Nicolas Jackson could return for Chelsea TONIGHT for the Blues’ game against Liverpool after Senegal’s AFCON exit… as Mauricio Pochettino suggests the forward can ‘arrive and score the winning goal’
Nicolas Jackson could soon return from AFCON duty to face Liverpool this evening.
Chelsea yesterday examined the logistics involved in bringing back the striker after Senegal’s last-16 exit, with Mauricio Pochettino willing to include him if possible in a bid to boost their chances against the league leaders.
The idea of Jackson being parachuted into Anfield in time for kick-off was put to Pochettino, who laughed: ‘We’ll see. Maybe it will happen. If this means we have one percent more chance of winning the game, we will definitely try. But I don’t know if he’s brave enough to jump.’
More seriously, he added, “We’re waiting. All I can say is that he might be there. Recently Ghana lost and were away and Inaki Williams arrived a few hours earlier and played in the second half to beat Barcelona in the Copa del Rey. Why can’t Jackson arrive and score the winning goal?’
Jackson has divided opinion since his summer arrival from Villarreal, but Chelsea have experienced life without their main striker in the past five games.
Nicolas Jackson (pictured) could return for Chelsea against Liverpool tonight, Mauricio Pochettino has revealed
Jackson’s Senegal suffered a shock exit from the African Cup of Nations at the hands of Ivory Coast on Monday
Pochettino (pictured) said he is ‘selfishly happy’ because it means Jackson can return sooner
Pochettino said: ‘We miss the aggressiveness he offers. He runs a lot, the effort is enormous and he helps the team to keep up the pressure, recover and then score goals, because he also scores goals.
‘(I’m) sad that they (Senegal) are losing. But selfishly, I’m happy because maybe he can be with us.”
Moises Caicedo will face Liverpool for the first time since turning them down to join Chelsea for a British record fee of £115 million, £4 million more than the deal the Anfield club also struck with Brighton.
The money offered was proof that both clubs believed that Caicedo could be one of the best midfielders in the world according to Pochettino.
But he also emphasized that big-money fees today no longer mean signing ready-made stars.
Moises Caicedo, meanwhile, will face Liverpool for the first time since rejecting them for Chelsea this summer
He said: ‘Sometimes you pay a fee because they come and perform the next day. But today it is completely different.
‘Remember when Zidane or Kaka went to Real Madrid, they paid a big amount. Zidane was 26 or 27. I think it took seven or eight months for him to perform because expectations are high and adjustment is difficult. The pressure is enormous.’
