Julen Lopetegui underlines Jarrod Bowen impact to West Ham after captain's England snub
West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen offers more than goals according to Julen Lopetegui after he was dropped from England squad for next week's Nations League double headerr
by Alan Smith · The MirrorJulen Lopetegui is backing Jarrod Bowen to rediscover his scoring touch but the West Ham head coach is stopping short of demanding another 20-goal season from his captain.
Bowen has found the net just once so far with the Hammers still chasing a first home point of the campaign. And that downturn in form meant he has been dropped from the England squad for next week’s Nations League double header versus Greece and Finland.
Yet Lopetegui says the 27-year-old’s value extends far beyond finding the net. “He’s a very good player. I’m very, very happy with him,” the head coach said before today’s visit of Ipswich to London Stadium. He works, always, for the team, always hard and is always ready. He’s a very, very good player in my opinion. He can play in different positions. He wants more, he wants to improve. He’s a good character.”
Bowen struck 20 times in all competitions last season, earning rave reviews and a spot in Gareth Southgate ’s Euros squad. But with West Ham’s attack struggling for fluidity under new boss Lopetegui, hitting the same heights in this campaign already looks like a tall order.
And asked if Bowen should be set a similar target, Lopetegui said: “Let's see, you can ask me this in May. “He has scored, against Crystal Palace, and I am sure he is going to score more. But above all he is going to help us win matches. If he doesn't score against one team, he is a player who always helps. He is very important.”
Demanding West Ham fans have already been letting their grievances known to Lopetegui after losing all three home league games to date – albeit against teams sitting in the top five. They remain unbeaten on the road but last month’s hammering at the hands of Chelsea saw the heat already turned up on the former Real Madrid boss.
Yet he insists there is no sense of added pressure for his players to perform in the East End against an Ipswich side he considers to be “a complete team.” “We’re going to have the support of our fans for sure,” he added. “We all want to win the match and for this we need the fans.”
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