Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has been extremely complimentary of Chelsea as he prepares to bring his side to Stamford Bridge this weekend.
Unai Emery, 53, has proven himself to be one of Europe’s top managers in recent years. One of his greatest achievements was guiding Villa into the Champions League by finishing fourth last season.
His team travel to Stamford Bridge on Sunday to face Chelsea in the Premier League.
Enzo Maresca, 44, has done a stellar job in the last few months since he took charge as the Blues head coach.
Emery claims Chelsea are getting better under Maresca as he prepares to lock horns with him on the touchline tomorrow afternoon.
Coach Unai Emery of Villarreal Nicolas Jackson of Villarreal Yeremi Pino of Villarreal during the La Liga Santander match between FC Barcelona v ...
Photo by David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images
Unai Emery raves about Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson
Aston Villa boss Emery has singled out Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson ahead of tomorrow’s game.
He previously coached the centre-forward in Spain at Villarreal. In fact, Jackson played 27 games under his management.
Speaking ahead of Chelsea versus Villa, Emery has massively praised the 23-year-old Blues striker for the way he’s improved his game.
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“He (Jackson) was starting the pre-season with the U21s and when he was progressively coming to train with us, he was showing his potential,” Emery told Sky Sports.
“We worked during the one year on his skill, he improved his understanding better, how he could exploit his potential. And playing minutes and getting experiences was the next step.
“But his attitude as well was fantastic. He was always learning. He was always demanding to train more, to be focused. He was also being a professional every day out of training sessions at home because he was focused on football like the first priority in his life.
“And the consequences is coming. It’s coming because he signed for Chelsea. Last year he was adapting so quick, but he was progressively getting better – sometimes without the performance – and now he is showing.”
Overall, Jackson has been fantastic in the opening few months of this season, scoring seven goals in 13 Premier League matches. The fact that he’s keeping teammate Christopher Nkunku out of the best XI tells its own story.
Maresca has been working hard with Chelsea striker Jackson in training, particularly on his finishing, which looks like it’s beginning to pay off.
Nicolas Jackson developing into a top centre-forward
There were a few times during Jackson’s debut season with Chelsea last year that he played on the left wing. However, Maresca stressed in the summer he views Jackson as a centre-forward.
It’s becoming more and more obvious that Jackson is a top quality No.9 with so much potential.
Appearances Goals Assists Shots Pass accuracy Chances created Yellow cards Average rating
12 7 3 28 75.0% 13 4 7.50
Nicolas Jackson in the 2024/25 Premier League season via FOTMOB
Chelsea have been searching to find a world-class striker for many years. If Jackson gets more time and trust, he may well be just that in the future.
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