Striker problems still persist at West Ham
Trying out Jarrod Bowen as a striker hasn’t been all that successful, especially when up against teams that play defensively. David Moyes deployed him in the central forward spot against Olympiacos and Nottingham Forest, but both times, it didn’t really work out.
People have been talking a lot about how the Hammers manager is trying to turn Bowen from a winger into a striker. I was curious to see how it would play out, but it seems like it’s only effective about half the time.
Striker problems still remain and West Ham must address the issue in January
In both games, Bowen was switched back to his usual position later on, and that’s when he started causing more trouble for the opposition. The issue with Bowen as a striker is that he’s not strong enough physically. It’s not that he can’t be good on the counter-attack, but when defenders are hanging back and holding their ground, Bowen ends up getting outmuscled a lot.
Just to be clear, I still think Bowen can make an impact in the centre sometimes, but he’s not the long-term solution to our striker problems. The fact that David Moyes benched Michail Antonio for a couple of games in a row suggests even the manager thinks there might be a problem.
This needs fixing, especially with January coming up. Bowen will be required to go back to the right wing while Mohammed Kudus is away for the AFCON. Tim Steidten needs to handle the task of recruiting a striker because Moyes takes too much time making decisions on player signings, and West Ham needs someone ASAP.