Jackson or Delap? Maresca has one big decision to make about who leads his team from the front, and it doesn’t look like the odds are in Jackson’s favour.
Having secured the signing of Liam Delap, who featured in their Club World Cup games, Chelsea now have two recognized strikers. However, this new dynamic presents a new problem for Enzo Maresca, who has always relied on Nicolas Jackson.
Delap, who provided an assist for Enzo Fernandez’s goal, came on as a sub for Chelsea in their game against LAFC. This was his debut for the club, and he got the nod for the starting position for the game against Flamengo, although the Blues lost 3-1.
A major talking point from the game is Nicolas Jackson’s red card, as the Senegalese forward was sent off after spending less than five minutes on the field. The red card dampened Chelsea’s hopes of getting out of the game as they went on to lose 3-1. But it has bigger implications.
Nicolas Jackson will also miss the next game against ES Tunis, handing Delap another start. Jackson would be hoping Chelsea get past the group stage if he’s to feature for them in the competition again.
Away from the Club World Cup, Jackson won’t start Chelsea’s opening game of the season against Crystal Palace as he’ll be serving a match ban for getting a red card against Newcastle at the tail end of the season. Once again, Maresca will be naturally obliged to start Liam Delap.
Although there’s no clear idea of how Maresca plans to use both forwards when the season starts, his formation shows that there’s space for only one striker.
Chelsea have also said that they wanted to get a prolific striker to lead the line next season, and although they have settled for Liam Delap, it is unthinkable that they would spend £30m on the English forward just to have him play second fiddle to Jackson.
Jackson is also known for his poor finishing in front of goal, and Delap seems to have the cure. Despite playing last season at Ipswich, the English forward got 12 goals in 37 games, which is 2 more than Jackson’s 10 in 30 games.
The English forward also plays similarly to Erling Haaland in terms of his upper body strength, ability to win the ball in the air, and bully defenders, something Jackson doesn’t particularly excel at.
Delap’s shot power and ability to shoot from anywhere outside the box have endeared him to Chelsea fans who saw it first hand when they lost 3-0 to Ipswich early last season, and it will also favour Chelsea when they find it difficult to break down their opponents.
Jackson’s absence from the starting lineup from the starting 11 due to his red cards also gives Delap a little more time to get used to the team’s playing style and figure out the best way to inject himself.
Jackson does offer Chelsea more in terms of link-up play, especially with Palmer and pressing, which is something that gave him the nod over Nkunku, who may leave the club this window.
Maresca still has a choice to make, but if Nicolas Jackson continues in this form and Delap gets up to speed with this head start, the Senegalese forward may find himself riding the bench.
