Jackson showing signs of a striker that Chelsea have been missing (2024)

In the 12th minute at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Chelsea midfielder Cesare Casadei looked up on the halfway line and quickly identified the correct option. He clipped a short, sharp pass into the feet of Ian Maatsen, who had peeled into a pocket of space between the Newcastle lines.

The Dutchman, receiving the ball on the half-turn, immediately moved it on with a pass of perfect weight and angle behind the opposition defence.

Then a strange thing happened — or perhaps, more accurately, the strange thing failed to happen. Running onto Maatsen’s inviting pass with Sven Botman scrambling at his side, Nicolas Jackson did not contrive to complicate the situation in any of the maddening myriad of ways other Chelsea attackers have found in recent years.

He did not try to take an unnecessary touch to control the ball or cut inside Botman to improve an already good shooting window. He did not attempt a pass that did not exist or an overly elaborate finish. He simply arced his run slightly to the left, opened up his body and, without breaking stride, side-footed beyond the outstretched leg of Martin Dubravka into the far corner.

Nico with the opener! 👏#BluesInTheUSA pic.twitter.com/oE82ppXrMJ

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 27, 2023

Just as with Jackson’s strike off the bench against Brighton & Hove Albion in Philadelphia on Saturday, it was the finish of a forward who carries himself like he believes he will never miss. Recent history backs up his confidence: nine goals in his final eight Villarreal appearances last season came from just 12 shots on target, and he has been similarly clinical to begin his Chelsea career in the United States.

This might be an unsustainable hot streak or it might be closer to who he is as a goalscorer. It is too soon to be certain, but the latter possibility is hugely exciting for Chelsea fans, who have been crying out for a great No 9 since Diego Costa left in 2017 and lamenting the absence of a good one since Tammy Abraham was frozen out by Thomas Tuchel in 2021.

“He’s showing his quality, his talent,” Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino said of Jackson after the match. “He’s good in front of goal, very relaxed with chances, and it’s showing in these games. I’m so happy because offensive players need to score to build confidence and trust.”

Pochettino’s tactical gambit against Newcastle was starting the four most impressive attacking performers of Chelsea’s pre-season together, with Jackson at the tip of his 4-2-3-1 system and Mykhailo Mudryk, Christopher Nkunku and Maatsen operating from left to right behind him. For much of the first half, their movements were fluid, their pressing was cohesive and they gave the team a searing verticality that was sorely lacking under Tuchel and Graham Potter.

Nkunku continues to give the impression of playing a little within his immense talent, and even as a No 10 in Atlanta was not quite as involved in Chelsea’s play as he should be when he hits his stride. But he orbited Jackson intelligently, picking the right moments and channels to run beyond his strike partner and further stretch the Newcastle defence.

“It was good to see,” Pochettino said of the pair. “In the first half, they played well. They found themselves, they created chances, they threatened the defensive line of Newcastle. It’s only time to build the relationship, but there is a possibility to play in the future with these two players.”

From the left, Mudryk did not produce the kind of flashbulb moment that lit up the match against Brighton, but there were flurries of dazzling skill and bursts of blurry speed that reinforced the sense of a devastating weapon steadily refining its aim. Shifted to the right to accommodate the Ukrainian, Maatsen again found ways to prove he is too good and too useful to be considered a mere loanee or saleable asset.

“I am so happy with him,” Pochettino said of Maatsen. “He’s a player that can play in different positions, his quality and understanding of the game — he’s a clever player.

“Yes, so far he is in my plan. I’m so pleased because his attitude, commitment and understanding of the game make him a player you can use in different positions. That is a good thing for the team and for the coaching staff. It’s always good to have this type of player.”

Pochettino’s options in the final third will be further strengthened when Noni Madueke recovers from a minor hamstring issue that prevented him from travelling with the Chelsea squad from Philadelphia to Atlanta. Looking beyond pre-season, Armando Broja will be fit and fully ready to make a first-team return at some point in the second half of 2023 following an ACL injury.

© tonight. #BluesInTheUSA pic.twitter.com/l06UDyuJqE

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 27, 2023

Nkunku and Mudryk were the two marquee attackers many at Chelsea were building their revival hopes upon, but Jackson is the one who looks most ready for a starring role when the real Premier League football begins against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge next month.

Towards the end of the first half, he seemed to be having fun tormenting Newcastle defenders. One sequence saw him dispossess Anthony Gordon by the corner flag, smartly navigate a flying challenge from Alex Murphy and then bamboozle a backpedalling Lewis Miley with a triple stepover before having his attempted cross blocked.

The joy that imbued Jackson’s play made it all the more disappointing to see him substituted at half-time. “The plan was maybe to play a bit more, but after 45 minutes we decided to substitute him because he played 45 minutes and he had good feelings,” Pochettino explained.

Good feelings define everything that surrounds Jackson right now, and they will only intensify if his goalscoring ability proves as real as it looks.

(Top photo: Todd Kirkland/Getty Images for Premier League)

Liam is a Staff Writer for The Athletic, covering Chelsea. He previously worked for Goal covering the Premier League before becoming the Chelsea correspondent for ESPN in 2015, witnessing the unravelling of Jose Mourinho, the rise and fall of Antonio Conte, the brilliance of Eden Hazard and the madness of Diego Costa. He has also contributed to The Independent and ITV Sport. Follow Liam on Twitter @liam_twomey