, contributing three shots, five tackles and a disallowed goal at the death.
In the end, it was his good friend Emerson who helped secure a share of the spoils, with a second-half header that cancelled out Jacob Ramsey’s opener, and our No10 was delighted to have played his part in a performance that gives him plenty of confidence going forwards.
While clutching his Sky Sports Man of the Match award, he said: “We played well today. I think we could have scored on more than one occasion, but overall the team did well and we’ll go again next week.
“I did my best for my team, and I am liking it there (up front). It’s a new position for me, but I’ve been trying to listen to the manager, and always I give my best to help the team.
“I was so happy to see Emerson score. Like me he was playing in a slightly different position today [as part of a back five], and he did very well. It was a good goal and I’m pleased for him.”
Paquetá has enjoyed an eye-catching run of form since the appointment of Head Coach Graham Potter on 9 January, scoring in his first two games in charge and now standing out to fans and pundits alike in this most recent fixture in the West Midlands.
With West Ham’s injured players set to gradually return to the fold over the coming weeks, and with an away clash at London rivals Chelsea to look forward to next Monday, the Brazil international is eyeing a strong end to the 2024/25 campaign.
“He (Potter) has brought new ideas to the team, and good ideas,” Paquetá added. “We are trying to improve things week after week, and I think we are starting to see the work pay off. Now we need to recover, go again and try to win more points in the next match.
“We need to be positive looking ahead. We have lots of exciting games coming up, so we have to work hard in training, hopefully players will start to come back from injury and we can be strong. We will do our best for the fans and for the Club.”
