One Chelsea star has come in for huge criticism following his side’s defeat to Flamengo in the Club World Cup.
Chelsea were beaten 3-1 by the Brazilian outfit despite taking the lead in the first half. Pedro Neto got the team off to a great start after scoring in the 13th minute.
But an awful six-minute spell resulted in the Blues absolutely collapsing, a six-minute spell which saw Nicolas Jackson dismissed again.
The striker was also shown a red in Chelsea’s 2-0 loss to Newcastle at the end of last season.
Steve Nicol slams Nicolas Jackson after red card against Flamengo
It is fair to say that Liverpool legend Steve Nicol was not too impressed with Jackson following the 24-year-old’s dismissal.
Since then, Nicol has absolutely torn into Jackson, comparing him to a chicken running around with its head missing.
Discussing the Chelsea striker on ESPN, he said: “All you’ve got to do is look at his disciplinary record and it smacks of… I don’t think there’s frustration about [Liam] Delap or anything like that. The frustration is that he knows that he’s not at that level. Every time he steps on the field for Chelsea, he’s trying to prove that he is good enough.
“And when you’re in that mental state of mind, you’re going to make mistakes. You’re going to do reckless things. Eighteen yellow cards in 78 games for a centre-forward? That tells you he’s running around like a chicken that’s lost its head trying to prove something to himself or to Chelsea or whoever. That’s not how you play the game.”
Enzo Maresca really has seen two sides of Jackson lately, a good one and a bad one. It was the Senegal international who put Chelsea in front in the Conference League final last month with a header.
However, before that, Jackson was sent off away at Newcastle and now the same thing has happened against Flamengo.
Flamengo manager Filipe Luis thought Jackson warranted his red, which will see him miss Chelsea’s final group stage game of the Club World Cup.
Chelsea could sell Nicolas Jackson
With Chelsea signing Delap and still in the market for another forward, Jackson’s position in Maresca’s squad no longer looks safe.
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea selling Jackson is possible if they receive a bid of over £50m for the former Villarreal man.
In terms of the forward who could come in and possibly replace Jackson, it has been claimed that Chelsea are preparing an offer for Joao Pedro.
A move to Stamford Bridge would see the Brazilian follow in the footsteps of Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella and Robert Sanchez, who all left Brighton & Hove Albion for Chelsea.
