Speaking to the Official Matchday Programme, Jarrod Bowen says his best game for West Ham United came on a very special, emotional afternoon in east London...
Jarrod Bowen has special memories of playing Manchester City.
In fact, it was against Pep Guardiola’s side, just a little under 18 months ago, that the forward believes he played his very best match for the Irons.
It was in mid-May, towards the conclusion of the 2021/22 season, with the Hammers chasing another year of European football and City pursuing another Premier League title.
Against the backdrop of a significant farewell for the home side, Bowen scored twice and put the hosts in touching distance of beating City in a late-spring downpour.
While the resilient visitors battled back, everything about that afternoon will always give that match significance for our No20.
“It was our last home game of the season and we were on course to finish in the European places, which is what we wanted.” Bowen said. “It was also Mark Nobles’ last home game for the Club, which made it even more special.
“It was a game that had a bit of everything about it, and we were also playing Manchester City. They were still chasing the league and, although we didn’t win the game, to go 2-0 up against them in the first half was really good. I got those two goals and, in a way, they were kind of identical. I ran in behind and got past the defence to score. In the end we were hanging on a bit, but we got the point.”
A FOND FAREWELL
As Bowen rightly recalls, that afternoon in east London would also commemorate the end of Mark Noble’s playing career with the Club.
While the Academy of Football graduate would pull on the Claret and Blue one more time, away to Brighton & Hove Albion a week later, that home clash with City was the chance for West Ham to celebrate the legacy of a midfielder who made 550 appearances across 18 seasons.
Bowen has played alongside Noble for two-and-a-half seasons by that point and was privileged to play alongside Mr. West Ham. Victory against the Champions-elect would make the occasion even sweeter, but it was never going to be an easy feat.
“I was only lucky enough to play with Mark for a couple of years and I didn’t get to spend as much time with him as I’d have liked to, but to be a part of that day and seeing the emotion of that day, celebrating his West Ham career, and seeing everyone stay behind for it, that was special.
We wanted to finish that season strongly, because the disappointment of going out in semi-finals of the Europa League was still fresh. We had beaten Norwich City away the week before but we were still hurting. At the same time, this was Mr. West Ham’s final game at London Stadium, so we wanted to go out on a high for him.
“You want the occasion to be special, but you also have to be realistic. Preparation for a game against Manchester City is like nothing else. What they can do is unbelievable and they’ve got solutions for every problem. We obviously wanted to win, but at the same time, we knew it wouldn’t be easy.”
DREAM DOUBLE
Kicking off in unexpected, rainy conditions at London Stadium, the visitors came out of the blocks quickly and looked to catch the Hammers out.
The Irons were concluding an impressive campaign of their own, however, and got the lead thanks to Bowen’s finish midway through the first half. Latching onto Pablo Fornals’ lofted pass, the forward got clear and tucked in.
Excitement turned into near-delirium on the stroke of half-time when Bowen added his second.
“We were two goals up at half-time and that had us thinking we were going to win comfortably,” he continued. "The first one, Pablo put a ball over the top and I took it around the goalkeeper. The second, Michail played me through and I put it under Ederson and in. I thought I was offside on both, to be honest. I’m always waiting for those balls through, and you only get them once in ten runs, but they’re worth the work.
“You don’t score goals from standing around and hoping the ball will drop to you. You need to give yourself the best goalscoring opportunity possible, and that comes with clever movement and being on the front foot. The Conference League final is a prime example of that. You make that run and you get that chance, and when you get it, you have to take it.”
Such was the talent of Manchester City though, that despite West Ham’s efforts, the visitors battled back.
Jack Grealish powered in a finish four minutes after the restart and City were level 20 minutes from time when Vladimír Coufal could only head Riyad Mahrez’s free-kick into his own net.
In fact, City could have won the entire match, winning a penalty late on, but Łukasz Fabiański denied Mahrez from 12 yards. A point was, in hindsight, a fair and hard-fought result against a difficult team, according to Bowen.
“You know you’re not going to get much of the ball, so when you do your basic game needs to be right. Then, when you’re getting possession in the final third, you need to be productive and make something happen because those chances don’t come along often.
“City do press but I think, every game, they’ve always got the ball. Which makes the game more draining as the opposition because they’re keeping it.
“It’s different to other teams like, say a Liverpool, who are more dynamic. City, their wingers stay high and they want to keep the ball with one-touch passing. It’s tiring. You’re not sprinting around but you’re constantly moving five to ten yards, to make sure your space is covered. They’re a top team and you can see that on the back of what they’ve done in recent seasons.
“But, on the flip side, sometimes when you play teams like that you’ve got nothing to lose. That can help take the pressure off of you a little bit as well. People write you off and don’t expect you to win those games, which can work in your favour sometimes. Anything can happen in a 90-minute match.”
STAND-OUT EFFORT
While Bowen’s chosen match did not end in victory, the forward believes every aspect of his performance against one of Europe’s leading side makes his efforts his finest since joining the Hammers.
It was a game far-flung from his days in the National League and the 26-year-old believes he got it right against City that day.
“It’s something I always talk to my dad about, and the first thing I look for in my performance is the basic game. By that I mean things like your ball retention, good first touches and decent passing.
“It’s the basic game from which you build confidence. Someone plays a ball into you and you take a good touch before passing it on, and that will give you confidence ahead of your next involvement.
“From there then, I’m a dynamic winger so I want to take people on and get shots away. I want to run in behind and I want to also play crosses. When I get the ball in the final third, nine times out of ten I want to try and make something happen. That is what is expected of you in that position and I think fans love seeing that in forward players too. Even if you have a shot and it goes wide, it builds the positive energy in the stadium and gets the team on the front foot.
“On the whole, I think my own performance against City combined with the occasion of that day… everything about that day made it a special one. It certainly sticks out to me.”
