Pablo Fornals believes West Ham United should not be too downhearted about their display in the 2-1 Premier League defeat by Brentford on Sunday afternoon.
The visitors to London Stadium were the more impressive side in the opening exchanges of the game, and deservedly went ahead through Bryan Mbeumo’s close-range finish, but otherwise West Ham attacked with intent if not always the required cutting edge.
And with Brentford snatching victory with virtually the last kick of the game through Yoane Wissa, Fornals felt his team’s performance warranted more goals than just Jarrod Bowen’s 80th-minute equaliser.
The midfielder told West Ham TV: “It’s tough because I think, leaving the first 20 minutes aside, they didn’t do more than us to get the three points.
“It was really tough when we came back from 1-0, and in the last minute they took our three points.
“A tough game, but keeping aside the first 20 or 25 minutes, I think this is the way to play. This is how we did it last season and how we’ve done it at the beginning of this season, so it’s the [right] way to play.
“I think we had many chances throughout the whole game, but they defended well. We weren’t as clear as at the start of the season, but if we create, we’re going to score, and I think as I said, this is the way to play.”
Bowen’s late goal – a crisp, low half-volley after a West Ham corner had been half-cleared to the edge of the penalty area – was the No20’s first of the 2021/22 season.
That statistic, however, belies the forward’s influence on the Club’s performances and results, with his energy and tenacity making him a key component of their recent success.
Fornals believes that, should Bowen continue to maintain such standards, a first England call-up cannot be far away in coming.
The Spaniard noted: “He’s trying to score every game and he’s playing a massive part of this West Ham team right now.
“Why not? Soon, England could make a call for him – he deserves it the same or more than players who are going, so I think if he keeps playing at this level, one hundred per cent he’s going to have his chance.”
Despite Sunday’s defeat – only their second of the season so far – West Ham remain in a positive position in the Premier League table, the Carabao Cup and the UEFA Europa League.
Fornals concluded: “We lost against Man United in a game where we could have kept at least one point, and against Brentford it was the same, so we are a difficult team to beat and I think that’s going to bring us a lot of points this season.
“Obviously last week [against Leeds United] we took the three points in the last minute as well. As I said, we are a difficult team to beat. We make it a hard game for our rivals to win against us, and I think we are where we are.”
Fornals now heads off on international duty with Spain, with whom he will hope to win the 2021 UEFA Nations League. Spain face European champions Italy in the semi-finals in Milan, with the winners of that game taking on either Belgium or France in the final at the San Siro on Sunday 11 October.
