Pat Nevin no longer does a regular column for Chelsea’s website, so you have to go to places like the BBC’s Football News Show to get his opinion.
It does mean he can speak a little more freely – although right now he’s got nothing but positivity for his old team. The winger picked out Nicolas Jackson in particular for praise in a recent feature.
“You look up front at Jackson, the amount of chances he missed, the amount of great positions he got into with his staggering pace, it is staggering his pace, but then blew it time and time again. He’s getting better at that now. He’s running at you in more intelligent areas,” Nevin raved.
“If you watch Liverpool or Chelsea over the years and you’ve watched some centre-forwards, it’s not always just about getting the ball up to them for a tap-in. Look, you need to drive players away, you need to make good space, and that’s what he’s beginning to learn.”
Jackson impressing – but still has levels to go to
We’ve all enjoyed Jackson’s qualities over the last 12 months – and we’ve also enjoyed watching him improve. Everyone agreed when he arrived that he was full of talent but was very “raw.” We’ve seen him working on his game, and bit by bit he’s improving his weaknesses.
Alan Shearer still isn’t convinced. He said that Jackson is a “work in progress,” but admitted “he’s looking a lot better when I compare him to last season.”
But most Blues fans think that despite the occasional frustration, the Senegal star offers so much that he can afford to not yet be a complete forward. Tomorrow’s game is a huge chance to show off those improvements on the biggest stage.
