One of the most disappointing aspects of West Ham’s performance against Blackburn Rovers at the weekend was the fact that Jarrod Bowen didn’t drift into the middle and cause havoc in the way he had against Cardiff City. Having watched what happened in Wales, I was genuinely excited about the possibilities for our captain under Scott Parker.
Because make no mistake about it, one of the biggest reasons the Hammers were able to overturn a three-goal deficit against Cardiff was the freedom afforded to Bowen. No longer was he restricted to the right wing, and suddenly he was popping up in central areas of the pitch, having a hand in all three West Ham goals.
As a result, I thought we might have discovered something rather special. Bowen could start on the right wing but effectively be given licence to operate as a number ten, providing West Ham with a completely different attacking threat. It was a whole new Jarrod Bowen, and he was incredibly effective at it.
West Ham Missed A Trick Against Blackburn
That’s why I was so disappointed to see Bowen playing as a conventional, orthodox right winger against Blackburn. Having witnessed how dangerous he could be when drifting into central areas, I really thought Parker would look to exploit that again.
Instead, Bowen spent much of the match operating in his familiar position, and West Ham lost the unpredictability which had made him so effective against Cardiff. Of course, Blackburn were different opponents, but I couldn’t help feeling we’d missed a trick.
West Ham captain Bowen looked brilliant when seemingly given a free role against Cardiff City
The interesting thing is that I don’t believe Bowen needs to become an out-and-out striker to solve this problem. In fact, moving him permanently into the number nine position could simply deprive West Ham of their best creative player.
What excited me against Cardiff wasn’t the prospect of Bowen replacing the centre-forward. It was the possibility of him playing both roles at different moments, starting wide before moving inside and creating problems that opposition defenders struggled to deal with.
Parker Must Give Bowen His Freedom Back
For all West Ham’s attacking problems, we already have a player capable of making things happen. Bowen demonstrated that against Cardiff, and I would argue that his movement and creativity were every bit as important as the goals themselves.
There’s no reason why he cannot continue to provide width when required while also moving into the space behind the striker. That flexibility could be particularly valuable with Joël Piroe leading the line, giving West Ham somebody to finish the opportunities Bowen creates.
I don’t want to see Parker abandon something which worked so spectacularly after just 45 minutes. We’ve spent much of this season struggling to create chances, yet against Cardiff we appeared to stumble upon a way of getting considerably more from our best player.
The international break gives Parker time to work on these attacking combinations, and I hope restoring Bowen’s freedom is near the top of his priorities. By the time West Ham face Preston North End, I’d like to see our captain operating with the same licence that made him almost unplayable in Cardiff.