Tim Sherwood says he ‘admires’ Nicolas Jackson after Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Brentford but believes the striker occasionally looks like a celebrity playing in Soccer Aid.
Enzo Maresca’s side strengthened their Premier League title credentials with a victory at Stamford Bridge on Sunday evening which has put them two points behind leaders Liverpool.
Marc Cucurella gave Chelsea the lead in the first half before Jackson doubled their advantage after the break with an excellent individual effort.
But before his goal, Jackson missed a clear-cut chance with his left foot from six yards out after the ball was played across the box by Jadon Sancho.
Sherwood, however, praised Jackson’s mentality after the game and is adamant that the 23-year-old will continue to improve.
‘Not just today, I think all season, well, since I’ve seen Nicolas Jackson, he’s so unpredictable,’ Sherwood told Premier League Productions.
‘At times he looks like someone playing in Soccer Aid who’s not a footballer.
‘Look at this chance [Jackson’s miss from six yards], that looks like someone who is a rapper or an actor or something trying to play football.
‘But then all of a sudden he just turns it on. He’s such a threat because he tries to get in behind, he doesn’t mind if he misses chances because he knows his one will come.
‘But we’ll show you something now [for Jackson’s goal] which is undefendable, you can’t defend this. As soon as the ball turns over, Caicedo does brilliantly, and Enzo gives him the ball, once he’s in this position, not everyone can do this [run through and score], he’s got a talent to do this.
‘It’s incredible. He scores he hardest chances and misses the easiest ones, but you need to be a big character to do that because he always wants to put himself on offer.
‘I’ve got a lot of time for him. He’s scored nine Premier League goal now, that’s a very difficult chance [against Brentford], he’s got so much to do, he drives and drives, keeps his balance well, smashes it in the bottom corner, fantastic, wins them the game.
‘But he always puts himself on offer all of the time and I admire that from him.
‘He’s only young, he can still develop, he can still get better. I’m sure this manager will be showing him those chances and showing him how he can improve and get his coaching team out there with him and recreate those chances.
‘This [Jackson’s goal] isn’t something you haven’t got to recreate with him, we know he’s good at that but that chance when he’s almost not ready and it comes to him and he almost looks surprised and he has a straight leg with his left foot, it’s awful technique.
‘I think he’s got an all-round game, he’s ahead of Didier Drogba, one of the best centre-forwards they’ve ever had, after 50 games.
‘He looks like a real good character, like I say. It takes a big character to put yourself on offer at the Bridge and around the Premier League and have big chances and miss them, take the criticism but still put yourself on offer to get those chances again, and he takes difficult chances, that’s what he does. If he could finish the easy ones his numbers would double.’
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