The sound you hear echoing in the skies over Stamford Bridge in recent weeks is the sound of pundits backtracking.
Chelsea’s latest chaotic summer and some horrible preseason performances had most people (us included) convinced that the Blues were in for another tricky campaign. But Enzo Maresca’s team are blowing everyone away, and some individuals in particular are showing that they were judged too soon or too harshly.
Nicolas Jackson is the best example. Many said he wouldn’t be able to cut it after a dodgy first few months at Chelsea, but he’s got better and better.
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Nicolas Jackson celebrates scoring for Chelsea against Liverpool.
Nicolas Jackson rides a Dan Burn challenge. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Nicolas Jackson playing for Chelsea at home.
Writing for the Sun, former Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp admitted he’d misjudged the striker’s level:
“I have to be honest, when they bought him I thought, ‘He is just not good enough’. He was going to Bournemouth for £20million but that didn’t happen because he had an injury and I really thought the Cherries had saved themselves £20m,” the pundit wrote.
“Now Jackson is looking a very useful player. Full credit to the manager because he has given him a bit of self belief and he’s delivering the goods.”
There’s no doubt that Maresca deserves a lot of praise, but Jackson improved a lot under Mauricio Pochettino too.
Nicolas Jackson rides a Dan Burn challenge. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Nicolas Jackson rides a Dan Burn challenge. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Jackson’s astonishing improvement puts him among the league’s best
Redknapp isn’t the only one to have read Jackson wrong – he’s surprised everyone not only with his ability, but with how quickly he’s been able to improve on last season’s weaknesses and make himself into one of the league’s top strikers.
After being rested in midweek, we expect the Senegal star to be firing on all cylinders today, and that should hopefully be enough to see off a struggling Spurs team who are inconsistent at best. Let’s hope he’s in the mood to make more critics eat their words with some clinical finishing.