Ask Chelsea fans if Nicolas Jackson is good enough to be their number one striker going forward and you’ll get a different answer on each different day of the week – and if the Blues are in action that day, you’ll probably get multiple answers in a day.
Yesterday was the ultimate illustration. He did some absolutely phenomenal things, worked tirelessly and dragged his team up the field time and again. Yet when the perfect chance fell to him in the box, he smashed it high and wide in a predictable way.
The play which earned Leicester their red card summed up the Nicolas Jackson experience perfectly. His run and turn on the halfway line was sublime. Yet as he raced in on goal, instead of passing it square for his teammate, he kept the ball and was brought down by a Callum Doyle. It wasn’t even a penalty – we got just a free kick which Raheem Sterling sent into the upper tier.
One had to celebrate the skill which got him to that position – but also lament the lack of efficiency to just take the goal rather than try (and fail) to win a penalty.