It took Lucas Paquetá just nine minutes to get the Graham Potter era up and running, finishing off an excellent team move to put West Ham United in front at Villa Park in the FA Cup Third Round. Although the game ultimately ended in defeat, there was plenty to admire about the Hammers' performance, especially that of the No10 that West Ham fans have come to adore.
Deployed in a more advanced role due to injuries to key players, Paquetá was, as he describes it, ‘back to his old self’. The flair and creativity that earned him the affectionate title of Brazilian Magnífico have been on full display since Potter’s arrival.
He told Saturday's Official Programme for the Premier League visit of Brentford: "I think that was the start of me getting back to my old self on the pitch. So, I think that confidence, between him making things very clear to me, what I can do, what I should do, has given me a lot of confidence to do my best.
"We've really enjoyed working under the new coaching staff. All the ideas he's put forward are very clear, very organised, I think it's simple for us to understand. Of course, we have a lot of work to do, it's only been a few weeks of training. We've had a very good response and I hope that we understand each other more and more and can put into practice what he's been asking of us."
Although it isn't his preferred position, Paquetá has proven to be a huge asset to the Hammers attack in the absence of their more natural strikers. Scoring in back-to-back matches to kickstart Potter’s tenure, Paquetá followed up with a man-of-the-match display in his most recent Premier League outing against Aston Villa as a No9. All that was missing from a performance, that had fans and pundits raving, was a goal. He thought he had found it in the dying moments, only for the linesman’s flag to cut short the celebrations and deny West Ham a dramatic comeback win.
"I've played the centre-forward position a few times at Lyon, under Moyes I've also played a few games as a nine. Of course it's not my preferred position, but I will always try to help the team, do what the coach has asked of me and I think I've given my best. I've worked hard, I still want to score more goals, because it's a position that requires goals. I had a few really good chances in my last game against Aston Villa, so I was a bit hard on myself for missing those. But I've been working hard to improve my game in that forward position, and I hope I can help wherever I'm needed.
"I think that every time you get a goal, you have more confidence to take a chance or two. But I believe that when I'm physically well, when I win duels, when I win balls back, I think that also gives me a lot of confidence to take risks when I have the ball. Having the coach's trust that I can take risks, knowing that I'm going to lose one ball or two, but that I'm going to work even harder to win it back. This generates confidence in a player and that's what's been happening on the pitch."
Thankfully for Paquetá and his West Ham teammates, Saturday's all-London clash will see the return of captain Jarrod Bowen, who makes his return to London Stadium for the first time since fracturing a bone in his foot against Liverpool in December. Bowen, who wasted no time in getting his name back on the scoresheet against Chelsea last time out, has been the Hammers' most productive attacker, with six goals and four assists in the Premier League this season.
Although Brentford have struggled on the road this season, two wins in their last three away outings suggest they are more than capable of posing a threat. With that in mind, West Ham will need their attackers firing on all cylinders when they take to the field on Saturday afternoon - including the versatile, hard-working Lucas Paquetá.
