Nicolas Jackson's Selfishness reflects Chelsea's damning flaw with Champions League on the line
Chelsea's destiny in still in their hands but Sunday's loss to Newcastle was another example of how far they have to go
I’m not angry, I’m just disappointed.
Few of us can truly say we are flabbergasted Chelsea lost at St. James Park again. For most of my life Chelsea have gone up to Tyneside and come back with nothing. From Mourinho through to Conte and now Maresca, Chelsea coaches cannot escape without some form of punishment at that ground.
Sunday’s loss at this late stage of the season against a Champions League rival could however prove the most consequential.
One of the prevailing conclusions from Sunday’s 2-0 loss is that Nicolas Jackson needs to be sold. Nicolas Jackson is terrible. Nicolas Jackson, I blame you for everything. Nicolas Jackson was actually to blame for not getting the gauntlet off Thanos in Infinity War. Nicolas Jackson turned heel on Chelsea worse than John Cena kicking Cody Rhodes in the nuts.
All of these reactions are understandable given the meaning of Sunday’s game. Even if you get your calculator out and notice Chelsea’s destiny still remains in their hands, Jackson’s act potentially has far-reaching ramifications for the final two league games.
It was an act of selfishness rather than selflessness. It reflected a petulance when his club needed him to show defiance. We can look at his young age and naivety as reasons for this pathetic outburst. Flinging an elbow towards Sven Botman effectively hamstrung his teammates who were already up against it after a woeful start.
The biggest tragedy of this is that Jackson, a player whose career at Chelsea up until this point unearthed positives, will now be damned and tarnished potentially by this moment. It is striking how many have come the conclusion this should be the full stop on his time with the club.
12 months ago, Jackson was concluding a more than commendable first campaign at the club. Netting 17 goals in total, including a memorable winner at Nottingham Forest to secure a joyous three points. He had come to define an attack that has produced far more than expected and offered evidence they were worth persisting with.
Jackson’s start to this season only aided that belief. Almost hitting 10 league goals before Christmas before his form nosedived and then got injured in February. One strike against Everton since gained Chelsea a valuable three points but overall, his performances have been underwhelming for a substantial period of time.
One criticism that you cannot hide from is the sizable chunk of change spent on this squad, to then be relying on such raw talent at a time when results are paramount is another reflection on the failure of recruitment. Enzo Maresca cannot be blamed for what Jackson did, it was an individual moment of madness.
However, if we are talking about naivety and inexperience within this group being exposed at high pressure points, then we can find a broader trend that leads to the feet of the Sporting Directors.
An Unserious Start
Another thing that does need to be talked about on Sunday however is the pathetic start by Chelsea at a tough away ground.
Even if Jackson’s red hamstrung Chelsea, that was not the turning point or a moment of self-harm that went completely against the run of play. Chelsea looked completely unprepared for a game of this significance from the opening minutes when Sandro Tonali profited on that sloppiness.
It is there where you can look at the head coach and his players and question what was the mindset or game-plan against an opponent who we all knew would be rallied by a hostile home crowd? An aggressive approach and physical prowess? You did not need to be a rocket scientist to predict that.
The most irritating part of all of this is the contrast to Chelsea’s start, unity and work rate off-the-ball only one week ago against Liverpool. There, in a big game, Chelsea’s approach was perfect. Players worked hard for each other, they covered gaps, they stayed in a rigid shape off the ball.
Maresca admitted post-game Liverpool’s quality forced them to adapt on the fly with less of the ball than they desired. But that was a positive because they overcame that adversity.
On Sunday it was the complete opposite. As Simon Johnson rightly noted, it looked like the players thought the game wasn’t kicking off till 2pm. On such a big occasion, on an afternoon that could prove defining for your season being deemed a success or failure, how do you look so short?
People can point to tactics, but Chelsea’s improvement with 10 men damned Jackson, but also the start which effectively cost Chelsea in a tight game. This was not a blowout or an exact repeat of the pathetic surrender at The Emirates in March. Chelsea tested Nick Pope in the second half through Marc Cucurella and Enzo Fernandez. Reece James poorly glanced a header wide in the final exchanges to great despair.
Fine margins cost Chelsea but that is not down to bad luck or poor officiating, it appeared to be down to a lack of serious appreciation for the moment - which is not the first time this season.
Destiny Arrives.
The maddening part is despite the damaging 2-0 loss. The red card to Jackson and the numbing of the positivity that came from beating Liverpool, Chelsea still have their Champions League destiny in their own hands.
If they beat both Manchester United and Nottingham Forest, they will return to Europe’s elite competition. It would take a freakish turnaround in goal difference from Aston Villa, who are favorites to also gain maximum points in their final two, for Chelsea to be usurped.
However, it is very hard to guess what Chelsea are going to turn up for games of such importance. The evidence tells us that Chelsea are likely to win at the Bridge where they have been strong, but in “big away games”, the record suggests a defeat.
Both United and Forest bring their own fears and hopes for Chelsea. In the case of United, no Chelsea mind goes into this with maximum assurance the Blues will put an atrocious United to the sword. How can you? Last year’s 4-3 win was the first over them in the league since 2017.
It seems that no matter how poor United are, how low in confidence and quality they appear, Chelsea still find a way to drop several levels. The game back in November at Old Trafford proved that case. Even with them sitting in 16th and looking ahead to a Europa League final, the historic record goes against Chelsea.
For Forest, it probably is the opposite, just in the sense that Forest have been on their own downward spiral for weeks. Failing to win any of their last three against Brentford, Crystal Palace and Leicester. Leaving a scenario which now means if Chelsea win on Friday, the Blues would not need to win on the final day to finish above Forest.
Maresca will be forced to consider bringing Reece James back into his lineup after the struggles for Caicedo at right-back on Sunday. Along with the domino effect of Jackson’s suspension, which could see Cole Palmer, Pedro Neto or Tyrique George move into the centre-forward role. Added to that, the concern that Caicedo’s presence is better felt alongside Lavia, rather than shifted into a role that means Reece James, an incredible right-back, is sat on the bench.
Apart of tactics, Chelsea’s mentality for these two games is probably the biggest concern. Do Chelsea actually have the cojones to show something they simply haven’t under Clearlake, and that is getting over the line.
Do we witness a Chelsea that incredibly turned around the Fulham game and showed such spirit to overcome The Champions at home? Or the one that appears tactically inept, physically weak and miles away from the required intensity on a big occasion?