Despite facing a lot of criticism in his first season in the Premier League for Chelsea, Nicolas Jackson has not been as bad as people make it to be. If anything, he has been fairly decent. Despite all the flak flying his way, the lad’s still standing tall.
Jackson has been putting in the hard yards, racking up 17 goals and six assists in 42 appearances across all competitions. That’s more goals than even Chelsea legend Didier Drogba managed in his first season at Chelsea.
Now, Jackson’s journey hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows. He has had his fair share of misses, and let’s not forget those run-ins with the fans on the sidelines. But you know what? He’s taken it all in his stride. He didn’t let the criticism get to him, and the 22-year-old Senegalese international kept on grinding.
Mauricio Pochettino has rightly backed the former Villarreal striker, hoping for the player to come good sooner than later. Here is what the Argentine boss of Chelsea told The Mirror:
“I think Nico has the potential to be a very, very good striker,”
“A fantastic striker. Only it’s about patience and time.”
“He is a good example. He got amazing criticism from the beginning because he was compared to Drogba from the start.”
“But to judge and be so radical in the opinions, be careful,”
“Because I think it’s about to see what is going on, what we see and Nico, I think through confidence and working really hard is changing the opinion.”
Adjusting to the Premier League isn’t a walk in the park. It’s a whole different ball game, with defenders breathing down your neck every second. But despite the challenges, Jackson has shown incredible resilience. He’s continued to put in the work, week in and week out, showing his mentality and hunger to succeed.
As per Poch, Nico’s got all the makings of a top-notch striker – it’s just a matter of time and patience. The gaffer reckons Nico’s a prime example of why you shouldn’t be too quick to judge.
The poor bloke was compared to Drogba from day one! Talk about pressure. Here’s the thing though – he’s been grafting away, building up that confidence brick by brick. And you know what? It’s paying off. Slowly but surely, he’s starting to change minds and win hearts.
All in all, Pochettino and Co. are just reminding us not to write Nico off just yet. The lad’s got bags of talent, and with a bit of patience and support, he’s only gonna get better. Top-class strikers have elevated their game under Poch. Kane and Mbappe are just a few examples even though they were bloody good before their association with Poch. There’s no reason why Jackson cannot add to that list.
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