Chelsea icon Frank Lampard has extended his sympathy towards Nicolas Jackson after the 22-year-old forward missed multiple goal-scoring opportunities against Manchester City in the FA Cup over the weekend.
In the FA Cup semi-final showdown at Wembley, Manchester City secured a 1-0 victory over Chelsea, with Bernardo Silva netting the decisive goal.
Despite his efforts, Jackson couldn’t find the back of the net for Mauricio Pochettino’s team, leaving Lampard to assess that the Senegalese international didn’t quite reach the performance level expected of Chelsea’s primary striker.
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“I feel for him to some extent because he showcased plenty of positive movement,” Lampard remarked. “As a young striker, he demonstrated attributes such as outrunning Kyle Walker and displaying pace and good positioning. However, there’s a technical aspect there.”
Lampard elaborated, “The additional touch, the decision-making in these top-tier games can make all the difference. Take the header, any placement other than hitting his body would have resulted in a goal. It’s those small decisions that can have a significant impact. I empathize with him; we’ve all experienced it, missed chances, and in such a crucial game.”
“But as a young player, that’s the standard expected of a striker for Chelsea,” Lampard concluded.