Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has continued to back Nicolas Jackson despite his inconsistency in front of goal.
The Senegal international has had mixed reviews on his form since joining from Villarreal last summer where he was awarded the La Liga player of the month for May.
Jackson has scored 11 goals in all competitions, 10 of them in the Premier League, yet he has not warmed his way into the hearts of some Chelsea fans due to his tendency to be wasteful in front of goal.
He came under scrutiny for opportunities he missed in Chelsea’s 1-0 FA Cup semi-final loss to Manchester City at the weekend but Pochettino believes the 22-year-old has done well and will only get better in his craft.
🇸🇳 Up close with Nico at our Cobham training base! 📍@trivago pic.twitter.com/YqEK48AuzA
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) April 22, 2024
“First season is always difficult for all the players, especially when you are a striker and need to perform and score goals,” the Argentine tactician said ahead of the Chelsea’s game with fierce London rivals Arsenal.
“Everyone expects you to score a goal with every touch. He is our main striker, the only striker that we have fit because [Christopher] Nkunku nearly didn’t play the whole season, [Armando] Broja also then moved to Fulham because he wanted to play more.
“[Jackson] is doing fantastic, he’s doing an amazing job for the team, running, scoring goals and giving assists. He’s a young guy coming from Spain and he’s done fantastic.
“If we compare with [Didier] Drogba, yes, he is always going to lose. We need to split the history of the club with the performance of Jackson.
“He has all my support because even if he doesn’t always score, the way he is fighting for the club and his team-mates… he is going to be better next season, no doubt. He just needs to keep going.”
Jackson was subject to racist abuse from Chelsea fans in the Man City game and the club released a statement, vowing to take action and prosecute the individuals responsible for the act.
