The Senegal international had another afternoon to forget against Man City, but it shouldn't detract from what has still been a promising debut season
Chelsea really should have an FA Cup final date with Manchester United to look forward to. Mauricio Pochettino's side went down 1-0 against Manchester City in a pulsating last four tie on Saturday, with Bernardo Silva scoring the only goal of the game late on, but it could have been so different.
The Blues were unfortunate not to receive a penalty for what appeared to be a clear Jack Grealish handball in the second half, and they spurned a host of glorious chances – most of which fell to Nicolas Jackson. The 22-year-old's lack of composure proved costly, and overshadowed what was otherwise an impressive individual performance.
"Jackson was arguably the best player on the pitch and the worst player on the pitch all in the same game, which I have not seen before," former England defender Stuart Pearce said after covering the game for . "If he could finish, they would have won comfortably.”
It was a continuation of what has been a very mixed first year in English football for Jackson, who hasn't quite managed to justify his £30 million ($37m) price tag. It would be easy for Chelsea to write off that investment and look for suitors in the summer transfer window, accepting that Jackson won't be the man to break their No.9 curse. But that could be a mistake.
Jackson is on a steep learning curve, but there is still plenty of reason to believe he can go on and become a Stamford Bridge favourite, albeit not quite in the same mould as the man he is most often compared to…
Getty ImagesNever be another Drogba
There are only two strikers who have managed to live up to expectations at Chelsea over the past 20 years: Brazilian-born brute Diego Costa and Ivory Coast icon Didier Drogba. Every new centre-forward that arrives at Stamford Bridge has the added pressure of trying to succeed where the likes of Andriy Shevchenko, Fernando Torres, Alvaro Morata and Romelu Lukaku failed, and Jackson is no different, despite the fact he is still very much at the start of his career.
Pretty much as soon as he arrived in west London, Jackson had to face questions about potentially emulating Drogba, who is widely regarded as one of Chelsea's greatest ever players. Drogba won four Premier League titles and the Champions League across two spells with the Blues, and scored 10 goals in 10 finals for the club, which earned him a reputation as the ultimate big-game player.
Drogba was quick, strong and ruthless in front of goal, unstoppable at his best and a joy to watch. It's understandable that fans want Jackson to be his heir, but the reality is, there will never be another Chelsea player that matches up to the devastatingly brilliant Ivorian.
Pochettino admitted as much when launching a staunch defence of Jackson after his profligate display against City at the weekend, and backed him to silence his critics. "If we compare with Drogba, yes, he is always going to lose," he said. "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."
It's easy to forget that Drogba also started slowly at Chelsea too; Jackson has actually already surpassed his first-season tally of 12 Premier League goals. It wasn't until his third year at Stamford Bridge that Drogba broke the 20-goal barrier, and he was playing in a far better side than Jackson, with the likes of Frank Lampard, Arjen Robben and Joe Cole backing him up.
AdvertisementGettyOnly one thing missing
Jackson is not a natural finisher, and that was patently clear once again at Wembley. In the first half he was played through one on one with Stefan Ortega and clumsily attempted to go around the City goalkeeper instead of shooting, which led to him giving up possession cheaply. He had the chance to make amends in the second half, only for his tame side-footed effort to be pushed away by Ortega, and then somehow failed to convert a point-blank header moments later.
"I feel for him a little bit because he made lots of good movement, he’s a young striker, the attributes we saw in him today where he’s racing Kyle Walker, he’s shown pace, he’s shown good movement, but there’s a technical detail there, the extra touch, the decision-making at the highest level in these highest level of games are the difference," Drogba's former partner in crime Lampard said on after the match.
"The header, you hit anywhere but his body it’s a goal… I feel for him, we’ve all been there, we’ve all missed chances and it’s a critical one for the game. But as a young player that’s the level that you have to be a striker for Chelsea."
Lampard is absolutely right, and the criticism will continue if Jackson's output doesn't improve quickly, but he is still getting in the right positions. The former Villarreal man looks to get in behind at every opportunity and is always positive on the ball; he's never anonymous or caught not working hard enough.
Only four players can better Jackson's non-penalty xG in the Premier League this season (13.9), and although he's underperforming based on that metric, it proves that he's doing everything right in the build-up, and simply needs to add a clinical edge to his game.
GettyExample of the 'King of Chaos'
To reach the next level, Jackson might be well advised to follow Darwin Nunez's example at Liverpool, with the Uruguayan having emerged as one of the most important members of Jurgen Klopp's squad after a frustrating debut campaign at Anfield. Nunez only scored nine Premier League goals last season, and like Jackson, was often let down by his end product after impressing in general play.
It was a disappointing year for Liverpool's record signing, but those raw edges have been sharpened this term, as he's managed to record 31 goal contributions in 49 appearances across all competitions. Nunez is still unpredictable, which is why he has been dubbed the Reds' 'King of Chaos', but he's far more effective in advanced areas now.
"The first year was hard for him, and then hard for me as well because you see this incredible talent, massive potential, but it’s difficult to unfold it," Klopp said when asked about Nunez's adaptation in November. "I’m obviously a manager who can help a player, but I need contact for that. In an ideal world, you can speed up the process by talking a lot with the player. I was not able to do that because I don’t speak Spanish, but his English is now much better and my Spanish still isn’t. [He’s] settled in the team, when you see him around the building here, everything is different. I’m a bit afraid of the highs he could reach because there is so much there, it’s crazy."
Jackson's ceiling isn't quite as high as Nunez's, but he does have the same work ethic and still has plenty of potential to unlock. He is already fluent in English, too, which means Pochettino should have no issues when it comes to helping him become a more well-rounded centre-forward.
This is just the beginning for Jackson, the main thing is he's shown real strength of character in the face of adversity, and the future is bright if he continues on his current trajectory.
GettyBest is yet to come
To properly put Jackson's maiden year at Stamford Bridge into context, it is necessary to highlight the fact he joined a Chelsea squad in complete disarray. The Blues slumped to a shocking 12th-place finish in the Premier League last season, despite the lavish spending of new owners Todd Boehly and the Clearlake Capital Group, and Pochettino was also given a huge war chest in the summer transfer window.
Jackson was one of eight major new signings, and has arguably been the most impressive of them all, with £115m ($147m) man Moises Caicedo and Spanish goalkeeper Robert Sanchez among those to endure far worse teething problems. Chelsea also offloaded 10 first-team stars, including Kai Havertz, Mason Mount, N'Golo Kante, Christian Pulisic and Mateo Kovacic, as Pochettino attempted to revamp the squad in his image.
Consistency has once again proven elusive for Chelsea, and they are destined for another trophy-less season, but Jackson has been one of the real bright sparks throughout. He is also well aware of where he needs to improve, as he told reporters after scoring his 11th goal of the season in a 2-2 draw with Brentford last month: "It’s not enough because I missed a lot, a lot of chances. I should have scored more than 11."
The only time he really let himself down was when he tried to take a penalty away from Cole Palmer in Chelsea's 6-0 home win over Everton, which was a childish move, but he is still young and will make mistakes. He's settled into his new surroundings remarkably well all things considered, and the best is yet to come, especially since the Blues are now finally starting to show signs of cohesion under Pochettino.