LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 17: West Ham United's Jarrod Bowen celebrates scoring his side's third goal with Vladimir Coufal, Lucas Paqueta, Kurt Zouma and Tomas Soucek during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers at London Stadium on December 17, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Rob Newell - CameraSport via Getty Images)
Lucas Paqueta emphasizes that West Ham shouldn’t get ahead of themselves and stresses the value of taking each game as it comes.
Watching Lucas Paqueta is like watching a world-class entertainer as well as a phenomenal football player. He has a great sense of how to electrify a crowd and does it with elegance.
Thankfully, that talent was on display against Freiburg on Thursday night where he gave West Ham the all important opener to bring his side level on aggregate. While the 5-0 win is one that will live on in the memory of players and fans alike, the midfielder understands that there is still a long way to go before they’ve achieved anything this season.
“I’ve been delighted to be back on the scoresheet in the last matches, and to be able to help the team,” Paqueta told the official site. “We were all really pleased with the win on Thursday night. We were confident that with the support of the fans we could turn the result around, and we were really happy to be able to make them proud.”
“The draw is exciting. We know Bayer Leverkusen are a really strong team, and they are unbeaten this season which is incredible. But, if we want to go all the way, we can’t pick who our opponents are and we have to beat the best.”
“We have to make sure we maintain our momentum heading into Sunday’s match against Aston Villa, but we can’t focus on anything but that Europa League game.” We will be confident even if we know it will be a difficult game.
The Brazilian is obviously happy to be at the London Stadium and is eager to create more memories that will forever mark his name in West Ham history, despite rumors that he may be moving this summer.
He affirmed, “I’m really pleased with what we’ve accomplished during my time at the Club.” “I’m incredibly happy to have been a member of the group that created history by winning the UEFA Europa Conference League the previous season; it was such a joy.”
“I keep seeing that I’m growing more at ease with the players, the staff, and the supporters here. We are delighted, and all we want to do now is keep moving forward. We currently hold a commanding lead both in the league and throughout Europe. It’s thrilling, and I hope I can continue to support West Ham’s further success.
Everyone is aware of the potential game-changing power of our Brazilian magnifico, and while the Leverkusen ties are highly anticipated, today’s matchup with Aston Villa is equally important. Without a doubt, Paqueta will be essential if we want to close out this season as strongly as possible—possibly even pulling off the impossible by winning the Europa League.
