Bowen and Soucek Lead by Example on the Pitch for West Ham

One of the biggest criticisms of the West Ham squad over the past couple of seasons is the lack of team leadership on a squad that had become too reliant on too few players.

The lack of characters on the squad has been a familiar narrative for supporters, pundits and podcasters throughout the past two seasons as West Ham has stumbled from one inconsistent patch of results to another.

While the Pellegrini and Husillos era at West Ham saw the club recruit some highly gifted technical players to compliment those that were already on the books, the former Manager and Director of Football didn’t bring in any players renowned for their leadership.

As former Hammers frontman Brian Deane rightly stated back in February, the club had:

"“lot of players that are very good technically, who have come with big reputations. Then you hit a blip when the expectation rises and you have to perform. 50,000 people are not getting bang for their buck and some of the players are shrinking.”"

This is best exemplified by West Ham being second last in the league for points after falling behind with 4 (with three of those coming against Chelsea on July 1st) as well as 24 points dropped from winning positions.

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At times, it seemed as if the players were wholly unprepared to put forth the effort levels to compete in a Premier League match, often taking the first chunk of the game to really get involved. If the Hammers were playing well, all it seemed to take was a simple mistake or a fluke goal that put the opponent in front and the entire dynamic of the game was altered.

The player’s demeanour would completely change, as shoulders slumped, nobody wanted the ball and many would shrink from challenges. The games were effectively over because there weren’t enough West Ham players on the pitch who had the character to survive and thrive when faced with adversity.

But January arrivals Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek have completely revitalized the squad to the point that ITK ExWHUemployee would consider them to among the leaders for Hammer of the Year if they had been around for the entire season.

It’s hard to imagine the club maintaining their Premier League status without the goals and assists provided by the newcomers, but Soucek and Bowen have also importantly filled the leadership void at West Ham.

They have done so leading by example through their incredible work ethic, drive and determination. Those types of performances are contagious, and its no surprise to see players like Rice and Antonio spurred on by those with a similar level of commitment as them.

After Soucek’s first goal against Chelsea was overturned by a dodgy VAR ruling, Chelsea were almost immediately awarded and converted a penalty. A few months ago, West Ham would have absolutely crumbled at such a turn of events. It would have been game, and perhaps season, over.

Instead,  Soucek towered over the Chelsea defenders shortly before half-time to drag the squad back into the match. In the 51st minute, Bowen assisted on Antonio’s goal to put West Ham in the lead. These ten minutes or so of football were the turning point in the Hammers’ Project Restart.

Tomas Soucek and Jarrod Bowen raising their games at such a pivotal moment just displays how important their leadership has become to West Ham, as they lead by example through their goals and assists but also by their positive attitudes, tireless work rates and total commitment at both ends of the pitch.