Captain Jarrod Bowen has emphasised he feels West Ham United are in a good place under Graham Potter following his side’s point away at Everton in the Premier League on Saturday.
The skipper was involved in the opening goal in the Hammers’ last-ever game at Goodison Park, as he teed up Tomáš Souček inside the penalty area, who duly obliged with a cultured, curling finish into the bottom-right corner.
However, the visitors were denied their tenth league victory of the campaign when Jake O’Brien struck a 91st-minute equaliser, turning home Idrissa Gueye’s volleyed cross.
The point against the Toffees marked Potter’s tenth game in charge of West Ham in all competitions. Since his arrival in January, the Hammers have chalked up a memorable victory at Arsenal, as well as three points against Fulham and Leicester City, shown fighting spirit to gain a point at Villa Park and come close to ending Everton’s eight-game unbeaten run.
The 49-year-old’s captain believes there has been an upturn in performances since the turn of the year and has challenged his side to finish as high as they can in the standings following another positive showing, on Merseyside.
“He’s [Potter] been here a long time now, we've all got those relationships from day one,” said Bowen.
“Of course, we’re still learning every day, it takes time with a new manager, especially when you're coming in halfway through the season.
“For me, I think it's just trying to be the best captain I can be every single day, with the lads and away from the training ground as well.
“If the manager needs me, we always have conversations. I think we're both feeling quite open and he’s really good to speak to. I think our performances have definitely improved.
“I think we played our own game [against Everton]. We conceded really late, but I think, in the second half especially, we really stamped our authority. It's not easy to come to Goodison Park and I think we're in a really good place.
“From now until the end of the season, it's just about putting in good performances. There’s still a lot of points to be made up and we can still finish the season on a high. For us, we’ve just got to keep growing in each game that we play.”
Souček’s 67th-minute strike was his third at Goodison Park and his seventh of the campaign, and Bowen was full of praise for the 30-year-old, who continues to pop up with those all-important moments of magic.
“He’s [Souček] scored some really crucial and important goals, and today was another one of those,” said the Hammers’ No20.
“He's been here the same time as me now, and what he does for the team probably goes a bit unnoticed.
“He scored the first goal in the game today, but it's not just that goal, he's scored many goals this season as well, at crucial times.”
