Our opening goal against Freiburg came from West Ham United’s Lucas Paqueta, and we went on to win 5-0 to comfortably advance to the Europa League quarterfinals.
Due to his outstanding play this season, Paqueta, 26, has been called up to the Brazil national team. He has been truly magnificent for us.
Although the South American star is extremely important to Hammers manager David Moyes, he made the sensible decision to bench him last night with 30 minutes left in our 3-0 lead.
The Scot obviously didn’t want to risk the former Lyon player with a home game against Aston Villa on Sunday after he had already gone down a couple times clutching his calf.
But it was definitely a bad look because of Paqueta’s infantile response to being substituted.
Lucas Paqueta reaction to being subbed off for West Ham vs Freiburg
The Brazilian did not even notice his teammate as he walked off the pitch to be replaced by James Ward-Prowse, much less offer him a high five.
Additionally, Paqueta disregarded his manager Moyes entirely, staying about 20 yards away from him to make sure no physical contact occurred.
Paqueta’s performance was appallingly inadequate. It’s understandable that players may feel let down when they exit the pitch of play, and the 26-year-old was no exception; it was evident that he wanted to continue.
However, he could have indicated his disappointment upon leaving the pitch, but still saluted Ward-Prowse and Moyes as he fully exited the field of play.
In West Ham’s match against Freiburg last night, Lucas Paqueta was crucial to the team’s victory, but I was disappointed by his behaviour towards his manager and colleague when he was substituted.
Given the Brazil international’s actions last night, I have no doubt that Moyes will speak with him.
In related news:
West Ham United: BBC Sport journalist singles out Kalvin Phillips in ‘nightmare’ England claim
Reporter Phil McNulty of BBC Sport claims that Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate made the decision to bench Phillips.
Prior to their summer participation at Euro 2024, England will play international friendlies against Brazil and Belgium later this month.
“England’s squad for the forthcoming friendlies against Brazil and Belgium at Wembley is notable both for eye-catching inclusions and one particularly significant exclusion,” McNulty wrote for BBC Sport.
“Manager Gareth Southgate has now accepted there are no grounds to continue selecting Kalvin Phillips after a show of loyalty that stretched way beyond what the midfielder, a regular squad presence throughout recent years, was producing at club level.
“Phillips was on the margins at Manchester City while a January loan move to West Ham United, designed to re-ignite his career and give him game time to press his claims for Euro 2024, has been a nightmare.”
Will West Ham man Kalvin Phillips make the England 2024 squad?
Although Phillips will be disappointed, his recent performance does not necessarily indicate that Southgate’s rejection surprised him.
After making a high-profile transfer from Leeds United to Manchester City, the midfield player lost his way and has been out of form for some time.
Phillips’ move to Manchester was always going to be risky given the abundance of gifted and adaptable players at the Etihad.
The move backfired since Pep Guardiola mainly ignored the midfield player, forcing him to play at the London Stadium in January.
The player opportunities have been under Hammers boss David Moyes, but he has not impressed, frequently making mistakes in claret and blue.
With time running out to make an impression on Southgate before Euro 2024, Phillips now faces a steep hill to climb in his attempt to get back into the manager’s good graces.
However, Southgate may have already decided on Phillips considering the anticipated presence of players in midfield, such as Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham, and Declan Rice.
