#103 The Paqueta Paradox

West Ham have finally get back to winning ways against QPR in the FA Cup, but the victory has been overshadowed by the €35 million transfer bid from Flamengo for Lucas Paquetá. This week on The West Ham Breakdown, Jack and Cal navigate the bittersweet aftermath of a cup win and the impossible choice facing the West Ham board: do you cash in on an talisman who wants a move back to Brazil, or is sanctioning his departure now tantamount to accepting relegation from the Premier League. They also break down the QPR match, analysing the shift to a 4-4-2 and how a front line featuring Taty Castellanos and Pablo Felipe changed the dynamic and discussing what lessons Nuno Espírito Santo could bring into games against Premier League opposition. Plus, a deep dive into the underlying data of our midfield and defence—comparing West Ham’s central hubs to our direct relegation rivals to just how our squad stacks up against our opposition. We wrap up by looking at the January transfer window and whether the club should be recruiting for a survival fight or for life in the Championship. Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (03:00) Lucas Paquetá: The Flamengo bid and the player’s motivatio (12:31) Does selling Paquetá mean West Ham are accepting relegation? (22:47) West Ham 2-1 QPR Match Review (28:03) Switching to a 4-4-2: Pros and Cons (31:38) Midfield struggles: Finding the right combination (34:54) Winning Gamestate: West Ham's chronic lack of control when ahead (37:57) Data Dive: How do West Ham compare to the other relegation candidates? (45:50) West Ham's midfield vs other bottom six midfielders Please do leave us a review and subscribe to the podcast to catch every episode. Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/analyticsunited You can follow the pod (and our other work) on Twitter: Main: @AnalyticsUtd_ Jack: @jackelderton Cal: @WHU_Analytic Darcy: @futpysche Charlie: @ATopLad Theme music: "Emotional Chill Electronic Vlog Music | Sunset" by Alex-Productions (https://onsound.eu/) Promoted by: https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices