Mauricio Pochettino Defends Nicolas Jackson After Senegal Striker’s Puzzling FA Cup Performance

Mauricio Pochettino Defends Nicolas Jackson After Senegal Striker’s Puzzling FA Cup Performance

Byron Pillay
updated at April 22, 2024 at 4:09 PM
In this article:
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Chelsea logoFSenegal logo
Senegal logo
Senegal
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Manchester City logo
Manchester City
England
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Chelsea logo
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  • Nicolas Jackson has numerous chances to score for Chelsea against Manchester City
  • The Blues were beaten by City, and Jackson was criticised for his strange performance
  • Mauricio Pochettino has defended Jackson and believes he will be better next season

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Chelsea fans have a lot to be upset about.

The club invested heavily in bringing in new stars, but not all have warranted their high price tags.

Mauricio Pochettino still believes Nicolas Jackson will improve next season.
Mauricio Pochettino defended Nicolas Jackson after the Senegalese striker was criticized for failing to score against Manchester City. Image: Glyn Kirk.
Source: Getty Images

Nicolas Jackson is one such player who has failed to live up to the hype, and the Blues fans can’t understand why.

The Senegalese striker had a puzzling performance for the London side in the FA Cup, creating numerous chances but failing to score any.

As noted by The Mirror, Jackson tormented the City backline but had a frustrating day as he could never find the back of the net.

Those misses would prove costly as Chelsea were beaten 1-0 and denied a place in this season’s final. The FA Cup was the team’s last chance of securing silverware this season.

Pochettino defends Jackon’s performances

With Chelsea getting ready to take on Arsenal in the Premier League, Mauricio Pochettino has defended his attacker.

Speaking ahead of the London derby, Poch said the 22-year-old was doing a fantastic job.

Jackson’s statistics for Chelsea this season

While Jackson has attracted some criticism this season, his stats show he hasn’t fared too poorly.

The Senegalese scored 13 goals in 37 appearances in his debut season, surpassing what another African star did in his first season for the club. Didier Drogba only scored 10 goals in his debut season for the side but went on to become one of the greats.

Poch believes that the 22-year-old has the potential to be better come next season, something all Chelsea fans will be hoping for.

Thiago Silva pokes fun at Jackson

Sports Brief reported how Chelsea defender Thiago Silva poked fun at his teammate, Jackson.

The Brazilian had a laugh at the Senegalese striker after he performed Neymar’s iconic celebration.

Jackson used the celebration after scoring during Chelsea’s 6-0 rout of Everton in the English Premier League.

Authors
Byron Pillay photo
Byron Pillay
Byron Pillay is a sports writer and Head of the Department at Sports Brief (joined in 2022) with over 10 years of experience in community journalism and a degree in journalism from Caxton's Cadet School.