Nicolas Jackson’s removal from the pitch today prompted ironic cheers from Chelsea fans, and that fact was put to Mauricio Pochettino in his press conference after the game.
Of course, the manager’s reaction was to point out that football is a team sport, and that Jackson didn’t deserve individual blame for the team’s struggles to score. He also denied hearing the crowd’s reaction, but he must be aware of the growing dissatisfaction with fans both homes and away.
“I heard nothing from the fans but we wanted Nkunku and [Raheem] Sterling [in the central striker positions].
“It is always about expectation, how you manage expectation and set the expectation. If we compare Jackson to different strikers that arrive at his age to a new league, he is scoring goals when you look at his performances.
“It is not about blaming him. I think you can accept the frustration from the fans. It is about when we don’t score, [for] the offensive players, but I think we need to blame all together.
However, the fact is that he fluffed a good chance today, and several other times a baggy first touch denied him the chance to have a good shot on goal. Fans can be harsh, but they’re not stupid, and they’ve seen plenty of Jackson. It seems many have made their minds up already.
Soon the Senegal forward goes to the Africa Cup of Nations for a month. It will be very interesting to see whether the fans end up missing him, or whether someone else in the squad steps up in his absence.
Any “fan†who has made up their mind about Nicolas Jackson (and believes he’s not good enough) isn’t any real fan at all because they’ve obviously not taken a look at the numbers (which show that, despite some bad misses, Nicolas Jackson is STILL one of the most productive #9s in Europe).
This loud-mouthed maligning of Jackson has reached an idiotic fever pitch and the fact that this website keeps giving oxygen to it only hurts the player and the team, while further reinforcing the perception that the writer lacks any real acumen. Take a look at FBref for goodness sake and then come back and try and argue that Jackson is garbage. I dare you!