Liam Twomey is putting out some really quality pieces for the Athletic at the moment analysing Chelsea’s current great form, and today’s effort is no different.
His focus this time is on Nicolas Jackson, the striker who was given a deserved break in midweek against Southampton in order to keep him fresh for a huge game against Tottenham on Sunday.
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Nicolas Jackson playing for Chelsea at home.
Chelsea flag at Stamford Bridge.
Stamford Bridge halfway line.
The Senegal striker made something of a breakthrough a year ago in this fixture. He scored a hattrick – although some would say it was bizarrely also his most frustrating game of the season. He was caught offside so many times when he didn’t need to be, and he (along with his teammates) made some of the most infuriating decisions in the final third against 9 men playing a high line.
Since then he’s gone from strength to strength however, and he’s at a new level this season, up with the top strikers in Europe. He’s now overperforming, rather than underperforming, his xG.
Nicolas Jackson celebrates scoring for Chelsea against Liverpool.
Nicolas Jackson celebrates scoring against Liverpool. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Jackson’s front foot defending the defining feature of Maresca’s Chelsea
But it’s not just Jackson’s goals which matter – Twomey’s piece is all about pressing, and picks out some interesting numbers.
Jackson is 6th in the league among forwards for attempted pressures per 90 minutes, and 5th among forwards for attempted pressures in the final third per 90 minutes.
He’s a complete menace for an opposition team trying to set up slow, patient build up from the back. And there are a lot of those in the Premier League at the moment. He buzzes around goalkeepers, putting them under pressure and forcing them into panicky passes.
It also brings his team up the pitch and gets them defending in an active way rather than passively inviting the opposition onto them. Having a dynamo like Moises Caicedo behind him helps too.