Chelsea secured crucial 3-points against Brighton this weekend. Pochettino must be proud of his team for showing grit and determination despite having to play the entire second-half with just 10-men. However, there are two players who let Pochettino down. Conor Gallagher and Nicolas Jackson both had a bad game for Chelsea this weekend.
Gallagher was having a decent game until he was sent off just before half-time. Gallagher was reckless for receiving a second booking and potentially letting the team down. On a different day, the ten men may not have held out.
Nicolas Jackson’s Brighton game in numbers
Playing as a striker, Jackson has scored 7 goals in 16 games for Chelsea. It is fair to say that he hasn’t lived up to his hype ever since joining from Villarreal.
The attacker was tasked with leading the line against the south coast side on Sunday afternoon. While his link-up play was generally solid, he failed to provide any real contribution other than his assist for Colwill’s goal.
During his 72-minute spell on the pitch, Jackson took just 31 touches of the ball and completed only eight passes. Both of these stats are less than goalkeeper Robert Sanchez! This clearly indicates how isolated the Senegalese was on the pitch.
The striker contested 11 total duels, but won only three. This shows that he is still too lightweight to cope with the Premier League at the moment. Apart from that, he completed just one of his three attempted dribbles. He also lost possession a staggering 7 times!
Chelsea have no option other than Jackson at the moment
Pochettino is lacking in a top-class center-forward. he has had to persist with utilising Jackson in that role, but the 22-year-old is taking longer to adapt to English football than first anticipated.
The more he plays, the better he will get, but Pochettino will be requiring his players to hit the ground running as soon as possible as they chase a European spot for the 2024/25 campaign.
If Jackson can grab another few goals, his confidence will surely blossom and that would be a massive boost for Chelsea.
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