Chelsea made life difficult for themselves on Monday night at Selhurst Park, but in the end, Mauricio Pochettino watched his team secure all three points.
A brace from Conor Gallagher and a swift counter-attack finished by Enzo Fernandez sealed the points for a Chelsea team who had also beaten Aston Villa in the FA Cup in midweek.
But whilst everyone in Chelsea colours was elated at their latest victory, the actions of Nicolas Jackson towards Moises Caicedo didn’t sit well with Michael Owen.
The former England striker slammed the £30 million signing for throwing his hands and showing discontent towards the midfielder after his sloppy play, as he told Premier League Productions (12/02/24 at 9:00 pm).
It’s the fact that Nicolas Jackson decided to do it out in the open that irked Michael Owen and he added by firing shots at the former Villarreal’s man form and how he has been ‘as bad as Moises Caicedo this season’.
The 22-year-old has had some high moments, from his hat-trick against Tottenham, to also struggling to showcase a cutting edge in the final third in many, many games he has started.
As a result of it all, Nicolas Jackson has seven Premier League goals from 21 matches, three of them in the same game and more yellow cards to his name than goals (9).
Michael Owen was keen to bring that up when criticising the player for his actions on Monday night.
Nicolas Jackson and Moises Caicedo
“I wouldn’t like that,” said Owen. “You don’t see the top teams doing that, I don’t think, amongst players.
“You know, throwing arms around and almost it’s a public display of dissatisfaction. I don’t like that at all.
“If he had scored 20 goals already this season, then fine you can throw your arms out a little bit because you can get away with it. But he has been as bad as Caicedo this season, so I don’t think he should be throwing his arms around in front of the world to see.
On being irked by Jackson’s reaction: “I liked him as well, but I just don’t like that at all. I would say doing all of that (waving your arms about), so the crowd can see isn’t something you should do. It’s a poor display.”
Nicolas Jackson’s season
Like many Chelsea players, it has been a struggle for the Senegal star and he’s lucky to be earning as many starts as he is.
Yes, he had that hat-trick against Spurs, but they were down to ten, and then later on, nine men, whilst still playing the most ridiculous of high lines.
If Jackson didn’t score the goals during that game, then he would have been verbally battered from pillar to post by his fans.
Jackson did showcase his quality by scoring against Manchester City during that 4-4 epic, but his other goals have come up against the worst teams in the league Luton Town, Burnley and Sheffield United.
If he wants to become a top marksman for the club, then he has to step up and deliver the goods on much bigger stages, or else, he will be replaced in next to no time.
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