Chelsea had a strong showing in their first matchup of the Club World Cup, taking down LAFC 2-0. And while beating an MLS side was nothing less than you’d expect from the Conference League champions and a top-five team in the Premier League, you only have to look at PSG and Real Madrid to see how hard it is to win a game in this competition even when you are an elite European club.
And Chelsea supporters got to see the other side of that on Friday afternoon, as the Blues turned in a putrid performance against the latest historic Brazilian side to make some noise.
Flamengo beat Chelsea 3-1, and while there is a lot of blame to go around, most Chelsea fans have focused their ire on a player who has consistently disappointed them in important spots.
Striker Nicolas Jackson came into the summer already under the hot seat with the Blues looking at more accomplished goal-scoring strikers like Victor Osimhen, and if he was feeling the pressure after new signing Liam Delap’s strong debut against Los Angeles, he certainly gave himself even more work to do after his display vs. Flamengo.
Jackson was not only horrible as the leading man for a Chelsea attack that failed to show up, but he also completely doomed his team’s chances of winning with yet another rash challenge that fully merited a straight red.
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Chelsea need someone they can trust
No Chelsea fan is defending Jackson’s actions. Instead, many of them are fed up with the raw, ill-disciplined striker who has earned more of a penchant for picking up bookings than for bagging goals.
While Jackson actually improved in his second season at Chelsea and was one of the better all-around strikers in the Premier League, that praise comes with the caveat that there were very few good striker performances in the league this season.
And when you compare Jackson to the strikers at other top clubs like Erling Haaland at Manchester City or Alexander Isak at Newcastle, you can see that if Liverpool, Arsenal, and others are able to make a good signing at striker this summer, Chelsea would suddenly be in trouble with Jackson.
The biggest problem with Jackson is what Chelsea fans observed on Friday against Flamengo; it’s the harsh reality that Jackson is such an unpredictable and immature hot-head that the club just can’t trust him.
Jackson is more likely to ruin Chelsea with a terrible tackle than he is to save the day with a goal – or at least that’s the impression that a performance like this one gives off.
The Club World Cup is situated at an important time with the transfer window ongoing, and with Chelsea already still looking at striker signings, Jackson may have just shot himself in the foot. He made a strong case for himself being replaced outright.
Now, one bad performance shouldn’t mean Jackson is sent packing, but this display is further combination that Delap alone is not enough: another striker needs to be coming to Stamford Bridge this summer.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2011. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has contributed to sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. Joe’s work has appeared in ESPN, Bleacher Report, and Sports Illustrated. He also edited NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, and mentors award-winning writers across football and pro wrestling.