London –
Nicolas Jackson struggled when Chelsea relied on him as the spearhead. He is considered fast and strong, but lacks one crucial thing as a striker.
Nicolas Jackson immediately became the focus of Chelsea’s attack this season following Christopher Nkunku’s injury during pre-season. Manager The Blues Mauricio Pochettino initially planned to use Nkunku as the spearhead.
But Jackson apparently had difficulty immediately clicking with the new environment and culture. He has indeed collected seven goals in the Premier League so far, but has only scored them in five appearances from a total of 18 matches played.
Jackson’s lack of goals also made Chelsea struggle. The west London club often loses momentum due to attacks that fail to resolve. They are now scattered in 10th position, 12 points away from the top four zone.
Former Chelsea defender Mario Melchiot saw that Jackson actually had potential, especially physically. However, the 22 year old player lacks one important element as a striker. Now the situation will be more complicated with Nkunku’s recovery.
“He has speed and power, but he doesn’t have the calmness of his mind, which I think a good striker needs. He is not an old player, he still has time but the only thing that needs to be polished is calmness,” he told ESPN quoted Metro.
“If you look at the best strikers who have played for Chelsea, I will give you an example from my era with Hasselbaink or Drogba, these players were calm in front of goal.”
“When they get a chance, sometimes they will argue with you if you don’t give them the ball. He needs to get to that level, because people are starting to think ‘Should I pass to him or finish it myself’. I don’t want him to be in that position because attackers never want to be in that position,” added Melchiot.
Watch the video “Mauricio Pochettino admires Nicolas Jackson at Chelsea”
(raw/bay)
