Nicolas Jackson came under scrutiny as Chelsea went goalless against Brentford and Mauricio Pochettino has come to his forward's defence after analysis from Alan Shearer.
Mauricio Pochettino has come to Nicolas
Jackson's defence after the forward failed to have an impact in Chelsea's
defeat against Brentford at Stamford Bridge. The Blues' boss described analysis
from Alan Shearer on Match of the Day as 'dangerous', though conceded that his
outing against the Bees was not his best.
Jackson has
fired hot and cold since his summer arrival and netted three times in 11
appearances so far this season. The 22-year-old former Villarreal forward struggled to make an impression against
Brentford's backline and even had a minor interaction with a supporter, as he
came to the sideline to receive advice from Pochettino on the verge of halftime.
Shearer did not hold back in his
assessment of Jackson's performance, describing a 'complete lack of movement'
and explaining 'goalscorers don’t hang around on the edge of the box like he
does. It’s his job to get on the end of it'.
Pochettino admitted
he saw the Match of the Day analysis, and noted he recognised some of the
criticism during the match against Brentford. However, the Chelsea head
coach warned to have caution when looking at one game in isolation.
He said: “I nearly said no, but I cannot lie [about watching
Match of the Day]! That is what we were talking about at half-time. About to
expose the space. But I think that Nico if you watch the game against
Liverpool or Dortmund in pre-season, or Luton, he was doing what the analysis
was about and what we expect. But for different circumstances, Nico is not at
his best today. For different circumstances, but we need to recover the player
that was.”
He added: "But it’s really dangerous this type of analysis because it’s one game. I cannot lie, it wasn't his best but we need to be fair. If you watch Luton, if you watch Dortmund in pre-season, if you watch Liverpool, you will see this is one player. Brentford's game was another player. I agree with the analysis, but it’s not fair to say he is not this or you know. I agree with the analysis, but not to say he is not capable of doing what we expect of him.”
Pochettino acknowledged that his forward
may need time to flourish at Chelsea but the 51-year-old has belief that
Jackson can achieve.
He said: “I believe in him, I believe. The only
problem is time. I don't want to give examples, but he arrived at Chelsea in a
situation that is not easy for him. Another player had the same situation as Nico
and maybe because we didn’t score it’s another day. Maybe we go to another
different you know? Maybe players with more time than Nico, are not
performing in the way that we expect. But the club believes it is possible to
perform. That is why we cannot be unfair in the analysis because he was frustrated
from the beginning for different circumstances. But we need to give time, for
sure he has the conditions. He showed that the conditions he has it’s only give
time to him.”
The Senegal international is not the only Chelsea player to come under scrutiny
this term. Robert Sanchez, having arrived barely one week before the start of
the season has been the club's No.1 ever since.
The Spaniard has produced some fine displays but also
struggled with his distribution on occasion. Like Jackson, Pochettino believes
that Sanchez requires time to adapt. However, the Blues boss acknowledged that
Chelsea must be competitive and cannot have excuses.
Pochettino said: "I am really happy
with his attitude and commitment. Of course, for sure he is going to be great
for the club. But it is the same analysis, arrived at the last moment, the
other keeper went to Madrid played in two or three training sessions, and
then straight into the season.
"We need to give him time to adapt, not the same
playing for another team as it is at Chelsea where there is pressure to win.
Sometimes people think it is so easy to say 'he's so good or not so good,' but
come on, it is not only Nico who is in this situation. We try to win every
single game, Liverpool, Arsenal, Brentford, and Blackburn Rovers tomorrow.
"That is not to say If we do not win we have the
perfect excuse, of 'we are young because we arrived a few months ago and do not
have the experience,' because it is Chelsea and we have to be competitive.
Sometimes it is difficult and my face is red because we are Chelsea and we need
to win these games."
Want to keep up to date with the breaking
and important Chelsea stories whilst on the move? Well, now you can!
Click this link to follow the
football.london Chelsea WhatsApp channel, where you'll be kept up to date on
the latest Blues news wherever you are.
Just remember to turn on the notifications once
you've followed, and you won't miss a beat!
No comments