Jarrod Bowen knows West Ham United face a tough test against Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday evening. But anything can happen in a London derby.
The Hammers make the short trip to north London for a midweek fixture against Spurs on the back of a five-game unbeaten run in all competitions.
The hosts, meanwhile, ended their own three-match losing streak on Sunday with a frantic 3-3 draw against reigning Premier League champions Manchester City and will be eager to return to winning ways against the Irons.
Bowen knows the threat Ange Postecoglou’s side will pose and says West Ham will need to be disciplined to come away with the three points.
“Tottenham have started really well,” the No20 said. “It will be a really tough game. We played them in pre-season over in Australia and they were really good. They’re a great team and it’s going to be difficult.
“But, at the same time, it’s a derby under the lights and I’m sure there will be a really good atmosphere. It’s down to us to go there and try to win the game.
“I think you saw at the weekend, against Manchester City, what Tottenham are about. It was a really good game, it was open and attacking, so it will be difficult for us on Thursday. But we’ve got to stamp our authority on them.”
As West Ham near the half-way point of the 2023/24 campaign, Bowen can find plenty of positives to celebrate and some areas that need improvement in a particularly competitive group of Premier League sides.
“There is still a lot of football to be played. I think this season, in the Premier League, is the most competitive it’s been in a long, long time. Even looking at the top ten and then the teams slightly below, every team is a top side now. It’s never easy in this league but this season, in particular, is very tough.
“We’re there or there abouts. We’re probably a few points off where we’d like to be, in terms of going up into the European places, but there is a lot of football still to be played and we can’t judge ourselves too much on 14 games played so far.”
The 26-year-old returned from a knock sustained on international duty in Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace, an enforced absence that put an end to Bowen’s incredible run of goals in consecutive away games.
The forward is on eight league goals this season, a number bettered only by Erling Haaland of Manchester City, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Heung-Min Son at Spurs.
Bowen is relishing his recent run of form and is eager to keep it going throughout the remainder of the season.
“I’ve always wanted to score goals,” he continued. “I want to be the top goalscorer at the Club and I relish that competition and that responsibility of scoring goals. I’ve started with a good few goals this season but I want to score more.
“We’ve got a few games coming up quickly now, which is a real chance to get a few more. If possible, I’d want to score every week, but it’s more important the team wins the games.
“I’m probably the best form of my career and enjoying my football as much as ever. Maybe things away from the pitch have helped me as a person and a player but, whatever it is, I really want to keep it going.”
While it is slightly too early for New Year’s resolutions, Bowen is targeting consistency for himself and the rest of the squad heading into the remainder of the campaign.
“I want to keep consistently playing at a high level,” he added. “I want to keep getting picked to play for England, picked to start for West Ham and keep scoring goals too.
“We’re in Europe again in 2024 and we’ve got a quarter-final of the Carabao Cup to look forward to. We’ve also got another cup competition, the FA Cup, starting in January, so there is a lot to look forward to."
