After defeating West Ham on their own turf, Chelsea have found a new source of confidence in the squad. The Blues will be playing against Barrow AFC in their next game. This is the first Carabao Cup match for Chelsea, and it will be hosted at the Stamford Bridge.
The Chelsea fans are pleased after seeing a beautiful performance from the Blues. They believe that the Italian manager has found a consistent starting eleven at Stamford Bridge. We can also see it because there are fewer changes in his team.
In the game against Bournemouth, Nicolas Jackson failed to score against the Cherries, and Christopher Nkunku had to come and save Chelsea from a draw. After that match, everyone was thinking that Nkunku might start against West Ham United. But Enzo Maresca trusted the Senegalese striker and gave him a start against the Hammers.
What really happened with the Chelsea forward?
In the fourth minute, Nicolas Jackson scored the opening goal for Chelsea. At first, Sancho gave a through ball to Jackson. The Senegalese forward sprinted with the ball along the left flank. As he reached the box, he didn’t find any of his Chelsea teammates. So, he decided to take an attempt at the goal all by himself. He saw a small gap between the two legs of West Ham goalkeeper Areola, and he slotted the ball through the gap. These turn of events led to a stunning nutmeg goal from Nicolas Jackson.
After that, West Ham loose ball in the middle of the pitch, and Moises Caicedo utilized this situation. He provided a pinpointed through ball to Jackson. This time, he carried the ball towards Areola and finished it with the outside of his right foot. Jackson also provided an assist to Cole Palmer in the second half.
Actually, Nicolas Jackson is facing steep competition from Christopher Nkunku. If he doesn’t perform well, the French forward can replace him in the first eleven. No player will want such things in their career. The same thing happened with Jackson.
Previously, Chelsea legend John Obi Mikel has criticized the Senegalese forward for not being clinical enough in front of the goal. After these heavy criticisms, Nicolas Jackson always tries to find a way to prove the doubters wrong. After playing 5 Premier matches, he has scored 4 goals and is currently ranked among the top 6 goal scorers in the league. This is a decent start for a number nine Chelsea, where the position is itself cursed.
Besides scoring goals, Jackson plays smooth and effective link-up football with Palmer, Madueke, and Sancho. So this is another aspect of Jackson’s playing style.
Chelsea’s future plan
According to football.london, Chelsea are still looking for an elite striker. They have made a four-man shortlist, which contains Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen, Sporting Lisbon number nine Victor Gykores, Slovenian forward Benjamin Sesko, and Jhon Duran.
It is being said that the Blues will start their striker hunt in the January transfer window. At this moment, Enzo Maresca has two proper number nines, which are Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu. Although the former is playing beautiful football, if he gets injured, the entire squad has to rely on Guiu. The young Spanish forward hasn’t been able to perform that well since he has arrived at the Stamford Bridge.
Although Marc Guiu has immense potential in him, Maresca needs a well-experienced number nine who can score goals week-in and week-out. At this moment, the most suitable option is Victor Osimhen. It is being said that the player loves Chelsea and the Blues need him. So, this will be a perfect match for both sides.
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