December 24th 2023.
Nicolas Jackson had another frustrating performance as Chelsea were beaten by Wolves on Sunday, but Mauricio Pochettino remains adamant that the misfiring striker cannot be held accountable for the latest loss.
Despite missing two good chances, Jackson was not the only one to miss opportunities at Molineux. Raheem Sterling had the best chance of the game when he had the goal open but shot straight at Jose Sa when he could have passed to either Cole Palmer or Jackson.
Despite his struggles to adjust to the Premier League, Pochettino believes that seven league goals this season is a good haul for Jackson in his debut campaign in England.
‘When you compare Jackson, it is about expectations; when you look at other strikers who arrived at his age and the goals they scored he is performing,’ said the Chelsea boss. ‘We cannot blame him.’
While the defeat was another sour point for Pochettino, he did have one moment of joy as Christopher Nkunku made his Premier League debut and scored late on.
‘I’m very pleased to see Nkunku score and it shows how important he can be for us,’ said Pochettino. ‘We cannot put too much pressure on him, he’s been out for a very long time and that is why he came on after 60 minutes – to help ease him in.
‘He’s a quality player who can score goals and we are pleased he did that today, although of course we are disappointed not to win the game. Christo needs time to arrive in this way but we are very confident in him to get to his best and be a key player for us.’
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