WHZ View: Jarrod Bowen must replace Pablo Fornals, West Ham missed him vs Man City
West Ham put in a good showing against Manchester City but David Moyes made a critical mistake in leaving out Jarrod Bowen.
The winger has gone under the radar this season and has had his game time reduced since the arrival of Jesse Lingard.
It is understandable that the Manchester United loanee has been drafted straight into the starting line-up, but he should be replacing Pablo Fornals instead.
The Spaniard has two goals and three assists this season compared to Bowen’s combined total of eight goal contributions.
Both are hard workers but Bowen would have been the better option against Manchester City.
They were always going to keep the ball well so we needed players capable of winning back possession and reducing the pressure on us when on the back foot.
Bowen did that against Tottenham.
Here he shows great positioning and the anticipation to match in order to dispossess Lucas Moura.
The ball comes to Bowen unexpectedly but he takes a great first touch before sprinting forward – the result saw him win a free-kick to take the pressure of his side.
This aspect of his play makes him ideal against the bigger clubs, as does his intelligence.
Bowen is an expert at finding space between the attack and midfield – he is the ideal link for Antonio to play off.
Other than Lingard we missed that on Saturday, and that meant we often lost the ball out wide and could not sustain attacks.
Above, against Everton, he came short and was able to turn and run before firing a shot at goal.
He did similar against Sheffield United to provide an outlet for Thomas Soucek.
City’s press means that holding the ball in their half was difficult, but Bowen could have given us more of a foothold.
He has already proven himself at some big grounds this season too, as the 24-year-old produced six successful dribbles against Chelsea in December, per WyScout.
In the image below Bowen was closed in by two opposition players, yet he used his intelligence once again – combined with skill – to wriggle between them.
He then played in a dangerous cross and could have done similar if he started against Man City.
In other West Ham news, Exclusive: McAvennie admits Diangana exit from West Ham hasn’t made much difference.