- West Ham take on Wolverhampton Wanderers tonight in the Premier League at 8PM BST
- Jarrod Bowen believes the team have the fight to stay up this season
- The Hammers captained is determined to put things right
West Ham United taken Wolverhampton Wanderers tonight in a huge game. The Hammers are one point from safety and know a good result would take them out of the Premier League relegation zone heading into Saturday’s fixtures.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s team need to pick themselves up after a penalty shootout loss to Leeds United in the FA Cup last weekend. Despite the loss, the likes of Jean-Clair Todibo have stated that the team are in a good place and ready for tonight, a sentiment shared by Jarrod Bowen.
The West Ham captain told the club’s official website that everyone knows what’s at stake, but they are confident they can fight their way out of it.
“We’re in a good place and are a squad that never gives up and keeps going to the end, because football can do magical things, It’s easy to chuck the towel in, but we never want to be that team that chucks the towel in.
“We need to keep going and going and going, because you never know in football, and if you can keep that spirit, you can keep that hunger, that desire that we have, I think we can do really well until the end of the season.
“We have to keep that spirit, we’re in a good place, the changing room’s in a good place, the players are in a good place, and that’s the most important thing. What we do on a day-to-day basis takes us into the game on the weekend.”
Disappointment can be used as fuel for West Ham
Last weekend’s disappointment is hard to take for any West Ham player, but Bowen knows they need to use it as fuel. The club’s longest serving player is determined to put things right and keep the club where it belongs.
I think you have to acknowledge the downs, you have to have a day to be disappointed, be hurt, which I was on the day, but now you switch your mindset, that’s done, you can’t change what’s happened, so now you can go and change it on Friday,” he said. “In my mind I’m thinking ‘go and score and go and win the game Friday’.
“That’s how I think I have those days to reflect on it, but now for me it’s in the past and I just want to look forward to it.
“Of course, it’s not all about me. The team also step up in big moments like we have done all season, players have stepped up in different ways. But as an attacker you’ve got more possibilities, more opportunities of scoring goals, so I want to score goals every single time that I play, I want to get assists every single time that I play.”
Togetherness is what others don’t have
It’s not just using the bad for good that makes Bowen believe West Ham can stay up. The team have formed a strong bond that the 29-year-old knows can take them far.
“I think togetherness is such an important thing,” he confirmed. “You can have all the quality in the world, but in the situation that we’re in, in the dogfight that we’re in, you need a team that’s going to work for each other. You need every single person that’s going to run that extra yard for your teammate next to you. I know that we’ve got that.
“I think that’s the most positive thing for us – we have quality to go with it as well, but quality doesn’t win you games all the time. You have to have those moments like when there are ten minutes to go, you’re one goal up and you have to dig in, you have to defend that lead, you have to put in effort to win that game.
“We all need to keep stepping up and keep changing our destiny, changing our fortunes and winning the games that we have. Then we can almost take control of the situation that we’re in.
“We know what we need to do, so that’s the most important thing.”
