“Nico Jackson is not the answer” - Pundits takes aim at Chelsea star, names his replacement in the starting XI
Former Chelsea midfielder turned television pundit Craig Burley hit out at Nicolas Jackson for his poor showing against Newcastle United. The Blues suffered a crushing 4-1 defeat at the hands of Magpies at the St. James' Park on Saturday, Nov. 25.
Following the game, Craig Burley was critical of Jackson and insisted that he is not the answer to the Blues' striker problems. The former Scotland international also claimed that Armando Broja would be a better option up front for the East London giants.
Burley claimed that even though Jackson scored a hat-trick against Tottenham Hotspur, his job was made simpler as Spurs were down to nine men. He told ESPN, as quoted by Teamtalk:
“Let’s be honest, Nico Jackson’s not the answer. I don’t dislike Broja, I know he’s had his injury problems. But I think I’d rather have him up front than Jackson. I know he got his goals against Tottenham. But come on, let’s be realistic, they were down to nine men at the time.”
Jackson made his move to Chelsea from Villarreal in the summer in a deal worth £32 million, and his transfer fee was overshadowed by those of his fellow summer recruits. However, the Senegal international has not quite managed to impress despite being shown trust by Mauricio Pochettino.
Jackson has so far managed only seven goals in 15 appearances across competitions, out of which three were against Spurs. Meanwhile, Broja is coming back from an ACL injury and is slowly building his match fitness.
Chelsea star pens emotional apology to fans after 4-1 defeat against Newcastle
Chelsea defender Thiago Silva has penned an apology on Instagram following a 4-1 defeat against Newcastle United on Saturday, Nov. 25. Despite securing a 4-1 win against Tottenham Hotspur and drawing 4-4 against Manchester City prior to the international break, the Blues were abolsutely demolished by the Magpies.
Thiago Silva made the headlines for the wrong reasons as he made a major individual mistake leading to Newcastle United's third goal. Just seconds after Jamal Lascelles put his team in front at the hour mark, the veteran Brazilian center-back completely mistimed a backpass to his goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
Joelinton made no mistake as he latched on to the ball and put his side 3-1 up. After the full-time whistle, Silva took to Instagram to apologize to the fans.
He wrote:
“I’m devastated. It wasn’t a good day for us. I would like to apologise to everyone for the defeat, especially to my teammates who believe in me and support me every day. I take full responsibility. Let’s gather strength and come back stronger.”
Thiago Silva has been outstanding for Chelsea since joining the London side in 2020 on a free transfer after leaving Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). Even at the age of 39, he has been among the best players in his position and the leader of the Blues' defence.