Tim Sherwood said that Chelsea had trouble without Nicolas Jackson and that he was irreplaceable although he was not a prolific scorer. Sherwood stressed that the Senegalese striker creates a space for players like Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernandez.
Addressing Metro, the former Tottenham star insisted that the absence of Jackson is a blow for Chelsea and that in Zo Maresca needs to find a way to succeed without the old man of Villarreal. Sherwood said:
“I think that Nicolas Jackson was certainly disrespectful. I think it is the focal point and a real presence up there. He occupies the central centers and brings them back to create space so that Cole Palmer enters. Palmer, in particular, took advantage of the space that Jackson created it. Enzo (Fernanddez) as well. space for him.
He added:
“It was a huge lack. He is not a prolific scorer but he is certainly a threat and they cannot replace him. They have no one like him to come – they tried him by (Christopher) Nkunku or play with Pedro Neto as a fake new, but it did not work, playing a manager up.
Jackson scored nine goals and helped five times in 23 Premier League matches this season. Chelsea slipped from the second to the fourth in the table and even found herself in sixth at a time last month. Incredibly, the Blues were only two points behind Liverpool as recently as December, but now have 21 points at the drift of managers.
Nicolas Jackson expected to come back for Chelsea after an international break
Enzo Maresca confirmed that Nicolas Jackson could be back for Chelsea after the international break. He revealed that the striker, who was injured in the match against West Ham United (February 3), is being training right now and recovered from his problem to the hamstrings. Noni Madueke should also be back in action after the break. Maresca said (via 90 minutes):
“He could be back, probably after the international break. He and Noni too.”
“This is good news. Before the international break, we have two games – tomorrow and Sunday – then we have an international break, we can recover the energy, recover the players, then go for the last (little of the season).”
Chelsea will face Tottenham on April 3, followed by Brentford later in the week (April 6). The Blues only have a London match in April – the first leg of their quarter -final of the conference league against Legia Warszawa (April 10).
Edited by Nihal
