Chelsea icon John Obi Mikel did not mince words when delivering his assessment of Nicolas Jackson’s performance in the Blues’ 2-0 loss to Manchester City.
In a game that marked the start of the Enzo Maresca era at Stamford Bridge, goals from Erling Haaland and Mateo Kovacic secured a comfortable victory for the visitors.
Despite the scoreline, Chelsea did create several opportunities, registering 10 shots with three on target.
However, the Blues struggled to capitalise on these chances, with Jackson being particularly wasteful in front of goal.
Nicolas Jackson’s missed opportunities ultimately proved costly for Chelsea.
The Senegalese international was substituted in the 67th minute, making way for 18-year-old Marc Guiu.
Mikel, working as an analyst for beIN Sports, was blunt in his evaluation of Jackson’s display, even suggesting that Chelsea might need to consider further reinforcements in the transfer market.
“You need to have a striker who knows how to hit a ball in the back of the net and that’s what we don’t have,” Mikel told beIN Sports.
“I know I talk so much about him and sometimes I sound like I disrespect him, but I don’t disrespect him.”
Jackson joined Chelsea from Villarreal last summer in a £32 million transfer and made an impact by scoring 14 goals in his debut Premier League season.
However, that tally could have been even higher, as Jackson missed 24 big chances, ranking third in the league for most missed opportunities.
Early in his Chelsea career, the striker drew some ridicule when he picked up more yellow cards than goals.
It wasn’t until December, after scoring against Sheffield United, that he finally had more goals than cards.
Despite a challenging start, Jackson finished the season strong, netting seven goals in Chelsea’s final 13 matches.
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