
A Chelsea fan and Reddit user, Defjam, sparked controversy online by claiming that manager Enzo Maresca appeared “frustrated” with Nicolas Jackson’s finishing after Chelsea’s 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace. The fan suggested that Jackson’s inability to convert chances is costing the team crucial points.
In the post, Defjam wrote: “Gaffer is clearly frustrated with the (in particular Nico’s) finishing. We need a clinical striker. I have no agenda against Nico per se, but many times he just frustrates us in front of goal and costs us games. Yes, the team has looked a bit stale in general, but if we don’t convert our chances in attack, we are much more susceptible to these 1-1 draws.”
The comment received mixed reactions, with some fans slamming the criticism and others debating the need for reinforcements in January.
One user, Fazer, responded: “Crazy how quickly the fanbase turns on players. I do hope we go for a striker in January. But not because I don’t believe in Jackson, but he needs competition to motivate him.”
Another fan, Dani, highlighted the fanbase’s inconsistency, writing: “This fanbase is something else, went from reposting memes aimed at Mikel when he was scoring to considering Jackson a bum.”
Other fans came to Jackson’s defense, pointing out his solid performances despite the occasional missed chance. Affec rebutted the original claim, saying: “He is clearly not frustrated with Nico’s finishing. He said later on, something along the lines of ‘this is football—sometimes you score every time you shoot, sometimes you don’t (paraphrasing). Nico is getting into the positions and getting chances, he played well.’ Can make any comment seem targeted with a 20-second clip lol.”
Statistics were also used to defend Jackson, with Taest adding: “Only 5 players have higher xG than him in the league. He has 9 goals from 9.1 xG in 18 games. He’s a top striker and will obviously have blips, no need to get rattled because he’s not scoring 25+ a season.”
If I were coach I could leave Jackson as a super sub because he doing nothing