Forward Jarrod Bowen is confident West Ham United can bounce back from a disappointing run of form when they host Brentford on Monday night, following a productive week of training at Rush Green.
The Hammers welcome the Bees to London Stadium on the back of a six-game winless run that has delivered defeat on the last three outings, most recently at Nottingham Forest last Saturday.
Top scorer Bowen - who has notched 11 goals in 24 Premier League games this term, but none since before Christmas - insists the response behind the scenes has been encouraging, with each member of the squad ready to take responsibility for the performances in 2024 so far.
And, after a similar three-game losing streak earlier in the season preceded a successful festive period, the 27-year-old believes one good result could be all it takes to click things back into gear for the foreseeable.
“Everyone’s upset with the way things have gone recently,” Bowen said. “We all know that we have to stand up and confront these tough spells, because it’s down to us to change it.
“It’s been difficult, but football comes with its good and bad moments, and we just have to work our way through it. I’ve looked at myself as well - I had a little niggle in January, but I’m back to it now and it’s up to me as an attacking player to help us win games.
“I believe in the quality of this squad, and I know that when we’re at our best we can go on unbeaten runs. There are no easy games in the Premier League, but you have to have belief and sometimes that one result is what it takes to turn things around.”
Brentford indeed promise tough opposition under the lights in east London, with Thomas Frank’s charges having triumphed in each of their five league clashes against West Ham since their promotion from the EFL Championship in 2021.
Bowen said: “We know it’s going to be a tough game. Ivan Toney has looked good since he came back from his ban, and they’re always very disciplined and well organised.
“We’ve done our preparation, and I think we have a good idea of what we can do and what they can do. I think a lot of it is about mindset now and fighting to win games, and I’m confident we have the tools to get over the line.”
Michail Antonio’s first appearance since November represented one positive from an otherwise disappointing afternoon against Forest at the City Ground, while the recent returns of the likes of Mohammed Kudus and Nayef Aguerd from the CAF Africa Cup of Nations have provided a welcome boost to Bowen and the rest of the team.
Another cause for excitement is the prospect of playing three of the next four league games on home soil, ahead of the March international break, and Bowen is determined to put a smile on the fans’ faces.
He added: “We’ve nearly got a full squad now, which is massive, especially with Europe coming up as well. We’ve got a lot of games so we need that strength in depth, and we feel like we’re almost at our best again now.
“It’s nice knowing that we’ve got a run at home. The atmosphere we know we can create makes it hard for visiting teams, but it is up to us players to create it.
“The fans are obviously hugely important to us. We know they’re disappointed with how things are going at the moment, but we know what we have to do to turn things around and hopefully we can do that on Monday.”
