Bowen Starts for England but Fails to Shine in Tuchel Tinker

West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen will undoubtedly have mixed feelings after making his first start under new England manager Thomas Tuchel at Wembley last night.

Bowen started the World Cup qualifier against Latvia in his favoured right-sided role and would have been delighted to get the nod in a competitive fixture.

Tuchel has spoken about wanting his Three Lions side to play with a more direct, Premier League-style intensity—and Bowen’s inclusion certainly backed that up.

Unfortunately for the Hammers skipper, he was unable to fully demonstrate his best. Bowen had a busy game without truly impacting proceedings. There were a few attempted give-and-go moves with teammates, a right footed shot wide of goal and a debatable shout for a penalty, but with Latvia sitting deep and absorbing pressure, he was often forced to play safe passes rather than drive into the box.

Bowen wasn’t poor—just largely ineffective—and he became the first player to be substituted after an hour, following a positional switch to the left wing. To make matters worse, his direct replacement Ebere Eze scored shortly after coming on, with the sort of dribble and finish Bowen has produced many times from the right for West Ham.

Overall, Bowen should still look on the bright side. Under a new manager, nobody is guaranteed a place, and his selection shows he’s firmly in Tuchel’s thoughts.

England’s next match is against Andorra in early June. If Bowen can finish the season strongly and keep scoring for West Ham, he should have every chance of keeping his place in the squad—and getting another crack in an England shirt.