Two goals, one assist, and seven points from three Premier League matches so far this season. Jarrod Bowen is thoroughly enjoying his, and West Ham United’s early campaign form.
The Irons claimed a superb 3-1 victory at Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday, putting David Moyes’ Hammers on to two wins and a draw from three league games played and temporarily moving the side to the top of the Premier League table.
Solid defensive tactics, supported by rapid and clinical counter-attacking, have formed the base for West Ham’s early season success and Bowen is relishing every moment of it.
“We’ve got results in the way we play,” the forward said. “Since I’ve been here, the manager has had the same philosophy and it has worked for us so well. You don’t need to fix something that isn’t broken. We’ve picked up three good results and, to be honest, we’re probably just disappointed we didn’t beat Bournemouth on the opening day.
“I think the manager prides himself on that, being solid defensively and being hard to beat. Ultimately, if you’re like that in a game, then you give yourself chances to score, and then it is about putting those chances away like we did against Chelsea and we did against Brighton.
“We’ve scored three against both of them so we know we’ll get the chances. It’s just about taking them when they come along.”
Both of Bowen’s finishes so far this season have been exceptional.
The first, a curling effort from distance, gave the Irons the lead on matchday one away to Bournemouth.
The 26-year-old then followed it up with an immense run forward at Brighton, latching onto Saïd Benrahma’s pinpoint cross and taking a terrific touch before poking into the far corner.
“I want to score goals,” he continued. “You saw the goal I scored at the weekend, and I love putting in those hard yards and then scoring a goal. It was a lung-busting run to get there on Saturday but I knew there would be a slight chance of scoring at the end of it, and that hard running was worth it.
“You might only get that ball once in a game but it’s about putting it in the back of the net if that ball does come. I enjoy playing this system. I think it suits my football a lot because I think I can do a really good job for the team even without the ball. Going forward, I also think I can bring my qualities to the team too.”
Bowen also played a delightful lobbed pass for Michail Antonio to collect versus the Seagulls, with the No9 adding his second of the season with a well-taken finish as well.
The wide-man believes Antonio deserves significant praise for the work he does for the team, hailing the 33-year-old’s desire to run and hold up the ball for his teammates.
“I think Micky has started the season incredibly,” he observed. “He suits that role really well, especially with what the manager is looking for from that role. He’s got to be that focal point for us to play off when we turn the ball over. The problems that he causes defenders with his running and strength makes him perfect for us.
“If the manager asked me to go up there though, I’d do it. It would probably be a bit different and I’d need to learn the position in terms of the runs across the pitch. I think, for the Chelsea game, I played up there for about 15 minutes towards the end of the game, and I felt like I could do a job there if I was asked to.”
Given Chelsea’s standing as one of the Premier League’s most successful teams, and Brighton’s recent rise to prominence, the Claret and Blue Army would have been forgiven for not expecting West Ham wins against either side.
Bowen, however, always had faith that the team could bring their best form back to the Premier League. While last season will always be remembered for European success, the forward wants the team to bring their best back in league football.
“We were feeling confident coming out of the summer,” Bowen said. “We’ve got the memory of what we achieved last season and we wanted to build on that as well.
“We don’t want to shy away from our league position last season. It’s not where we wanted to be. Ultimately though, we won a trophy so it probably covered over the league a bit. But as players, we know the standards that we wanted to get back to.”
The last match before the first international break of the 2023/24 season sees West Ham travel to face newly-promoted Luton Town on Friday evening, with the Hatters preparing for a first home outing since their rise to the English top-flight.
While a tough game and unwelcoming atmosphere are certainly awaiting the Irons, Bowen says there is no reason not to be confident. A very good start to the season has the potential to become even better.
He added: “The Bournemouth game was tough. They’ve got a new manager, with a new style, and they caused us problems. But we’re probably disappointed we didn’t win that game. Then the other two games, we played Chelsea at home in a big derby and got the win. Then it was Brighton and we broke the curse!
“To be here with seven points, with one more game before the international break, is great. If we can beat Luton, then we’re going into the international break with ten points from four played, and that will fill everybody with confidence.”
