West Ham taking positives following Chelsea defeat and Jarrod Bowen’s return feels like a new signing

National World - LocalTV

West Ham may have suffered a defeat against Chelsea, but there were still plenty of positives to take. Graham Potter’s side showed resilience, created chances, and proved they can compete with the league’s best. One of the biggest boosts is the return of Jarrod Bowen, whose comeback from injury feels like a brand-new signing.

Transcript

00:002-1 at Stamford Bridge to the home side and they took the lead fantastically West Ham

00:09through Jarrod Bowen. It was a well-rounded Green Park performance and maybe just didn't

00:15have that finishing blow at times in the game. How do you summarise the game? What are your

00:20feelings because, albeit if you went there and you'd have not been taken, you may not

00:26know what sort of West Ham you're going to get. It's, as you've mentioned before, a bit

00:29more of an identity in the Green Park. They were very solid at times as well and they

00:33were sort of unlucky on the night.

00:36We frustrated them, especially in that first half. I thought we went there with a very

00:40clear game plan and it wasn't ultra defensive like we've been used to. We had our moments

00:46and, especially in the first half with Bowen's goal, we took our opportunities when they

00:50came. It was, like you said, a classic Green Park performance but the thing that pleased

00:57me the most is that, given the amount of injuries that we've still got, obviously Evan Ferguson

01:02couldn't play because he signed too late, there's still a number of first-team players

01:09that would have bought strikes at the start of the XI that aren't there. Jarrod Bowen's

01:12return has been a huge boost for us but, beyond that, Pak Attar was missing with a growing

01:18problem that he picked up in the last game. Edson Alvarez was missing in midfield, Falkoog

01:22still injured, Antonio still injured. Somerville was supposed to only be out for two weeks

01:26and it's been a month now since we haven't seen him for a month. So there's a lot of

01:29players there that we're still waiting to come back. So to go to Chelsea, go 1-0 up,

01:36put in a performance like that and come out of it feeling quite disappointed and feeling

01:40quite unlucky that we didn't take something from the game, perhaps not win but at least

01:45take something from the game, given the nature of Chelsea's two goals. The second one being

01:49incredibly fortunate and the first one, there were question marks of it as I found in the

01:54build-up. So I think we can come away from there feeling pretty positive that, yes, we

02:00didn't win but we caused Chelsea problems and it's a sign, hopefully, of things to come

02:05under Grandpa. They're only going to continue improving and we get players back from injury,

02:10we've got the new signings coming in as well. It was a performance and a game where I think

02:16a lot of West Ham fans would be going, I don't mind the fact that we've lost there. For me,

02:20it was all about the performance. And if you look at the footage after the game, a lot

02:24of West Ham fans stayed and clapped the players. We've not seen that very often this season.

02:31So I think that is also a good sign that the fans recognise that we're going in the right

02:36direction under Grandpa. It's still early days. He needs a lot more time, he needs a

02:42lot more players and he needs probably the summer transfer window to really make an impact.

02:48But there are green shoots there and I think that's the most positive thing at this stage.

02:52Obviously, Jarrod Bowen coming back into the side, getting a goal as well. What's that

02:58sort of been like? Is that sort of feeling a bit like a new signing at this point? He's

03:01so good. He's had such an amazing last couple of seasons or so. I mean, West Ham fans must

03:07be so happy that he's back and backing the goals as well.

03:10Yes. I mean, seeing his name on the starting line-up and the team sheet, just a huge confidence

03:17boost. It really felt like with him playing, we can win any game it feels like sometimes

03:23because he's so clinical in front of goal. And he runs, he's constantly running, giving

03:28everything for the shirt. He's the club captain. So just having a player like Bowen fit and

03:33available doesn't just give the fans a boost, it must give the squad a boost as well and

03:37the dressing room a boost. And Grandpa said before the game, he was delighted to finally

03:43be able to select him because he'd been injured ever since he arrived at the club. And it's

03:47just a huge boost. And given how good he is, his stature, what he's already achieved at

03:54the club, the way that the club clearly feel about him, the way the fans feel about him,

03:57it's so important to have a player like that fit and available. Because he's also the one

04:04that a lot of the other players will be looking up to as well in terms of effort and ability.

04:09If the rest of the squad see him chasing down and pressing in the 89th minute when we're

04:14two or three nil down, then he's still running and trying. So he's a really good role model

04:19as well to have in that squad. So he's fit, he's back, he obviously got his goal, a well-taken

04:24goal. And now we've just got to make sure we keep him fit for the rest of the season

04:28because we're going to need him.

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