Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino remains happy with what he is getting from one of his players this season.
Mauricio Pochettino could have been critical of his team in his pre-match press conference earlier today.
Chelsea lost their FA Cup semi-final tie against Manchester City over the weekend after missing a host of chances.
Nicolas Jackson was the main culprit, wasting several good opportunities. It left many pundits, including Alan Shearer, far from impressed.
Nevertheless, Pochettino did not use his presser ahead of Chelsea’s game against Arsenal tomorrow to criticise his side.
Mauricio Pochettino defends Chelsea star
Naturally, having missed so many chances, Jackson was the main target for criticism after his team’s defeat at Wembley.
However, Pochettino defended the 22-year-old earlier, praising him for “the way he fights” for the badge.
Overall, the Argentine thinks that Jackson is doing a “fantastic job” in west London.
He has scored 13 goals in 37 appearances following his £32m move from Villarreal last summer.
READ MORE: Who is Nicolas Jackson? Profile, Transfer, Wage, Family and More
Mauricio Pochettino’s assessment of Nicolas Jackson after FA Cup semi-final defeat
What Pochettino has said about Jackson is pretty fair. This is not a centre-forward who goes out and does not try.
The effort is there, but what is letting him down is his finishing. If the Senegal international can improve that, then Chelsea could have much happier days at Wembley in the future.
The Blues will not wait around for Jackson to become an elite finisher forever, though. They are already being linked with other strikers, such as Napoli’s Victor Osimhen.
Chelsea may have to break the bank and make the Nigerian one of their most expensive signings of all time. However, it could be worth it.
If he had been an option for Chelsea at Wembley on Saturday, it is a game that they may have won. His record of 31 goals in 39 games last season suggests that he could bring a lot more firepower to this Chelsea team. He is a striker who Jackson could learn a lot from.