Former Chelsea midfielder Craig Burley has called on manager Mauricio Pochettino to bench Nicolas Jackson.
The Senegalese international struggled to make an impact in the 4-1 defeat to Newcastle at the weekend and Burley believes he should be replaced by Armando Broja for the Blues’ next fixture against Brighton:
“Let’s be honest, Nico Jackson’s not the answer. I don’t dislike Broja. I know he’s had his injury problems, but I think I’d rather have him up front than Jackson.”
“I know he got his goals against Tottenham but, come on, let’s be realistic – they were down to nine men at the time.”
Jackson is still a work in progress
There will be plenty of reactionary takes after what was an abject display at St James’ Park on Saturday and Jackson has taken his fair share of criticism following the game.
While it was undoubtedly a bad performance from the 22-year-old, he is still young and there will be times when he is not at his best. It should also be pointed out that he has scored 6 goals in 12 Premier League games. As Burley says, 3 of those came in one match but it is still not a bad return.
Chelsea need to sign a more experienced No.9
It can be rightly argued that Chelsea should not have gone into the season with Jackson as their main striker. They may have paid £32m to secure his services from Villarreal but he is not currently an elite No.9.
From the sound of things, the Blues will look to put that right in the January transfer window. Whether they will be able to get the type of player they need, though, it remains to be seen.
