“Dodged a Bullet” | West Ham Wingers Lucky Escape
No doubt Jarrod Bowen would have been disappointed to miss out on Lee Carsley’s latest England squad. The West Ham captain had been used by the Three Lions’ caretaker manager as a striker replacement for Harry Kane and was unlucky not to score during the September internationals.
However, competition for England places is fierce, and West Ham had not been in excellent form, so perhaps it was no surprise to see the Hammers winger omitted.
But after witnessing the horror show that saw England lose to Greece, followed by the fallout and media scrutiny on Carsley, perhaps Bowen had a lucky escape?
The interim coach’s car-crash interview following the defeat has only heaped more pressure on a group of players struggling in the second division of international football. Wisely, the FA seems to be looking for replacements, with Eddie Howe and Thomas Tuchel both being mentioned, and therefore, I believe Bowen is better off out of it.
He can focus on two weeks of training out of the limelight at West Ham and avoid being associated with Carsley’s botched attempts at tactically shoehorning his best players into the same team.
West Ham head coach Julen Lopetegui has experienced a real baptism of fire during his first few months in charge at the London Stadium.
Before the Ipswich game, there was actually talk of Lopetegui getting the sack if results didn’t improve quickly, but he apparently assured the board that he will turn things around.
The 4-1 win was vital for Lopetegui in the end, and it earned him some much-needed breathing space, especially after his highly publicised fall-out with Mohammed Kudus the week before.
However, things are set to get worse before they get better, with a nightmarish run of fixtures on the horizon for West Ham.
The 58-year-old will need players he can really count on during the upcoming batch of fixtures over the next six weeks or so.
And one of them has completely changed Lopetegui’s mind since he replaced David Moyes officially on July 1st.
Lopetegui has only been in charge at the London Stadium for three months after all!
And one player in particular seems to have made Lopetegui perform a complete and utter 180 degree turn.
Give Me Sport claim that Tomas Soucek has completely won Lopetegui over, and is now viewed as a player who is not for sale.
That’s quite the twist, after it was claimed Lopetegui wasn’t initially convinced by the 6ft 4in midfielder.
