According to Paul Ince, one of Chelsea’s players is not being used correctly by Mauricio Pochettino.
Last summer, Chelsea signed Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal for £32m (The Guardian). The 22-year-old has been the main striker for the Blues this season.
However, Ince, a talkSPORT pundit, has argued that Jackson is not suited for the striker role after watching him play on the left wing for Villarreal last season.
Pochettino, meanwhile, has no other option but to play the Senegalese forward up front. Christopher Nkunku is injured, and Armando Broja went to Fulham on loan in January.
Jackson has acknowledged that he needs to improve his scoring record, having netted 11 goals so far this season for Chelsea.
Nicolas Jackson is not a striker, according to Paul Ince.
While Ince thinks Jackson is capable of playing up front, he does not see it as the Senegal international’s best position.
“They need a striker,” the Manchester United legend said on talkSPORT. “They bought Nkunku, but he’s never fit. Jackson’s not a centre-forward really. When he was at Villarreal, he was playing on the left-hand side. That’s his normal position but can play that role.
“But they’ve never actually got a striker and that’s always been a problem.”
The season will end with Nicolas Jackson as the main forward for Chelsea.
.png?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60 "Mauricio Pochettino is playing £32m Chelsea man in the wrong position - Paul Ince 2")
Jackson is the only available centre-forward for Pochettino at the moment, as we have discussed before.
Even when Nkunku comes back from injury, he is not a natural fit for the No.9 role and prefers to play behind a striker.
Moreover, Nkunku’s frequent fitness issues mean that Jackson will likely remain the main striker for the rest of the season.
However, the future is uncertain. Jackson has the skills to play as a winger and has done so on several occasions this season. He is fast, direct and can beat defenders with his dribbling. This might be something for Pochettino to consider, especially if Chelsea sign a new No.9 in the summer.